An industry on LinkedIn refers to the industry or field that a member’s profile is associated with. When creating a LinkedIn profile, members can select their industry from a predefined list of options that best describes their professional background. This allows members to showcase their industry expertise and helps determine the types of jobs, content, groups, and connections recommended to them on LinkedIn.
Some key things to know about LinkedIn industries include:
LinkedIn Industry Options
LinkedIn provides over 130 industry options to choose from when selecting your industry. Industries are organized into larger categories like Business Services, Consumer Goods, Education, Finance, Healthcare, Media, Non-Profit, and Technology.
Some examples of LinkedIn industries include:
– Accounting
– Airlines/Aviation
– Alternative Medicine
– Animation
– Apparel & Fashion
– Architecture & Planning
– Arts & Crafts
– Automotive
– Banking
– Biotechnology
– Broadcast Media
– Building Materials
– Business Supplies & Equipment
– Capital Markets
– Chemicals
– Civic & Social Organization
– Civil Engineering
– Computer Games
– Computer Hardware
– Computer Networking
– Computer Software
– Construction
– Consumer Electronics
– Consumer Goods
– Consumer Services
– Cosmetics
– Dairy
– Defense & Space
– Design
– Education Management
– Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing
– Entertainment
– Environmental Services
– Events Services
– Executive Office
– Facilities Services
– Farming
– Financial Services
– Fine Art
– Fishery
– Food & Beverages
– Food Production
– Fund-Raising
– Furniture
– Graphic Design
– Health, Wellness & Fitness
– Higher Education
– Hospital & Health Care
– Hospitality
– Human Resources
– Individual & Family Services
– Industrial Automation
– Information Services
– Information Technology & Services
– Insurance
– International Affairs
– International Trade & Development
– Internet
– Investment Banking
– Investment Management
– Judiciary
– Law Enforcement
– Law Practice
– Legal Services
– Legislative Office
– Leisure, Travel & Tourism
– Libraries
– Logistics & Supply Chain
– Luxury Goods & Jewelry
– Machinery
– Management Consulting
– Maritime
– Marketing & Advertising
– Market Research
– Mechanical or Industrial Engineering
– Media Production
– Medical Devices
– Medical Practice
– Mental Health Care
– Military
– Mining & Metals
– Motion Pictures & Film
– Museums & Institutions
– Music
– Nanotechnology
– Newspapers
– Nonprofit Organization Management
– Oil & Energy
– Online Media
– Outsourcing/Offshoring
– Package/Freight Delivery
– Packaging & Containers
– Paper & Forest Products
– Performing Arts
– Pharmaceuticals
– Philanthropy
– Photography
– Plastics
– Political Organization
– Primary/Secondary Education
– Printing
– Professional Training & Coaching
– Public Relations & Communications
– Public Safety
– Publishing
– Railroads
– Real Estate
– Recreational Facilities & Services
– Religious Institutions
– Renewables & Environment
– Research
– Restaurants
– Retail
– Security & Investigations
– Semiconductors
– Shipbuilding
– Sporting Goods
– Sports
– Staffing & Recruiting
– Supermarkets
– Telecommunications
– Textiles
– Think Tanks
– Tobacco
– Translation & Localization
– Transportation/Trucking/Railroad
– Utilities
– Venture Capital & Private Equity
– Veterinary
– Warehousing
– Wholesale
– Wine & Spirits
– Wireless
– Writing & Editing
This covers a wide range of professional industries, although it’s not an exhaustive list. LinkedIn adds new options over time as different fields emerge and evolve.
Selecting Your LinkedIn Industry
Each LinkedIn member can only select one industry for their profile. This should be the industry that best reflects your overall professional background and experience.
For example, if you’ve worked in healthcare marketing for the past 10 years, you would likely select “Marketing and Advertising” or “Hospital & Health Care” as your industry rather than “Consumer Goods.”
Some tips for picking your LinkedIn industry include:
– Review all the LinkedIn industry options and consider which one aligns closest with your career history.
– Think about how you would describe your profession to someone you just met. What industry would you say you work in?
– Look at the current industry selected for your existing job titles and positions. Is there one that stands out as most common?
– If you are transitioning careers, choose the industry you are transitioning into.
– If you have experience across multiple industries, pick the one where you have the deepest expertise or want to be better known professionally.
– Check what other people in similar roles and companies have listed as their industry for guidance.
Overall, your industry should summarize the main focus area of your professional background and skills. It does not need to encompass every job you’ve ever had.
Benefits of Selecting an Industry on LinkedIn
Selecting your LinkedIn industry provides a number of benefits:
Profiles Rank Higher in Search Results
Adding an industry helps optimize your LinkedIn profile for both search engine and internal LinkedIn search results. People searching for connections in your industry are more likely to find your profile.
Discover Relevant Jobs
LinkedIn uses your industry to recommend jobs and opportunities of interest. Listing your industry ensures the job suggestions you see are closely aligned with your professional background.
Join Industry Groups & Follow Companies
Your industry helps LinkedIn suggest industry-specific groups to join and companies to follow. This allows you to customize your LinkedIn feed with relevant news and discussions.
Connect with Industry Peers
You can more easily discover and connect with other members in your industry thanks to LinkedIn’s industry-focused search filters and “People Also Viewed” recommendations.
Get Found for Business Opportunities
Companies, recruiters, and clients search LinkedIn for industry professionals to hire or do business with. Adding your industry makes it easier to get found.
Demonstrate Your Expertise
Your industry is a quick way for other members to understand your professional background and expertise. It establishes credibility.
Analytics & Insights
LinkedIn provides personalized analytics and insights based on your industry, such as top skills, career paths, and salary data.
Considerations When Changing LinkedIn Industry
As your career progresses, you may want to re-evaluate and change the industry listed on your LinkedIn profile. However, there are a few considerations when changing your industry:
Impact on Existing Connections & Followers
People who connect with you or follow you on LinkedIn often do so based on shared industries and interests. Changing your industry suddenly may confuse existing connections who followed you for your past industry affiliation.
Loss of Industry-Specific Groups & Follows
When you change your industry, LinkedIn will stop recommending groups and companies related to your old industry. You may lose touch with some communities.
Search Visibility Disruption
Switching industries may briefly impact your visibility in industry-specific searches until the LinkedIn algorithm adapts to your new industry.
Need to Establish Credibility in New Industry
Joining a brand new industry means you will likely have fewer connections and followers in that space initially. You will need to build up your reputation and expertise from scratch.
Analytics Reset
Industry-specific analytics and insights will reset based on your new industry. You lose access to analytics related to your previous industry.
For these reasons, it’s smart to think carefully before changing your LinkedIn industry, and only do so if you have truly transitioned into a new professional field for the long-term. Here are some best practices:
– Update your industry when you permanently switch careers or fields, not just temporary job changes. The industry should reflect your overall experience.
– Gradually establish connections and build expertise in the new industry first before officially switching.
– Consider keeping your old industry for a transition period to maintain visibility. You can list the new industry in your profile summary.
– Let key connections and followers know about your industry change in advance to provide context.
With some strategic planning, updating your LinkedIn industry to reflect a new professional chapter can be done smoothly. Just be sure it truly aligns with your longer-term career direction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose a broad or specific LinkedIn industry?
In most cases, a more specific industry is better than an overly broad one. For example, “Marketing & Advertising” is typically a better choice than simply “Business Services.” The more niche your industry, the more targeted your visibility and recommendations will be.
Can I list multiple industries on LinkedIn?
No, each LinkedIn member can only select one industry. So you need to choose the industry that best represents the majority of your professional experience and expertise.
What if my career spans several unrelated industries?
If you have extensive experience across very different industries, consider selecting the one you are most interested in progressing in. On your profile, you can highlight skills and experience from other industries in your summary and work history.
Can I leave my LinkedIn industry blank?
It’s recommended to select a LinkedIn industry rather than leave it blank. An empty industry makes it harder for others to understand your professional background at a glance. However, it won’t completely prevent you from appearing in search results or connecting with others.
What if my industry isn’t listed as a LinkedIn option?
If your profession is very specialized or emerging, LinkedIn may not offer it yet as an industry option. In this case, select the closest applicable industry. You can explain more in your profile summary if needed. Check back periodically as LinkedIn adds new industries over time.
Conclusion
Your LinkedIn industry is an important profile element that summarizes your professional expertise, helps you get discovered in search results, surfaces relevant jobs and connections, and allows you to demonstrate credibility. Take time selecting the industry that best reflects your overall career direction and strengths. Periodically revisit your industry as your professional focus evolves to make sure your profile accurately represents your skills and experience. With the right industry selected, you can more fully leverage the power of LinkedIn for networking and career growth.