LinkedIn has recently started requiring users to add an industry to their profile before being able to use the platform. This has caused frustration and confusion among some LinkedIn members who don’t understand the reasoning behind it.
What is the industry requirement?
The industry requirement means that LinkedIn users must select an industry from a pre-defined list that best describes their professional field or occupation. This information will be displayed on your profile and be viewable by your connections.
Some examples of industries on LinkedIn include:
- Accounting
- Higher Education
- Information Technology
- Marketing & Advertising
- Retail
Previously, adding an industry was optional on LinkedIn. But now, it has become a required field that users must fill out before accessing the platform.
Why is LinkedIn requiring an industry?
There are a few potential reasons why LinkedIn is now forcing users to add an industry:
To enhance search and recommendations
Asking for your industry allows LinkedIn to better understand your professional background and interests. This information can be used to improve search results and recommendations throughout the platform.
For example, with your industry added, LinkedIn can surface more relevant job openings, articles, groups, and connections tailored to your field.
To provide more targeted marketing
Your industry data also allows LinkedIn to target advertising and sponsored content more precisely based on your professional niche.
Advertisers are willing to pay more to get their messages in front of a specific audience. So requiring an industry helps LinkedIn improve the segmentation for targeted marketing.
To foster an identity-based network
LinkedIn aims to be an identity-based network where professionals showcase their real identities and careers. Requiring an industry helps strengthen the professional credibility of each member’s profile.
This way, people know they are connecting with authentic individuals in the working world – not anonymous strangers.
To analyze user demographics
The mandatory industry data also provides LinkedIn with useful analytics on the demographics of its user base for monitoring trends and growth opportunities.
The company can analyze information like the most popular industries, fastest growing fields, or common career transitions to gain strategic insights.
What are the implications of adding an industry?
While LinkedIn’s intent behind the required industry is likely well-meaning, there are some implications that users should keep in mind:
You’re giving LinkedIn more data
By filling out your industry, you are handing LinkedIn additional personal data about your career and interests to utilize. Some users may not feel comfortable providing this information.
You could be pigeon-holed
There’s a risk that adding an industry pigeon-holes you into only seeing content tailored so tightly to that field that you miss out on interesting opportunities at the margins.
For example, someone who works in marketing technology might want to also see some software engineering content as well.
Changing industries can be difficult
If you want to transition from one industry to another, you’ll likely need to change the industry on your profile manually. Otherwise, your recommendations may reflect your old field.
It can be tricky for those with multifaceted or emerging careers that don’t fit neatly into a single bucket.
Some industries have sparse content
Less popular or emerging industries may have relatively little content associated with them on LinkedIn today. So required industries run the risk of inadvertently rendering parts of the platform less useful for some members.
How to add your industry
If you want to access LinkedIn but have not yet added an industry, doing so is straightforward:
- Go to your profile page
- Click “Edit public profile & URL”
- Scroll down and click the “Details” section
- Type your industry into the “Industry” field
- Click “Save”
You can also follow any prompts or notifications from LinkedIn to add an industry to your profile.
Can you report your industry as “Other”?
When you are selecting your industry, there is an option to report it as “Other”. However, this will likely not allow you to bypass the requirement.
LinkedIn still seems to flag “Other” as an incomplete industry selection. You’ll need to choose an industry from their categorized list to fully meet the requirement.
Can you leave your industry blank or hidden?
Currently, there does not appear to be a way to leave your LinkedIn industry visibly blank or entirely hidden from your profile.
Even if you delete an industry you previously added, LinkedIn will still prompt you to select a new industry from their options.
Leaving the industry blank or hiding it will likely result in the same restrictions on accessing the platform as selecting “Other”.
Is there a way around this requirement?
As of now, there are no known workarounds to bypass entering an industry without limiting functionality.
Some users have found short-term success setting their industry and then deleting it again. But LinkedIn often requires filling it in again soon after.
Unless LinkedIn changes their enforcement of the policy, it seems adding an industry is mandatory for fully using the platform.
Can you complain to customer support?
You can try reaching out to LinkedIn customer support to submit feedback or complain about the required industry.
However, given this is now a platform-wide policy, customer service is unlikely to be able to provide much assistance.
At best, they may submit your concerns as feedback to LinkedIn’s product team for consideration. But the frontline support cannot override the mandatory industry.
Conclusion
LinkedIn beginning to require users to add an industry to their profiles has caused frustration for those wanting to avoid providing unnecessary personal data. However, this policy change seems firmly in place for the foreseeable future.
The company believes asking for your industry improves the platform’s search, recommendations, marketing, demographics, and identity-based community. And there are limited workarounds available currently to avoid filling out the industry field.
Overall, LinkedIn seems to have decided the benefits outweigh the drawbacks when it comes to mandatory industries. Unless users begin abandoning the platform en masse, this requirement will likely persist. So adding an industry is the necessary cost of continuing to use LinkedIn going forward.
| Pros of requiring an industry | Cons of requiring an industry |
|---|---|
|
|
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I don’t add an industry?
You will be restricted from accessing key parts of LinkedIn until you add an industry.
Can I change my industry later?
Yes, you can edit your industry at any time through your profile settings.
Will my connections see my industry?
Yes, your industry will be displayed on your public profile for connections to see.
What if my industry doesn’t exist in LinkedIn’s list?
Try selecting the closest applicable industry, or choose “Other” if none fit.
Can I opt-out of showing my industry?
No, there is currently no way to opt-out or hide your industry on your profile.
Key Takeaways
- LinkedIn now requires users to add an industry to access platform features
- Intended to improve recommendations and analytics
- Limited ways to avoid selecting an industry
- User data and profiling are potential downsides
- Unclear if requirement will ever be revoked