30 LinkedIn Tips: #17/30 – Are you in the right industry?
30 short, useful, actionable LinkedIn tips in 30 days from Doctor David Petherick. #30by30 #TheDoctorisIn
#17/30: What industry are you in?
- Originally written: October 17, 2017
Text & Images Updated: October 9, 2024
That's right - what industry are you in?
It's not a trick question, but it's worth thinking about it.
Take me, for example. I write LinkedIn Profiles. So am I in the Writing and Editing industry, or am I in the Marketing & Advertising industry? Or is it Online Publishing?
These days, with a new LinkedIn interface from 2017 onwards, your industry selection does not show up on your profile, so you probably don't think it's that important.
You are wrong. Your industry is important on LinkedIn.
It's all a question of where people are likely to look first, and what they will think of naturally. What happens when people search on LinkedIn is the key.
Industry is important in LinkedIn Search
And on LinkedIn, Recruiters and potential customers use industries to power their searches.
If you work as a designer for Apple, your industry is Consumer Electronics, not Design or Research. Isn't it? If you're looking for a good consumer electronics designer, where will you look? In Consumer Electronics. If you chose Design, you won't be found in a search there.
Now, I can't choose the right industry for you, but try taking a look at what your colleagues and competitors are using.
And at this point, it's also worth making sure your work colleagues actually are all working in the same industry!
I recently did a Profile Audit across one company with just twenty nine employees: they claimed collectively to be working in seven different industries!
(I fixed that for them, now they're all aligned. I even had 29 professional profile photographs taken, so they look more professional, and singing from the same songsheet.)
If you still can't find a definitive answer, try doing a search (an advanced search of course) based on the industry you think fits best. If the results align with your expectations, you just found the right industry. If not, keep looking.
So where do I edit my industry?
You'll find it by editing the top element of your profile, where your name, headline and so forth appears - what LinkedIn now calls your 'intro'.
So where's the industry list?
You’d think LinkedIn would make it easy to choose your industry. You know, by having a page where you can assess all the industry choices and maybe just click to choose yours.
But you'd be wrong. No such page exists.
Instead, you have to choose from an alphabetical drop-down list. And of course, you can only see a few choices at a time, as shown here.
So, I thought: why not do something useful here, young David, and publish a list of all the industries LinkedIn uses?
Then people can make their choice of industry without any pressure of time, and see all the options available. It's an easy way to be sure you made the best choice.
So, here's the list:
Complete List of LinkedIn Company Industries / Industry and Company Classifications used by LinkedIn (As at June-2024):
- Just use the Find function in your browser (Control + F) or Find in Page (if you’re on mobile) to find the industry or sub-category you’re interested in.Education
- Education Management
- E-Learning
- Higher Education
- Primary/Secondary Education
- Research
Construction
- Building Materials
- Civil Engineering
- Construction
Design
- Architecture & Planning
- Design
- Graphic Design
Corporate Services
- Accounting
- Business Supplies & Equipment
- Environmental Services
- Events Services
- Executive Office
- Facilities Services
- Human Resources
- Information Services
- Management Consulting
- Outsourcing/Offshoring
- Professional Training & Coaching
- Security & Investigations
- Staffing & Recruiting
Retail
- Retail
- Supermarkets
- Wholesale
Energy and Mining
- Mining & Metals
- Oil & Energy
- Utilities
Manufacturing
- Automotive
- Aviation & Aerospace
- Chemicals
- Defense & Space
- Electrical & Electronic Manufacturing
- Food Production
- Glass, Ceramics & Concrete
- Industrial Automation
- Machinery
- Mechanical or Industrial Engineering
- Packaging & Containers
- Paper & Forest Products
- Plastics
- Railroad Manufacture
- Renewables & Environment
- Shipbuilding
Textiles
Finance
- Banking
- Capital Markets
- Financial Services
- Insurance
- Investment Banking
- Investment Management
- Venture Capital & Private Equity
Recreation and Travel
- Airlines/Aviation
- Gambling & Casinos
- Hospitality
- Leisure, Travel & Tourism
- Restaurants
- Recreational Facilities & Services
- Sports
Arts
- Arts & Crafts
- Fine Art
- Performing Arts
- Photography
Healthcare
- Biotechnology
- Hospital & Health Care
- Medical Device
- Medical Practice
- Mental Health Care
- Pharmaceuticals
- Veterinary
Hardware and Networking
- Computer Hardware
- Computer Networking
- Nanotechnology
- Semiconductors
- Telecommunications
- Wireless
Real Estate
- Commercial Real Estate
- Real Estate
Legal
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Law Practice
- Legal Services
Consumer Goods
- Apparel & Fashion
- Consumer Electronics
- Consumer Goods
- Consumer Services
- Cosmetics
- Food & Beverages
- Furniture
- Luxury Goods & Jewelry
- Sporting Goods
- Tobacco
Wine and Spirits
Agriculture
- Dairy
- Farming
- Fishery
- Ranching
Media and Communications
- Market Research
- Marketing & Advertising
- Newspapers
- Online Media
- Printing
- Public Relations & Communications
- Publishing
- Translation & Localization
- Writing & Editing
Nonprofit
- Civic & Social Organization
- Fundraising
- Individual & Family Services
- International Trade & Development
- Libraries
- Museums & Institutions
- Non-Profit Organization Management
- Philanthropy
- Program Development
- Religious Institutions
- Think Tanks
Software and IT Services
- Computer & Network Security
- Computer Software
- Information Technology & Services
- Internet
Transportation and Logistics
- Import & Export
- Logistics & Supply Chain
- Maritime
- Package/Freight Delivery
- Transportation/Trucking/Railroad
- Warehousing
Entertainment
- Animation
- Broadcast Media
- Computer Games
- Entertainment
- Media Production
- Mobile Games
- Motion Pictures & Film
- Music
Wellness and Fitness
- Alternative Medicine
- Health, Wellness & Fitness
Public Safety
- Law Enforcement
- Military
- Public Safety
Public administration
- Government Administration
- Government Relations
- International Affairs
- Judiciary
- Legislative Office
- Political Organization
- Public Policy
And we're done. Choose yours!
If your industry is not there, you're just going to have to choose the closest one you can find - but you need to choose one - it's mandatory on LinkedIn that you make a selection. Choose wisely.
You are welcome.
- More Tips: 30 Top Tips for a better LinkedIn Profile – Rounded up and summarised…
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