As a student just starting out on LinkedIn, it can be tricky to determine what to put as your industry. Your industry is an important part of your LinkedIn profile, as it helps determine the types of jobs, companies, and connections that will be recommended to you. While you may not have formal work experience yet, there are still some best practices for choosing your industry as a student.
Put Your Area of Study as Your Industry
The easiest option for students is to simply list your major or area of study as your industry. This clearly communicates to connections and recruiters your academic focus and the types of entry-level roles you will likely be targeting. For example, if you are studying marketing, list “Marketing” as your industry. Other common options include “Business,” “Computer Science,” “Nursing,” “Engineering,” etc.
Listing your major or intended career field is a good default choice if you are unsure what else to put. It keeps your profile focused for networking within your field of study while accurately representing where you are at in your career.
Use a More Specific Industry Related to Your Major
Once you have some clarity on your specific career goals, you may opt to drill down into a more specialized industry related to your major. For example, a marketing student may list “Digital Marketing” or “Brand Management” rather than the broader “Marketing” industry. This helps attract connections and opportunities within your niche of interest.
Some common examples include:
- Computer Science student -> “Software Development”
- Business student -> “Consulting” or “Investment Banking”
- Nursing student -> “Pediatric Nursing” or “Critical Care Nursing”
- Engineering student -> “Automotive Engineering” or “Mechanical Engineering”
The main benefit of a more targeted industry is signaling to your connections that you have specific career goals and interests within your broader area of study.
Use Your Internship Industry
If you’ve completed one or more internships related to your major, you can also list the industry of your internship company. Recruiters may specifically search for students with experience in their industry, so highlighting an internship shows relevant experience.
For example, if you interned in finance at JPMorgan Chase, you could list “Financial Services” as your industry. Or if you interned in accounting at Deloitte, “Accounting” would be appropriate.
Some key tips for using your internship industry:
- Only do this if you completed a substantive internship related to your career goals
- Choose an industry broad enough to encompass other roles. For example, “Investment Banking” may be too narrow if you want to be open to other finance roles.
- You can also list your major and your internship industry separated by a slash, like “Finance/Investment Banking”
Use Multiple Industries
LinkedIn allows you to select up to 5 industries for your profile. As a student, you aren’t expected to have your career mapped out, so don’t be afraid to use multiple industries if you have diverse interests or plural career goals.
For example, a computer science student could select:
- Computer Science
- Technology
- Software Development
- Engineering
This communicates broad interests across tech roles, while still emphasizing the core computer science major. Other combinations like “Business/Consulting/Technology” or “Healthcare/Public Health/Research” also make sense for students with diverse career goals.
Leverage Your Student Group or Campus Involvement
Consider listing student groups or campus leadership activities as one of your LinkedIn industries. For example, if you are President of the Marketing Club, you could list “Marketing Club” as an industry. This highlights your on-campus leadership and involvement to recruiters.
Some examples include:
- “American Marketing Association Chapter”
- “Women in Business Club”
- “Computer Science Tutoring”
- “Varsity Football”
This is especially effective for leadership roles like president, founder, chair, or captain. Just make sure the student group is related to your professional interests and career trajectory.
Use Your Part-Time Job or Relevant Volunteer Work
If you have part-time work experience or volunteer work related to your career goals, you can list companies and organizations from these activities as LinkedIn industries.
For example:
- “Starbucks Barista”
- “Math Tutor”
- “Red Cross Volunteer”
This demonstrates that you already have exposure to professional environments and responsibilities that translate to your intended career field. Just make sure your part-time job is relevant to include on your profile.
Wait Until You Have Full-Time Experience
It is perfectly acceptable to leave your LinkedIn industry blank as a student up until graduation. You can simply write “Student at [University]” in your headline and list your major and relevant coursework. Many students wait until they have full-time roles to fill in an appropriate industry.
The main risk of leaving your industry blank is missing out on some career recommendations based on your field. But you can still complete your profile and connect with professionals from your major or career interests.
Things to Avoid
When selecting your industry as a student, there are a few things you will want to avoid:
- Irrelevant industries like “Airlines” or “Supermarkets” that have no connection to your major
- Vague terms like “Business” if you study a specialized major like Accounting or Finance
- Inflated titles like “Investment Banker” or “Software Engineer” as a student
- Listing companies you want to work for as industries, like “Google” or “Goldman Sachs”
Choose clear, descriptive industries that accurately reflect your current student status and future career goals.
Tips for Changing Your Industry as You Grow
As you gain work experience and clarity in your career path, you will likely need to change your LinkedIn industry multiple times. Here are some tips for updating it:
- Edit your industry when you update positions or make other major profile changes
- Wait until you officially start a new role to change industries
- Move from broader categories like “Marketing” to more specialized roles like “Brand Management” once established in your career
- Only select industries directly related to your current position or those you want to pivot into
Overall, your LinkedIn industry should evolve over time to accurately reflect your work experience, skills, and career trajectory.
Conclusion
As a student, you have several solid options for your LinkedIn industry, including your major, related career fields, internships, student activities, and part-time work. Focus on industries that communicate your academic and professional interests while networking with peers, alumni, and recruiters on LinkedIn. Don’t be afraid to leave your industry blank until you gain more work experience. With some thoughtfulness, you can craft a LinkedIn profile that sets you up for career success during and after college.