LinkedIn is one of the most powerful tools for professional networking, sales outreach, recruitment, and business development. But despite its potential, many users still struggle with a simple question: How to search for people in certain industries in LinkedIn? If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the platform’s filters, search operators, and endless results, you’re not alone.
This guide will show you step-by-step how to use LinkedIn’s built-in features to find people in specific industries quickly, accurately, and with much better results. Whether you’re a recruiter, a salesperson, a freelancer, or simply looking to expand your network, this article will give you practical, actionable tips you can apply today.
Why searching by industry on LinkedIn matters
Finding the right people on LinkedIn isn’t just about typing a job title into the search bar. If you want meaningful results—relevant leads, targeted outreach, or industry-specific connections—you need to narrow your search by industry.
Better targeting means better outcomes
When you know how to search for people in certain industries in LinkedIn, you avoid wasting time on irrelevant profiles. For example, searching “project manager” might return thousands of results, but filtering by industries such as IT, healthcare, or construction helps you identify the exact profiles you need.
Industry filtering boosts connection quality
Industry-specific searches help you connect with people who actually understand your niche. That means higher reply rates, more engaging conversations, and stronger long-term networking value.
How to use LinkedIn’s basic search to find people by industry
LinkedIn’s basic search is available to all users, even without a Premium or Sales Navigator subscription. While it’s not as advanced as paid tools, it’s surprisingly powerful when used correctly. If you click the “All results” option, you can then apply filters to your search and look only for the professionals you really need.
How to search for people in certain industries on LinkedIn using Boolean operators
If you want to level up your search game, Boolean search is your secret weapon. It allows you to use logical operators to refine your results directly in the search bar.
Boolean basics
You can use:
- AND to combine keywords
- OR to expand your search
NOT to exclude keywords - “quotation marks” to search exact phrases
Industry-specific boolean examples
Even though LinkedIn doesn’t let you filter industries through Boolean directly, you can combine skills and job titles associated with a particular industry. For example:
- “software engineer” AND (“healthtech” OR “medical devices”)
- “project manager” AND (“construction” OR “real estate”)
- “marketing specialist” NOT “intern”
This is most effective when you already know which industry-related keywords signal the right fit.
Using LinkedIn Premium & Sales Navigator for advanced industry searches
If you want the most powerful search tools on the platform, LinkedIn Premium and Sales Navigator take things to the next level.
Why Sales Navigator is a game changer
Sales Navigator allows:
- Precise industry filters
- Company headcount filters
- Advanced role and seniority filtering
- Excluding industries
- Saving lead lists
- Alerts for changes in profiles or companies
This makes it ideal for sales teams, recruiters, and power-networkers.
Pro tips to get better at LinkedIn industry searches
Even if you know how to search for people in certain industries on LinkedIn, here are a few insider tricks to make your searches even more effective.
Use synonyms
People in the same industry may use different job titles. For example:
- “developer” vs. “software engineer”
- “marketer” vs. “marketing specialist”
- “business development” vs. “sales”
Using multiple variations helps broaden your results without losing relevance.
Use “current company” + “industry” combo
This is extremely powerful if you’re targeting a sector known for specific employers (e.g., banking, automotive, SaaS).
