Understanding Vertical: A Guide for the New Job Market

When you’re getting ready to enter the job market, you’ll soon find yourself surrounded by business and office jargon that can seem a bit daunting. One of the most commonly used terms you’ll hear is “vertical,” so let’s take a look at what it means and how you can use it.

Simply put, vertical often refers to an organization or company’s industry or a specialized area of business. You may also hear it used to refer to a certain vertical within an existing industry, a specific group of customers who are interested in a certain product or service, or even certain employees in an organization with a particular expertise. For example, if you work in the health care industry, you could refer to medical records specialists as an example of a vertical in the organization.

Vertical can also refer to the position of an organization in its particular industry or business. That is, it refers to the ways in which an organization stands out from the competition by having a unique or specialized capability or offering. As an example, if a health care organization specializes in providing pediatric care, that would be seen as a vertical within the health care industry.

By understanding the meaning of vertical and how it can be applied in different contexts, you can stay ahead of the curve and understand the language of the business world more quickly and easily.