LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 722 million members worldwide. With so many users, LinkedIn can be an invaluable tool for connecting with professional contacts and discovering job opportunities. However, with such a massive user base, finding a specific person on LinkedIn can sometimes be tricky. Here are some tips on how to effectively search for and find someone on LinkedIn.
1. Use the search bar
The most straightforward way to find someone on LinkedIn is to use the search bar at the top of the LinkedIn homepage. Simply type in the name of the person you are looking for. Make sure to use their full name if you know it. The search will provide a list of people matching that name. You can then filter through the results by location, company, school, etc. to pinpoint the exact individual you are searching for.
If you only know part of someone’s name, you can still search with just that fragment of information. For example, searching for “John Smith” will return all LinkedIn members with John and Smith anywhere in their name. While this may give you an extensive list of possibilities to sift through, it’s a good starting point when you have limited identifying details.
2. Use advanced search filters
LinkedIn’s advanced search options allow you to input more parameters to narrow your search results. To access the advanced search, click on the “All filters” link while conducting a search on LinkedIn’s homepage. Here are some of the filters available:
- Location – Search by country, postal code, or city location.
- Current company – Search by a person’s current company name.
- Past company – Search by a previous employer.
- School – Search by high school or university attended.
- Title – Search by job title.
- Group – Search if you know a group the person is a member of.
- Language – Search by languages spoken.
- Industry – Search by the person’s industry.
Using these filters in different combinations can help narrow down your pool of prospects significantly. Location and current company filters together can be especially effective.
3. Browse connections, groups, and companies
If you can’t find someone by searching their name directly, an alternative approach is looking through your own LinkedIn connections and networks. Here are some options:
- Check if the person is already in your LinkedIn connections. You can sort connections alphabetically which makes scanning for a name easy.
- Look through the employees at a company where you know they worked previously or are currently working.
- Browse through LinkedIn groups related to their interests, alma mater, industry, etc. Oftentimes you can see a list of all members in a group.
- Search their place of employment on LinkedIn and browse through all employees listed.
Taking this network-focused route by leveraging connections, groups, and companies may reveal contacts in common who can then refer you to the correct individual.
4. Use LinkedIn’s lead generation tools
For savvy sales professionals, LinkedIn offers paid tools to identify contacts based on sophisticated filters and lead generation preferences. Options include:
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator – Allows you to define advanced filters for prospects and get contact info like email addresses.
- LinkedIn Recruiter – Helps headhunters and HR professionals search for candidates based on skills, experience, profile completeness and more.
These premium tools are powerful ways to pinpoint the right individuals out of LinkedIn’s massive member base. But they come at a cost, with subscriptions starting at around $80/month. The investment may be warranted if you do a high volume of outreach.
5. Enlist help from connections
Don’t forget to also tap into your own network for assistance tracking someone down. You can reach out to LinkedIn connections who might know the individual and ask for an introduction. Or you can post an “Ask for recommendation” for that person so that any shared connections can facilitate an introduction. People are often happy to help connect others within their networks when asked.
6. Manage your existing contacts
As a foundation for all of the above, make sure you are diligently cultivating your own LinkedIn network. Here are some best practices:
- Add new connections you meet to grow your first-degree network.
- Get endorsements and recommendations from colleagues to strengthen your profile.
- Follow companies you are interested in to get updates on their employees.
- Join relevant industry and interest groups to expand your network.
- Keep your employment history updated so connections can find you.
A broader, stronger LinkedIn network improves your ability to locate contacts through your own connections. Make relationship-building on LinkedIn an ongoing habit.
Conclusion
Finding someone specific on LinkedIn can be challenging, but a combination of search techniques, network navigation, and Lead Generation tools can help track down almost anyone. Focus your initial searches on name, location, company, and school filters. Then expand into browsing Groups, company profiles and your own connections. For hardest-to-find profiles, use premium tools. And don’t forget to leverage your real-life network by asking for introductions or recommendations. With persistence and creativity, you can find almost anyone you need to connect with professionally on the world’s largest business networking platform.
Search Method | How To Do It | When To Use |
---|---|---|
Search bar | Type full name into main search bar | You know the full name |
Advanced search | Use additional filters like location, company, title | You have extra details like employer or city |
Browse connections | Look through your connections and their organizations | You have a large LinkedIn network already |
Groups | Join Groups related to the target’s interests or industry | You know their field but not exact employer |
Sales Navigator | Use premium tools to apply advanced filters | Conducting a search for many prospects |
Ask for introductions | Request contacts facilitate an introduction | You have common connections but can’t directly contact |
Here are some additional tips for maximizing your LinkedIn search capabilities:
- Make your own profile robust, complete and optimized with keywords to be searchable.
- Include alternate versions of your name that the person may search for or know you by.
- Stay on top of connection requests so your network is always growing.
- Participate actively in relevant industry groups.
- Follow companies you are interested in connecting with.
- Upgrade to premium account options to unlock more search features.
- Turn on targeted advertising preferences to be discoverable.
- Monitor notifications and updates in your LinkedIn feed.
- Install the LinkedIn browser plugin for easy profile lookups.
With hundreds of millions of LinkedIn members, being findable yourself and able to find others is critical to LinkedIn success. Optimizing both your own profile and your search strategies will enable you to connect with almost anyone on the platform.
Key LinkedIn Search Takeaways
Here are some key tips to recap for mastering LinkedIn search:
- Leverage the main search bar with name, company, school filters
- UseBooleanField operators like AND and NOT to filter searches
- Try advanced Boolean searches if basic searches yield poor results
- Browse Groups and Companies to uncover mutual connections
- Upgrade to Sales Navigator for premium search capabilities
- Ask your network for introductions to hard-to-find contacts
- Keep your own profile robust, updated and optimized
With the right combination of search techniques and optimal use of your own LinkedIn network, you can find almost anyone on the world’s largest professional networking platform. Follow these tips and tricks to take your LinkedIn search skills to the next level.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you search for someone on LinkedIn without an account?
No, in order to search LinkedIn and view full profiles you need to have a LinkedIn account. The platform requires login credentials to protect user privacy and prevent scraping of their professionally-focused member data.
Is there a way to search LinkedIn anonymously?
No, LinkedIn does not allow anonymous searching of other user profiles. All search activity is tied back to the account conducting the search. The platform does this to maintain transparency and prevent misuse of their member data.
Can I message someone on LinkedIn without connecting?
Generally no, on LinkedIn you are unable to directly message another member without being connected. The only exception is using LinkedIn’s “InMail” messaging feature, which requires a premium account.
Is there a way to search old connections on LinkedIn?
Yes, LinkedIn has a “Manage Connections” page under your My Network section. There you can search through current and past connections using filters like company, title, location, etc.
How do I find people I’ve unconnected from on LinkedIn?
Locate unconnected profiles by using LinkedIn’s advanced search filters. Choose “Your connections” under the Relationship filter to see previously connected members.
Conclusion
LinkedIn provides powerful people search capabilities through a combination of search tools, network navigation features, and premium offerings. Focus on name, filters and network browsing to get started. Ask connections for introductions when needed. Keep your own profile robust to be findable. Use premium features if searching at scale. With the right strategies, you can find almost anyone on the platform. Mastering LinkedIn search enables you to build the connections that boost careers and drive business success.