Finding all employees of a company on LinkedIn can be a great way to research a company, identify key decision makers, or grow your professional network. With over 740 million members worldwide, LinkedIn has become the go-to platform for professional networking and company research.
While LinkedIn doesn’t allow you to see a full list of all employees at a company, there are some simple tricks you can use to find and connect with as many employees of a specific company as possible. Here are the top tips for finding employees on LinkedIn.
Search by Company Name
The easiest way to start finding employees of a company is to simply search by the company name on LinkedIn. To do this:
- Go to LinkedIn.com and log into your account.
- Type the name of the company into the main search bar at the top of the page and click “Search”.
- On the results page, filter by selecting “People” under the “Type” section on the left.
This will display many of the LinkedIn profiles associated with that company. You can scroll through the results to view profiles, which often include current job titles and departments at the company.
Search by Location
If the company has multiple office locations, you can further refine your search to employees in specific cities or countries by adding a location to your search query. For example, “Company ABC San Francisco” or “Company ABC London”.
When you add a location:
- The search results will be limited to people who have that location listed on their profile.
- Profiles with that company name and location are more likely to appear at the top of the results.
Knowing the main hubs or headquarters of a company can help land your search results right where you want them.
View Company Pages
Most companies have LinkedIn Company Pages where employees can list their affiliation. To find a company’s page:
- Search for the company name and select the top result, which should be the Company Page.
- On the Company Page, scroll down and click “See all employees on LinkedIn” to view current employee profiles.
This section only displays a sample of employees, but can be helpful for identifying top executives, key contacts in sales or recruiting, and more.
Follow the Company
Following a company profile on LinkedIn will deliver employee updates and job postings directly to your home feed.
To follow a company:
- Navigate to the Company Page.
- Click the “Follow” button near the top right of the page.
Once you follow a company, you will start seeing updates on new hires, promotions, departures, and open positions at that company in your LinkedIn feed. This can help you identify new employees to connect with over time.
Connect with Current Employees
As you begin finding employee profiles, you can start connecting with them directly on LinkedIn. Focus first on sending requests to people who would be most relevant to your search, such as:
- Heads of departments
- Hiring managers and recruiters
- C-level executives
- Top salespeople
Personalize your connection request with a note highlighting shared interests, groups, or contacts. Avoid generic invitations.
Join Company Alumni Groups
Many large companies have LinkedIn Alumni groups you can join to connect with current and former employees. These groups are often very active in discussions.
To find alumni groups:
- Search LinkedIn groups for the company name + “alumni” or “group”.
- Browse discussions and member lists to identify current employees.
- Join the group to appear in their membership and participate in conversations.
Follow Company Hashtags
Monitoring hashtags related to the company can surface social media posts from employees. Relevant hashtags may include:
- #CompanyName
- #CompanyNameEmployees
- #WeAreCompanyName
- #CompanyNameLife
- #LoveMyCompanyNameJob
Follow and interact with these hashtags to find employees active in sharing about their work on social media. You can then try connecting with them directly on LinkedIn.
Search by School
Adding the names of top colleges and universities near company headquarters can also help refine your search results. For example:
- “Company ABC” + “UC Berkeley”
- “Company ABC” + “University of Texas”
- “Company ABC” + “University of Michigan”
Targeting searches by school can help you uncover recent graduates starting their careers at the company.
Look Up Company Leadership
Identify top executives and founders by searching for the company on sites like Crunchbase, Owler, and RocketReach. You can find key decision makers and look up their LinkedIn profiles directly.
C-level executives and company leaders typically have large networks. Connect with them to gain access to more employees.
Join Industry Groups
Employees of companies in the same industry often join related professional groups. Join groups focused on the company’s industry, like:
- Technology
- Consumer goods
- Financial services
- Healthcare
- Higher education
Engage in group discussions where current employees may be active. When you find them, connect directly via LinkedIn.
Follow Company News
Keep up with company news mentions and press releases to find quotes from leadership, data on growth, and announcements of new hires. Sources include:
- Google News alerts for the company name
- Company website and blog
- Industry news sites
Use details from company news to fuel your employee searches. For example, look up new executives announced in press releases.
Take a Targeted Approach
Rather than trying to find all employees of a massive enterprise, think strategically about which departments and roles would be most valuable to connect with for your goals.
For example, if looking to land a sales job, focus on connecting with the sales team. If researching a company’s social media presence, search for marketing professionals.
Use filters like location, department, job title, school, and keywords to narrow your search results. Quality connections tailored to your objectives are better than spamming every employee.
Make Connections, Not Lists
Avoid viewing employees simply as entries to collect or data points to gather. Instead, focus on establishing authentic professional relationships, asking good questions, and sharing valuable insights.
Personalized connection requests and engaging properly in groups and discussions will take you much further than bulk invites or scraping names.
Remember there is a real person behind each profile. Take the time to build rapport and find common ground.
Focus on Quality, Not Quantity
You likely won’t be able to connect with every employee of a major enterprise. Instead of fixating on quantity, focus your effort on engaging the right profiles for your goals.
10 meaningful connections with key decision makers and rising stars will provide invaluable insights compared to spamming connection requests to hundreds of random employees.
Don’t Overshare
Avoid messaging employees directly with big asks and favors right away before building a relationship. Don’t share confidential information or attempts to poach employees.
Employees will be wary of connecting with someone who immediately tries leveraging them for internal referrals, unpublished data, or other private details about the company.
Bring Value
Look for ways to add value when reaching out to employees, such as:
- Commenting helpful advice on their posts
- Endorsing and recommending them for relevant skills
- Sharing an interesting article or update from their industry
Focus on being helpful first before asking for favors. Employees will be more receptive when you offer value upfront.
Follow Up
After connecting with employees, continue engaging with them by liking and commenting on updates, sharing relevant articles, and responding to messages.
Ongoing nurturing of your professional network leads to stronger relationships and opportunities. Stay top of mind with new connections.
Join as a Contributor
If there is a specific company blog, publication, or outlet you want to gain visibility into, consider pitching yourself as an expert contributor. Article bylines can provide valuable insight into an organization.
Use contributor roles to build rapport with internal teams. Convert these into connections on LinkedIn and dialogue beyond just content creation.
Use Advanced LinkedIn Search
LinkedIn’s advanced search features under “All Filters” allow you to target very specific sets of results using Boolean search logic and parentheses grouping. For example:
(“Company Name” AND (engineer OR developer) AND San Francisco) NOT intern
Crafting targeted searches combining keywords, titles, locations, schools, and skills can help surface relevant profiles.
Turn on LinkedIn Alumni Emails
Under your Communications settings in LinkedIn account preferences, opt in to receive Alumni emails. This delivers updates on connections joining new companies.
Alumni emails can alert you to connections moving to or from a company you are researching. Great for tracking talent flows.
Use the Mobile App
LinkedIn’s mobile app makes it easy to search for and engage employees on-the-go via your smartphone. Key features include:
- Notifications when connections get new jobs
- Newsfeed for company and industry updates
- Relationship building reminders for pending invitations and new connections
- Sharing articles and updates relevant to connections
Download the LinkedIn app on your iOS or Android device to maximize your employee searching capabilities wherever you are.
Try LinkedIn Sales Navigator
For advanced company and employee research, a LinkedIn Sales Navigator subscription provides powerful targeting options including:
- Viewing full company org charts and employee lists
- Filtering by seniority, function, and location
- Saving lists of target leads
- Seeing employee movements and job changes
Sales Navigator can be expensive but offers unmatched ability to identify, segment, and connect with relevant employees.
Use Recruiting Tools
If currently working with a recruiting firm or HR department, discuss using their internal tools and talent mapping capabilities to uncover employee names for outreach.
Many recruiters have access to software and tactics beyond personal LinkedIn accounts for expanded visibility into company talent.
Attend Industry Events
Conferences, trade shows, and networking events for a company’s market attract employees across business lines. Identify relevant events and arrange in-person meetings.
Event sessions, mixers, and social functions all provide opportunities to connect, exchange business cards, and continue the relationship on LinkedIn.
Partner Where Possible
Companies with similar target customers or services that complement the company you are researching may have existing partnerships and mutual employees connected across LinkedIn.
Research potential partner firms to identify additional networks and entry points for outreach.
Find Common Connections
Employees you share 1st-degree connections with on LinkedIn will be more receptive to engaging. Tap into shared networks by:
- Looking for “X connections in common” on employee profiles
- Messaging common connections to introduce you
- Name dropping credible mutual connections when requesting to connect
Shared contacts can help open the door and accelerate relationship building.
Table of Key LinkedIn Employee Search Tips
Tactic | How It Helps |
---|---|
Search by company name | Surfaces many employees in results |
Add location filters | Narrows results to certain offices |
View Company Page | Showcases sample of top employees |
Follow the company | Get updates on new hires in feed |
Connect with employees | Start building your network |
Join Alumni groups | Engage with current and former workers |
Follow company hashtags | See social media posts from employees |
Search by schools | Find recent graduates |
Lookup leadership | Connect with decision makers |
Join industry groups | Connect with similar professionals |
Monitor company news | Identify new executives and hires |
Take a targeted approach | Focus on most relevant departments/roles |
Focus on quality connections | 10 meaningful connections better than 500 random invites |
Offer value upfront | Help first before asking for favors |
Follow up and nurture | Continue engaging beyond initial invite |
Use LinkedIn advanced search | Boolean logic helps surface best profiles |
Leverage mobile app | Search and connect on-the-go |
Conclusion
Finding all employees at a company on LinkedIn takes creativity and advanced tactics beyond just searching for the company name. Location filters, alumni groups, industry events, common connections, and other strategies can help uncover hundreds of relevant profiles.
Remember to focus on quality over quantity, segment to the departments most important for your goals, and take the time to build authentic professional relationships. The right connections with employees can provide game-changing insights and opportunities.