Finding specific people on LinkedIn can be challenging, especially if you don’t have their exact name or other identifying details. However, LinkedIn does provide some useful tools to help track down the profile of that targeted connection you hope to make.
Searching by Name
The most straightforward way to find someone on LinkedIn is by searching for their name. Go to the main LinkedIn search bar at the top of the homepage and type in the full name of the person you are looking for. Make sure to put the name in quotation marks so it searches for the exact phrase.
For example: “John Smith”.
This will bring up all the LinkedIn members with that specific name. You can then go through the results and see if the person you are looking for is listed. If there are too many people with the same name, try adding additional keywords like their company, job title, college, etc. to narrow it down.
For instance: “John Smith” AND “Company XYZ”.
The more specific details you can include, the better chance you have of zeroing in on the right profile.
Dealing with common names
Searching for someone with a very common name on LinkedIn can be like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. There may be thousands of results for “John Smith” or “Maria Garcia” for example. Here are some tips for tracking down the right person in these cases:
- Add their company name, job title, school, hometown, or other unique identifiers.
- Browse through their connections – do you see any familiar names that could indicate it’s the right profile?
- Check the places they’ve worked and lived listed on their profile – do they line up with the person you are seeking?
- Look at their skills, education, volunteer work or other profile info that might match up with your target.
- Still unsure? You can always reach out via a LinkedIn message to confirm it’s the person you want before connecting.
Using advanced search
LinkedIn also offers an advanced search option which allows you to combine several filters to drill down on your search target. To access it, go to the main search bar and click on “Advanced” next to the search button.
Here are some of the filters available:
- Name – Search by first, last or full name.
- Location – Search by country, postal code, city, state etc.
- Company – Search by current or past company names.
- Title – Search by job title.
- School – Search by high school, college, university etc.
- Skills – Search by skills listed on profile.
- Language – Search by languages spoken.
- Industry – Search by industry.
Combining a few of these filters can really help zero in on a target if you have limited identifying information. For example, you may only know the person works for a certain company and went to a certain university. The advanced search makes it possible to find the right profile in this scenario.
Searching by Email Address
If you happen to have the email address of the LinkedIn member you wish to find, you can search directly by email. On the LinkedIn home page, click on the “Find members” link along the top menu bar.
This will bring up a search box where you can enter the person’s full email address and click search. If they have a LinkedIn profile associated with that email, it should pop up in the search results.
This is the fastest way to find someone on LinkedIn if you have their actual email address available. Just keep in mind that not everyone includes their main professional email on their profile, so it’s not always guaranteed to work.
Using Google Search
One hack you can use is searching for the person’s name on Google and adding the keyword “LinkedIn” to the query. For example:
“John Smith LinkedIn”
Often their LinkedIn profile will come up as one of the top search results. You can click through directly to their profile page this way without having to sift through lots of search results on LinkedIn itself.
This works best when searching for unique names without many search results. But it’s worth a try when standard LinkedIn search fails to turn up the profile you want.
Connecting Through Common Connections
Another powerful way to pinpoint a specific LinkedIn user is by browsing your common connections. To do this:
- Go to your main LinkedIn connections page.
- Type the name of the person you are searching for in the search box at the top.
- Toggle the tab at the top of the results to “People” instead of “All”.
- Switch the filter on the left side to “2nd degree” connections.
This will show any 2nd degree connections you share with that person. Often times you can find the exact member you are looking for in your extended network. You can then reach out to the mutual connection to help facilitate an introduction.
Using LinkedIn Premium Search
LinkedIn Premium accounts unlock extra search filters and capabilities not available to regular users. Two features that can aid in finding specific people are:
Profile Search by Mutual Connections
This allows you to enter the name of a mutual connection and see every person in that person’s network. Useful when you know someone who is connected to your target but unsure how to find them.
Search by Member ID
Every LinkedIn member is assigned a unique numerical ID visible in the profile URL. If you happen to know this ID, you can directly search for and find that member even without a name.
Premium accounts start at $29.99/month, so this expanded search functionality may be worthwhile if you need to regularly find people not easily searchable through regular LinkedIn.
Using the LinkedIn Mobile App
The LinkedIn mobile app for iOS and Android has a “Nearby” feature that allows you to see other LinkedIn members that are physically nearby your location. This can be helpful for finding connections when you are at events, conferences, trade shows, etc.
To use Nearby:
- Open the LinkedIn app and tap on the “My Network” icon at the bottom.
- At the top, tap on the “Nearby” tab.
- You will see LinkedIn profiles of other members currently close to your location.
- Browse through the list and see if your targeted connection appears.
- If they do, you can directly view their full profile and connect with them.
This feature works best in crowded professional settings where you are likely to find many relevant LinkedIn connections in one physical area. It provides an easy way to identify and connect with targets in-person.
Contacting LinkedIn Customer Service
As a last resort, you can try reaching out to LinkedIn’s customer service for assistance finding a specific person. Explain that you are trying to connect with someone important for professional reasons and need help tracking down their profile.
Some things LinkedIn customer service may be able to assist with include:
- Searching internally using email address or other personal details
- Troubleshooting advanced searches
- Identifying the correct profile among many possible matches
- Providing suggestions for alternative search strategies
Keep in mind the customer service reps will need to abide by LinkedIn privacy rules and will likely have limited information they can disclose directly. But they can sometimes provide guiderails to help narrow the possibilities. Reaching out to customer service is worth considering when you have exhausted all self-service options and need an extra boost finding that coveted connection.
Conclusion
LinkedIn provides a robust platform for professional networking, but drilling down to find one specific individual can still present challenges. By leveraging name search, advanced filters, email lookup, common connections, nearby proximity, and customer assistance, you can unlock the various tools LinkedIn provides to discover targeted profiles. With persistence and creativity in your searching approach, you can likely track down even the most elusive industry contacts.
Some key takeaways include:
- Use unique identifiers like company, title, school etc. to filter common names.
- Try searching Google using LinkedIn keywords to uncover profiles.
- Browse 2nd degree connections for mutual contacts.
- Leverage Premium account features like ID search and mutual connections.
- Check the Nearby tab on mobile app to find those physically close.
- Ask LinkedIn customer service if all else fails.
At the end of the day, persistence is the key. With so many LinkedIn members and limited searchability, it often takes creative searching from multiple angles to pinpoint the one profile you need to find. But using the right tools and techniques, you can cut through the noise and successfully connect with important contacts.