TAO Self-help

Title:6 Simple Ways to Find Contacts Inside Companies

Author:Hannah Morgan

Date:October 2020

Source:Career Sherpa - Reprinted with permission

There are many ways to find the name and contact information for someone inside a company. If you've ever been frustrated that you didn't know people who work for a company you are interested in (or want to apply to) then check out these six simple ways to sleuth insiders!

Before you apply to a job, talk with someone who works inside the company to get the inside scoop on what it is like to work there. Always!

You may or may not know the name of anyone, but it doesn't matter. These solutions will help you find the name.

It is best to start reaching out to people you know. They are more likely to help you than someone you don't know.

Search LinkedIn

Of course, LinkedIn is the go-to tool for finding people.

Basic and Advanced Search

From the top search menu, type in the name of the person or company you want to search for. You may want to start with a company search to see who you know inside the company first. Those are your strongest allies.

LinkedIn's advanced search allows you to search for users (and more). You can search by connection level, location, or current company. But there's more

LinkedIn search 2019

The advanced search filters give you more options to search for.

LinkedIn advanced search filters

Scroll down and you can search by current company, past company or industry...

LinkedIn People filters

You can search by profile language, schools and contact interests...

LinkedIn interests filters

Or service providers, name, title, company or school.

LinkedIn service providers filters

When you find the person or people you would like to reach out to, check their profile to see if you can find their email address. It may be in their "contact" section or in their "About" section.

It's almost always better to email someone than to try and connect on LinkedIn since not everyone regularly monitors their LinkedIn invitations.

Google Their Name

Who would have thought that a simple Google search might uncover someone's email address. Well, it's worth a try! Just type in the person's name and the word email and see what shows up!

If you are looking for tools that are designed to lookup email addresses, you're in luck. Later in this article I link to a resoure to help you find email addresses for free!

Hunt on FaceBook

You're thinking "but Facebook isn't professional." We all know this. But when push comes to shove, who are the people most willing to help? Your friends and family. So try searching Facebook to find the name of the person you want to connect with. Type the name in the search bar and select "people." You will see your mutual friends listed.

Email your mutual friend and ask if they can introduce you.

Try Twitter

Twitter is an open network and I've said before, people using Twitter are generally pretty open to networking, otherwise, they wouldn't be there. There are at least two options for searching for people on Twitter.

First, use the search box. Note: look down below to see the option to "Search for all people for Sally"

If this doesn't work, you can try Twitter's Advanced Search (it isn't easy to find it, so I linked it there for you). For best results, enter the person's name in the "this exact phrase" box. If or when you find someone, send them a tweet which may look like this: "Would love to talk with you about XYZ company @Sally S"

Twitter search

Twitter advanced search

No email Address, No Problem

It's hard to contact someone if you don't have their email address. And FYI, everyone checks email. So once you have the contact name, here's a list of research tools to find email addresses- all free. 8 Actionable Ways To Find Anyone's Email Address

As you can see, there are many ways to find contact information!

So if I ever hear you say, "I don't know anyone inside a company" again, I'm going to scream! Find them, ask for an introduction via email and call them! Voila, you're connected!

Hannah Morgan is one of this year's LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers and a nationally recognized author and speaker on job search strategies. She founded CareerSherpa.net to combine her career expertise with her love of writing, speaking and social media. Her mission is to educate professionals on how to maneuver through today's job search process. Hannah is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Forbes, USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, Aol Jobs, LifeHacker, The Muse, Business Insider, SmartBrief, Payscale as well as many other publications. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success.

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