Finding a person’s employment information can be useful in various instances. For example, you may want to find out where your potential date works or learn if someone is working where they claim to.
It could also be helpful for protecting yourself from scams and other deceptive schemes. By confirming whether someone actually works for a particular organization, you can avoid getting duped by fake charities, shady subscription sellers, and other unscrupulous actors.
But how could you find out where someone is employed without too much effort? Here are the simplest methods to count on.
1. Search on LinkedIn
LinkedIn’s 1 billion users may seem trivial compared to platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. However, what makes it an excellent place to learn where someone works is its reputation as the number one professional networking site in the US.
Many Americans maintain active profiles on it to expand their network, keep track of industry news and trends, find jobs, source suppliers, seek business and career opportunities, and build their professional reputation.
For this, letting other users know where you work is important. So, if the person you are searching for is on LinkedIn, there is a good chance their current employment details are displayed under their profile.
But how can you retrieve this information?
Use the Search Bar
LinkedIn has several sophisticated search tools, which you can access by creating an account on its platform.
Once you log in, enter the person’s name on the search bar. As you type, LinkedIn will list matching profiles, often based on your existing network and popular results.
When you find it challenging to identify the relevant person in a long list of results, you can use the platform’s search filters to narrow down your search. For example, you can filter people by industry, school, location, or current or past employer.
The site usually indicates when someone is a first-, second-, or third-level connection of yours. This matters when you need to view a user’s profile or send a private message.
Remember, LinkedIn members get to decide who can check their personal information or DM them based on how they are connected. So, if a particular user is not part of your network and, as a result, you are unable to check their profile, send them a connection request first.
Sync Your Contact Lists
Sometimes, you may have the relevant person’s contact details in your address book. If so, an easy way to find them on LinkedIn is by syncing your address book with your account on the platform.
This allows the site to automatically discover and display profiles of the contacts who already have a LinkedIn presence. But, this feature is only available for the platform users.
What happens when you don’t have an account? You can still use LinkedIn’s search bar. However, the search features will be relatively limited.
For instance, you can only find people by their first and last names and will not have access to search filters. Results are also limited to profiles set up for public visibility.
If you want to make the most out of LinkedIn’s search facilities, it is best to create an account and log in.
2. Browse Google
When you can’t locate the LinkedIn profile of the person you are looking for, you can next turn to Google.
This search giant indexes trillions of pages on the internet to enable its search services. The best part is, unlike LinkedIn, it can identify matching content on multiple types of online resources.
To find someone’s company information, try a text or voice search using their full name and a term such as “company”, “workplace”, or “employer”.
You can also couple it with any other information you know about them. It could be a college, city, or a previous employer’s name.
Google will generally list matching web pages in under a second. Its search engine result page (SERP) may include thousands or even millions of results. This doesn’t mean you need to check all of them. Browsing the first 10–20 results should be sufficient.
If you don’t see the information you require, search again using different variations of the person’s name. For instance, type in the last name with initials, shortened versions of the first name, or nicknames.
3. Try a Specialized Online Search Tool
Over the years, various data aggregators have emerged to provide people search services. They have become increasingly popular for finding information, including professional and workplace details.
How exactly do they work? These platforms rely on public sources, such as federal and state databases, social media, and directory listings, to access people data. The information they collect is then verified, sorted, and organized into validated and meaningful records.
By applying sophisticated algorithms, these search tools allow you to browse this information quickly and conveniently.
Based on the specific search features, data aggregators can belong to different categories.
Nuwber, for instance, is a people search site that allows you to discover where someone works using their full name, contact number, email address, or regular address.
There are also search tools that offer reverse lookup services based on usernames and a variety of other unique identifiers.
What makes these platforms an effective search option is their ability to find and display specific information instead of listing links to web resources that may or may not contain the details you are looking for.
They can also identify other useful data in addition to a workplace. For instance, they may produce personal and financial details, contact information, and criminal records. Of course, what you can unearth will vary depending on the search tool.
However, keep in mind that not all these platforms are available for free. Many charge a monthly or search-based fee for their services.
Wrapping Up
If you want to find out where someone works, there are several reliable options to discreetly learn all the information you need. We suggest using LinkedIn, Google, or a specialized online search tool to discover details faster and more conveniently.