How to Find Hidden LinkedIn Profiles

LinkedIn is home to hundreds of millions of professional profiles, making it the largest publicly accessible database of work and experience-related data. However, many profiles may lack the necessary keywords and details to surface in a traditional search, leaving them hidden in plain sight.

To effectively locate these elusive profiles, talent professionals need to leverage alternative methods, such as combining data from external sources with LinkedIn's information. This may involve performing exploratory research to identify additional search criteria or cross-referencing data from other sites to fill in the missing details.

Our class offers two key methods for finding these "hidden in plain sight" profiles. The first method involves researching outside LinkedIn, using search engines like Google to find relevant terminology and lists of target companies. The second method involves cross-referencing data against LinkedIn using lists of emails, profile URLs, and first and last names.

• Part 1 - The Power of Pre-Search, Boolean, and Negativity
• The Trouble with LinkedIn Data
• Indirect Sourcing
• Google for Research
• Example - Search by Affiliation
• Search by City Names within a Postal Code/Radius
• Collecting Lists
• Multi-Page Lists
• Potential Issue – New Google UI
• Google Pagination "Hack" - Get 2-4x The Results
• Research with AI
• Construct an OR of Terms
• Example - Sourcing For Helicopter Engineers
• Productivity Through Negativity
• The Downside of Selections
• Hidden Search Operators in LinkedIn Recruiter and Lite
• Members Without Company Types ~65%
• Members Without Seniority ~65%
• People Without yoe: - ~60%
• Part 2 - Cross-Reference to LinkedIn at Scale
• People Aggregators - Good and Bad
• Building Mini-Aggregators in Real Time
• Find Non-LinkedIn Sources
• Collect Data for Cross-Referencing
• Example – Collecting GitHub Data
• Example - Combine Github and LinkedIn
• Example - "Big Four" Cybersecurity Partner
• Sourcing with LinkedIn URL Lists
• Non-Unique Identifiers - Names
• Example - LICSW Social Worker in WV
• Example - Geriatricians near Rochester, NY
• Example - Salesforce Administrator
• Example - Microsoft Azure Architect