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LinkedIn Search by Email

In a corporate environment, the task of detecting a LinkedIn profile of a target is crucial for establishing partnerships. An email address often can be the only link between you and someone you met at an event or received a business card from. Step up your business networking with our recommendations on how to find LinkedIn by email.

Why You May Need to Find a Profile Page on LinkedIn?

First, let’s clarify why disclosing someone’s LinkedIn page can be a top priority. You may start a LinkedIn profile search if you can relate to these scenarios:

  1. You met someone at a business event and only have their name or company. In this case, searching for their LinkedIn profile is an easy way to reconnect and continue the conversation. Don’t give up on business opportunities if you don’t have someone’s contact info.
  2. If you’re a recruiter or hiring manager, LinkedIn is a valuable tool for sourcing and connecting with candidates. Find LinkedIn by email to speed up the negotiations or check whether the person aligns with the vacancy requirements based on their digital presence.
  3. You need to get detailed information about a person’s professional experience, skills, education, and interests. That’s how you can assess one’s background and expertise.
  4.  If you received an email from someone claiming to be a professional contact, checking their LinkedIn profile can help you confirm their identity and legitimacy as a pro. That’s how you can avoid being targeted by scammers.

How to Find a LinkedIn Profile Using Email?

Are you determined to find LinkedIn by email but don’t know where to start? Here are the easiest OSINT methods you can employ to push forward the investigation.

How to Find a LinkedIn Profile by Email Address With X-Ray Contact

Start searching

Automate your LinkedIn search with X-Ray Contact data aggregator. The platform has access to 33+ provider databases from around the world. You can use Email as your search channel in order to expose personal details, contacts, location, etc. of your target. If you need to regularly track down a lot of people with an email address or other input data, check out X-Ray API service to simplify the routine.

An Example of LinkedIn Search by Email

Follow this tutorial to possibly find LinkedIn by email with the help of X-Ray Contact:

  1. Go to the main page and click on the “Platform” tab.
  2. Choose “Email” in order to initiate a search with this channel. Then, type in the email address in a search bar. 
  3. If the email address is spotted in the system, you will receive a Person Profile with a comprehensive overview of the person’s digital footprint. LinkedIn link can be listed as one of the social media the target is registered on.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator Search 

If you have a Sales Navigator account, you can use the in-depth search filters to find LinkedIn profiles based on email addresses. Here’s how it goes: in the Sales Navigator search bar, type the email address you think is related to the target and press “Search.” In case the email address is used to register someone’s LinkedIn profile and the target has not hidden their contact information in their privacy settings, their profile should appear in the search results.

The task is much easier if you have any additional insights about the target. You can combine filters like “Keywords,” “Firm,” “Title,” “Location,” and others to refine your search and pinpoint the exact profile you’re looking for. However, be aware that some LinkedIn users don’t have their email addresses publicly visible. If the person has concealed their email address in their privacy settings, Sales Navigator might not be able to pinpoint their account.

Microsoft Outlook Investigation

In order to use this method, synchronize your LinkedIn account with an Outlook. When you hover over a contact’s name in Outlook, a profile card pops up. If you’ve connected your LinkedIn and Outlook accounts, you’ll see their LinkedIn profile details in this tab, including their job title, company, and sometimes their email address.

Search Engine Look-Up

This OSINT technique is less precise and advanced compared to the other strategies. Nonetheless, it can be useful to verify the findings. You can find LinkedIn by email via typing in this information in quotation marks. Combine this information with keywords like “LinkedIn” or “profile” to create a search query. Include all additional info you have such as personal details or contact data to make your research more narrow-focused. For example, a great query is “[email protected] LinkedIn Senior Manager SM Entertainment.” Be aware that search engines might provide you outdated or inaccurate info, so don’t forget to cross-reference the findings before moving on.

Scroll Through the Forums

Online communities such as Reddit can be a great source to trace a person based on their email address. Think about the person’s interests, profession, or hobbies. Then, go to the subreddits where a person might be present or mentioned based on their background info. Use the forum’s search function to look for the email address directly. Sometimes, people use their email addresses as usernames or include them in their profile information. In other scenarios, a person you are looking for might have been discussed by others.

It is useful that several subreddits often discuss topics related to LinkedIn and professional networking. Pay attention to these branches of Reddit:

  • r/careerguidance. This subreddit focuses on career advice, job searching, and professional development. You might find discussions about using LinkedIn for communication or job hunting. Hence, your target person might have shared their LinkedIn profile link to seek help or expand their network.
  • r/recruiting. This platform is useful for HRs and other talent acquisition professionals. They often discuss sourcing candidates and using LinkedIn for recruitment. It is worth checking out whether someone might have recommended your target person’s email up there.
  • r/sidehustle. People often discuss using LinkedIn for freelance gigs or side businesses. Check out whether the person you are looking for has advertised their services up there.

Popular Scenarios of How to Find a Person’s LinkedIn Profile Page

The LinkedIn profile searches differ based on the entry data you have. Here’s how you should act in a few typical scenarios:

Find the LinkedIn Profile of a Person Whose Email Is Corporate 

Check the company website for an employee directory or “About Us” page. Some companies list employee LinkedIn profiles there. Be sure that such an email address is likely used only for work purposes, so you might not be able to find a lot of contact info or social media accounts registered with this data.

In case you don’t know the exact email address but try to guess it, we will share a tip with you. Many companies use a standardized email format using a principle of “short form of a name@company name.com.” You can try guessing the person’s email address and then use it to search on LinkedIn or email lookup tools. Also, try out an email permutator platforms such as Metric Sparrow to get a list of possible corporate email address combinations. 

Find LinkedIn Profile by Email Address of a Scammer

In case you’ve been contacted by a scammer company via email address, you can attempt to find LinkedIn by email to expose the fraudsters. Look up LinkedIn for profiles that match the company’s email domain. This can aid you identify employees and potentially uncover any suspicious patterns. Here are some signs that you have disclosed the profile of a scammer:

  •  The LinkedIn profile picture is blurry, low resolution, or resembles a stock photo. It might also be a stolen image from someone else’s profile. Clarify whether the photo is authentic with the help of a reverse image search service.
  •  The profile was created recently, especially if the person claims to have years of experience in their field.
  • The LinkedIn profile owner sends spammy messages, requests personal information, or promotes questionable business opportunities in direct messaging.
  • A real LinkedIn profile will likely have authentic and personalized info such as photos from corporate events, posts about previous work experience, networking with colleagues, etc.
  • Pay attention to the posting pattern. If the company or individual only posts promotional content or shares generic industry articles without any original insights, there’s a high possibility you have discovered that it is a fake LinkedIn profile.

The Struggles of Finding LinkedIn Profiles from Email Addresses

One important tip before embarking on a search by email address: be prepared that the results might be less than desirable. Such investigations can fail due to:

  1. Non-Business Email. If the email address you have is a personal one, it may not be linked to their LinkedIn profile. Many people use different email addresses for personal and professional purposes. Therefore, it might be more useful to look up this target person with other channels like real name or username.
  2. Privacy Concerns. One common reason for failure is that the person you’re searching for has set their privacy settings to hide their email address from public view on LinkedIn. This is a widespread practice for many users who wish to maintain control over their contact information so it does not reach culprits or scammers.
  3. Inaccurate Info. Sometimes, the email address you have may be incomplete, contain typos, or simply be incorrect. That’s why you should always check similar variants of the same email, just to be sure.
  4. Old Data. Even if the email address was once associated with their LinkedIn profile, they may have changed it since. This is especially true for professionals who switch jobs or companies frequently.
  5. Misleading Results. Even if you find a LinkedIn profile associated with the email address, there’s always a chance it’s not the right person. People with common names or similar email addresses could lead to false results.

Questions About LinkedIn OSINT Search

Unsure whether the task to find LinkedIn by email is a great solution for your investigation? Clear your doubts with this comprehensive FAQ section.

How Can LinkedIn Benefit OSINT?

The hardship of finding LinkedIn by email is worth it due to how much OSINT insights you can gain from a single source. It’s like a public resume where you can find someone’s work history, education, skills, and who they know. This information helps verify who they are, see their career path, and find others they might be connected to. Additionally, monitoring the subject’s activity on LinkedIn, such as posts, comments, and group interactions, can reveal their opinions, interests, and connections. You can also compare info they publicly disclose on LinkedIn with OSINT database findings about their real identity, education and career to detect fraud or deception.

Is LinkedIn a Reliable Source for OSINT? 

LinkedIn profile is a semi-credible source, so X-Ray Contact’s Team does not recommend using it as the only investigation channel. LinkedIn profiles are largely self-reported, meaning individuals have control over the information they share. This can lead to exaggeration or omission of certain details, so it’s less reliable for complete accuracy. In addition, the number and quality of connections on LinkedIn can be misleading. Someone may have a large network created by mass-adding people they don’t know. However, be sure that LinkedIn does have some verification processes, such as verifying company email addresses. 

How Can I Leverage LinkedIn Groups for OSINT Purposes?

LinkedIn Groups are a goldmine of information for OSINT investigations. Analyzing member profiles reveals key players and their connections, while monitoring discussions provides a glimpse into industry trends, opinions, and challenges. Here, you can use HUMINT to persuade people who are connected to your target to give up info about them based on email. After building trustful relationships with group members from the same company or industry, you may ask them to share a LinkedIn profile of the person who you tried to manually find with an email address. 

Is LinkedIn Sales Navigator Useful for OSINT Research by Email Address? 

Sales Navigator offers enhanced search capabilities, including the ability to search by email address directly. This is a significant advantage over standard LinkedIn, where email searches are limited. Moreover, you can save your searches and set up alerts for new leads that match your criteria. Hence, it can be much easier to find LinkedIn by email if you employ all in-platforms instruments available.

How Can I Use LinkedIn Search to Boost the Company’s Cybersecurity? 

Yes, scanning the LinkedIn profiles of the employees should be part of your SOC routine. Consider to: 

  • Regularly review the profiles of your employees to ensure they’re not sharing sensitive information or becoming targets for social engineering attacks. Look for overly detailed information about their roles, projects, or technologies they work with.
  • Use LinkedIn’s search function to monitor mentions of your company, products, or services. This can help you identify potential security risks or vulnerabilities that are being discussed publicly.
  • Check potential partners or candidates to avoid dealing with fraudsters who try to penetrate your organization.

Conclusion: Find the LinkedIn of Email Contact for OSINT

All in all, LinkedIn profile search is an OSINT task with a few pitfalls and special features that differ from other investigations. Apply the tips and tricks collected by X-Ray Contact Team to make this mission more manageable and easy-to-achieve.

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