If you find a company where you're interested in researching to eventually apply for work, here are some steps you can follow to see if any of your existing LinkedIn connections know someone at the company, or know someone who knows someone, etc.
(instructions are accurate as of late May 2022, but subject to change if LinkedIn changes their UI)
- View a LinkedIn profile of someone in your network. (eg, https://linkedin.com/in/iandouglas736)
- Near the top of their profile you should see how many connections they have (or just "500+ connections" if they have a big network). Click on that as a link. (it won't be a clickable link unless you're already connected with them)
- Click on the "Connections" dropdown at the top, and DISABLE the "1st" degree connections, and ENABLE the "3rd+" degree connections. Now, only the "2nd" degree and "3rd+" connections is enabled. Click on 'Show Results'
- Click on the "Current companies" dropdown at the top, and type in the name of the company you're interested in, and click 'Show Results'.
The results you see will tell you the following:
- 2nd-degree connections are people your contact knows who currently work at the company
- 3rd-degree connections have a mutual connection with someone else who your contact knows.
If you successfully find a SECOND DEGREE connection, write a message to your contact, like this:
Hi (contact name). I'm trying to reach out to (company name) for research for potentially applying to a job, and I see that you know (2nd degree connection person's name) over there. (add a link to their profile) Would you be willing to make an introduction for me? If you're willing, please mention (1 or 2 things) in the introduction, and pass along my profile link. Thank you!!
So a message might look like this. Let's imagine that Jose is my contact, and Jose knows someone named Julia at the company.
Hi Jose. I'm trying to reach out to (company name) for research for potentially applying to a job, and I see that you know Julia over there. (add a link to Julia's profile) Would you be willing to make an introduction for me? If you're willing, please mention my backend development and project work in the introduction, and pass along my profile link. Thank you!!
A third (or 3rd+) connection means that your contact knows someone, who knows someone, at the company. For example, Jose is your contact, and Jose knows someone who knows Julia at the company. Your message might look like this instead:
Hi Jose. I'm trying to reach out to (company name) for research in my job hunt. LinkedIn tells me that you know someone who knows Julia over there (include a link to Julia's profile). Would you be willing to look at your mutual connections with Julia, and ask someone to make an introduction for me and pass along my profile link? Thank you!!
These 2nd-degree connections are the more powerful connections, as having someone advocate for you to someone else can be a stronger networking action. 3rd degree connections are less likely to work, but can't hurt to try!
Here's more reading on the subject:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/your-second-third-degree-connections-help-you-get-guy-berger-ph-d-/
https://linkedin.com/in/iandouglas736
I have a large network on LinkedIn, and I'm happy to make introductions for people. You will need to CONNECT with me on LinkedIn, not just "follow" me.
From there, follow all of the instructions above to get the names of specific people to whom you would like an introduction, and DM me their profile links along with some notes about what you would like me to say. A typical message I might send would look like the following:
Hi there. Someone on my live-stream would like an introduction to you to chat about some questions they have about (company name). Here is their LinkedIn profile, if you have some time to connect and chat with them. I appreciate the favor!