Throughout your job search journey, you should leverage networking to get connected with company employees. These company insiders can provide valuable insight about the company you’re targeting including company culture and the hiring process.
Strategies for networking with company insiders
Strategy 1: New position announcement – current connection
When you notice a connection at a company your targeting has announced they recently started their new job, reach out to them. Instead of simply saying “congratulations” on their post, reach out directly via DM to offer a note acknowledging their win. In it, ask if they would be open to sharing more about how their job search went.
This will benefit you in a couple of ways. One, you will build a connection with someone who works at the company. Their enthusiasm is high so they are likely open to meeting with you. Following your conversation you can request to keep in touch. This way you will follow along with them as they get more integrated into the company and the role.
Two, they can give you insight into that company’s hiring process. Ask questions of how they found the job; what the initial HR contact experience was like, how the interviewing process went, and how compensation negotiation was discussed. This is better intel than what you’d get on Glassdoor. Further, they may have insight into other hiring opportunities at the company.
Strategy 2: New position announcement – unknown contact
You can find people who are in roles, in industries, and at companies that interest you.
Use LinkedIn advanced search to find them.
- Go to the LinkedIn search bar and type: ‘Starting a new position’
- Click on the ‘Posts’ tab.
- Sort by ‘Latest’ to find recent activity.
- Click on ‘All Filters.’ From here, you can fine-tune your search:
- 🔃 First degree connections or people you follow.
- 🔍 Company name – See who’s been hired at your target companies.
- 🏭 Industries – Filter by industries you’re interested in.
- 🧑💼 Author keywords (job title) – Add a preferred job title and variations to find people now working in the roles you’re targeting.
- 👱 Author keywords (recruiter) – recruiters who just landed a new role may be actively building their candidate pipeline.
Once you find these people, reach out to them in the same ways suggested in strategy 1. Congratulate them on their new role and ask if they’d be open to meeting with you. If you don’t hear back from them, try a second and third time. Persistence pays.
Preface your follow up message with something like, “I’m sure you have a lot going on but I wanted to try again to connect.” Often people mean to respond but get distracted so this reminder can be helpful.
Intel on company culture and hiring process
Once you are well underway in the interviewing process, you’ll want to get some information from employees who have had the experience of working for this company and in your target role.
First, you should ask for an interview with the employees who would be your peers. These employees may not be so forthright with their company intel but the discussion will at least help build some rapport. The better option is to talk with recently departed employees. They will likely feel more at liberty to share their opinions.
Use LinkedIn Advanced search to query for former employees who fit your target role at your interviewing companies.
- Input your target company into the LinkedIn search box
- Click on ‘People’ and select ‘All filters’
- Under All Filters, select ‘Past Company’ and put in your role in Keywords: Title.
When you reach out to these contacts on LinkedIn, or better yet email, let them know you’re going through the hiring process at the company and would love to get some insight on their experience working there.
Chances are if their experience was recent and they have a strong opinion about it—good or bad—they will be open to talking. Besides the benefits of getting real company intel, you will be building a network in your industry. Be sure to ask if they would be open to you keeping in touch.
I used this strategy during a job search a few years ago and I got two positive outcomes from it. One, I was steered clear of taking the job at the company. I got a good dose of horror stories. And two, I made a great contact that is still a central part of my network years later.
Wrap-up
Networking with company insiders isn’t just about getting your foot in the door—it’s about getting the right insight to make smarter career decisions. Whether you’re learning how someone landed the job, uncovering red flags from a former employee, or simply expanding your professional circle, these conversations can be career-changing.
I encourage you to put these strategies in place as part of your overall job search efforts. Few job seekers are doing this so it can give you a competitive advantage with relatively little effort.