Finding people
How to find someone when you don't know their name
To find someone when you do not know their name, describe them by role, field, company type and place, then search for that description and check the people it returns.
By Invenitor team. Updated .
Why is this harder than it sounds?
Most contact tools and guides assume you have a name. You often do not. You know you need a person who handles procurement at a mid-size hospital, or a lawyer who has dealt with this exact kind of dispute. A search engine responds with articles about the topic, not with people.
What you need is a way to turn "the kind of person" into a short list of real names you can then check. The rest of this guide shows how to do that by hand and with a tool.
How do you describe the person clearly?
Think of how you would describe them to a friend who might know someone. Good descriptions usually have these parts:
- What they do: their role or the work they perform.
- Where they do it: a kind of company, a sector, or a specific organisation.
- Where they are, if it matters: a city, state or country.
- How experienced they are: new, senior, or a founder.
- Anything that makes them right for you: a past experience, a skill, or a topic they know.
Leave out anything you do not actually need. "Finance head at a Pune manufacturing company" is better than a sentence with ten conditions. You can use the query builder to turn these parts into one sentence, and this guide covers more detail.
How do you do it by hand?
Work outwards from organisations rather than from people:
- List ten organisations where this person would work. Trade association member lists and award lists are useful starting points.
- Open each one's team, leadership or about page. Look for the role or something close to it.
- Check recent news, press releases and conference speaker lists, which often name people in specific roles.
- Search for the role and company name together on a professional network.
- Ask people in that industry who they would call. One good answer can save you hours.
This works, and it teaches you a lot about the field. Its cost is your time, and it gets slower as the list gets longer. It also tends to find the most visible people, who are not always the right ones.
How does a plain-words search change this?
A people search takes your description directly. On Invenitor, you type a sentence such as "operations heads at cold-chain logistics companies in Maharashtra" and see up to 100 people with role, company and links. You read through them, shortlist those who fit, and open contacts only for those you pick.
A search costs 20 credits (₹40), and it is free if it finds nobody. So the cost of testing a description is small. If the people look wrong, change the sentence and try again. Treat your first search as a draft, not as the final list.
How do you check that a person is the right one?
A description match is a starting point. Before you write, spend two minutes on each person you plan to contact:
- Confirm they are still in that role. Look at their company's site or recent posts.
- Look for one specific thing they have said or done. You will use it in your first line.
- Ask whether they could actually help. A senior title does not mean they own your problem.
- Check for a mutual contact. An introduction beats a cold note.
If nobody fits, your description is probably off. Look at the people who almost fit, and notice how their titles are worded. Companies use different names for the same work, so use their words in your next try.
What about finding one specific person you lost touch with?
This guide is about finding people for work. If you are looking for an old friend or a relative, a professional people search is the wrong tool, and it may not include them at all.
Whatever the reason, respect the answer you get. Someone who does not reply has given you a response, and repeatedly contacting them is not acceptable. Do not use any tool to find someone who has chosen not to be found. Anyone can ask to have their details removed at the removal page.
Common questions
- Can I find a person by their role alone?
- Yes, if your description is specific. Describe the role, the kind of company and the place, then check the people who come back.
- What if the search returns nobody?
- On Invenitor a search that finds nobody is free. Remove the narrowest detail and try again.