Have an interview? Use LinkedIn.

Playing off my last post, I decided to share an experience I had using LinkedIn to do background research. I had a scheduled in person sales call as a follow up from an event my company held out at the Miller Motorsports Park (What a great venue, by the way).

Before the appointment I googled this gentleman but could not find anything other than his LinkedIn profile. So I followed the link. Once on his profile I payed particularly close attention to his interests. He mentioned his interest in car restoration and racing, etc. There were a few other details I caught also.

When I arrived at his office I spent some time just chatting and let him know that I had reviewed his LinkedIn and saw his interests. We got to talking and connected on a deep personal level. We talked about his father who raced cars and his interest in cars. One of his restored cars broke down the other day and he had to take his wife's car. He was worried because his wife has cancer and goes to treatments. And on and on we got into deeper conversations. By that time he trusted me and shared with me all his competitive details that would take his business out if leaked.

This same idea will work in an interview. Find ways to connect with people on a deeper level and things will go more smoothly because they have a greater opportunity to trust you. Researching LinkedIn profiles can be a great tool for that reason.