Find the Back Door for a Job Posting Using LinkedIn

Instead of just applying to a job and waiting, use LinkedIn to find someone you know inside the company.

This LinkedIn back door technique isn’t about applying through the front door with everyone else—it’s about strategically connecting with insiders who can refer you directly to hiring managers. When you use LinkedIn to find these back door connections, you transform from anonymous applicant to recommended candidate, improving your odds of getting and interview and getting hired!

While scrolling through job boards might feel productive, your application is competing with hundreds of others. The facts:

1 of 50-60 applicants from a job board will get interviewed.

1 of 6 referred applicants will get interviewed.

(Data from ERIN and SmartRecruiter 2025 Benchmark Report)

This is why you want to use your connections to get referred and LinkedIn is the perfect tool to use.

And here’s exactly how to do that!

Steps To Using The Back Door

STEP 1:

I searched Indeed.com for a buyer job (in Rochester, NY and sorted by date posted). Here’s the job posting and it clearly says to apply on the company site.

But I’m not going to do that yet. I want to talk with someone who works for the company to learn more about the role.

STEP 2:

I went into LinkedIn and searched for the company name. 

Not every company is listed on LinkedIn, but the majority are. Just make sure you are selecting the correct company.

This is what the company profile looks like.

STEP 3:

See if you have any connections. In this case, I have 3 first degree connections.

STEP 4:

Email each of the people you know. (Do not use LinkedIn messaging as most people do not respond as quickly)

Since you are reaching out to someone you know, ask how they are doing first.

Then explain that you would love a brief phone call to learn more about the company and what’s going on there right now. You can include that you saw a job that interests you if you want.

Here’s what that email might look like:

Hi [Connection Name],

I hope you’re doing well! I’m exploring opportunities at [Company] and noticed you’re connected with [Target Name], who works in the [department] department there.

Would you be comfortable either introducing us via email or allowing me to mention your name when I reach out? I’m specifically interested in learning about [specific aspect of the company/role].

Thanks so much for considering this!

Finally, thank them for their help.

No First Degree Connections? No Problem

If you don’t have any connections, you can still see the names of employees on LinkedIn.

Get introduced by a mutual connection

1. Explain who you want to meet and include specifically why (is it their role or something else that makes them a good person to speak with).
2. Give your contact an option to either introduce you to them through email or permission to use their name when you reach out.
3. Finally, thank them for their help.

If you don’t know any of these people, you can click on their profiles and see what associations or groups they belong to, what companies they used to work for and what school they attended to see if there are any commonalities. 

Another way to interact with someone is to see if they’ve listed any of their social media profiles or a personal website in their contact section. See what they are sharing off LinkedIn and look for an opportunity to start a dialog with them. 

Additional Steps

While you are at it, “follow” the company on LinkedIn.  This should add their status update to your home feed.

Why Invest Time Going Through The Back Door?

A referral from someone inside a company carries a lot of weight. It is worth every minute of your sleuthing to try and find connections to a job posting!

• A large percentage of hires come from the referral pool. (Plus employees are offered bonuses if they refer candidates who get hired)
• Referrals have a greater chance of securing an interview (and landing the job offer).
• Job seekers recommended by a current employee were hired at a higher percentage than those not referred. That number is even higher if the referral originated from a director-level employee or above.

Use LinkedIn to go in the back door for a job posting. Or better yet, proactively reach out to people BEFORE there is a job posted.