I once spent hours and cups of coffee manually scrolling through LinkedIn to discover if someone from accounting had landed that dream job.
After that digital marathon, I swore there had to be a better way to satisfy my professional curiosity without shelling out cash for premium tracking tools or developing carpal tunnel syndrome.
Spoiler alert: there absolutely is.
The ‘curious cat’s’ toolkit
We’ve all experienced that moment when your inquisitiveness gets the better of you, and suddenly you’re twelve tabs deep into someone’s professional history.
But paying for premium services like LinkedIn Navigator or people-search tools feels a bit like buying a sledgehammer to hang a picture frame.
Excessive and expensive.
Thankfully, there are free alternatives for the budget-conscious. Let’s explore some options that won’t require you to eat ramen for a week just to satisfy your professional nosiness.
Google Alerts: Your gossip columnist
Let’s start with the OG of tracking. Google Alerts will happily do your digging for you while you sleep.
Setting up alerts for specific people is simple:
- Head to Google Alerts.
- Enter the person’s name in quotation marks.
- Adjust your settings to determine frequency and sources.
- Click “Create Alert” and voilà – you’ve deputized Google as your personal gossip columnist.
The advantage of Google Alerts lies in its specificity.
Adding a current company name or industry alongside the person’s name filters out those pesky dental hygienists and middle school teachers who share your target’s name.
For even better results, try using Boolean operators like “AND,” “OR,” and “NOT” to refine your search.
Create alerts for combinations like “[Person Name] new job” or “[Person Name] joins” to catch those press releases and announcements that companies love to publish.
LinkedIn: A free lunch at the five-star restaurant
The free version of LinkedIn remains reliable for tracking job changes. But you have to know how to use it:
- Turn on notifications for specific people: Instead of manually checking profiles, follow people you’re interested in and ensure notifications are turned on. LinkedIn will dutifully report their activity to your notification feed.
- Search filters are your friend: LinkedIn’s search filters may be limited in the free version, but they’re still solid. Filter by company, location, and industry to narrow down your search for specific people.
- Use the “People Also Viewed” sidebar: This often-overlooked feature on profile pages shows connections and similar professionals. If someone left a company, their former colleagues often appear here – giving you a trail to follow.
- Leverage the LinkedIn feed: LinkedIn’s algorithm loves to highlight job changes in your feed. Comment on these posts strategically (nothing like “I’ve been waiting for you to leave that place!”), and you’ll likely be notified of future updates.
The Wiza Monitor email wizard
While Wiza is primarily known as a paid service, they offer a free tier that’s generous for occasional use. This tool helps you find professional email addresses, which can be invaluable when tracking career moves.
- After installing the Wiza Chrome extension, you get free monthly credits to find email addresses directly from LinkedIn profiles.
- When someone’s email changes from name@oldcompany.com to name@newcompany.com, you’ve got yourself a job change confirmation without spending a dime.
Results happen when you combine this with a quick Google search of their new email address, often revealing company announcements or team page listings that confirm the move.
Company websites: The overflowing data well
We often forget the humble company website – specifically, the “Our Team” or “About Us” pages. These sections are constantly updated as people join and leave organizations.
- For smaller companies, these changes are particularly noticeable. Did that marketing director’s smiling headshot suddenly disappear? Time to check their LinkedIn profile for updates.
- For larger organizations, look for press releases about new hires, especially for senior positions. Companies love to brag about stealing talent from competitors.
Twitter/X: The 411 vending machine
While Twitter (now X) might seem like a cesspool of hot takes and argumentative threads, it’s also where many professionals casually announce career moves before they update formal channels.
- Set up Twitter Lists for the people you’re tracking and check in occasionally.
- Search for phrases like “excited to announce,” “new role,” or “new journey” alongside their name. People love to humble-brag about career moves on Twitter, often days or weeks before updating LinkedIn.
Reddit: The anonymous career confessional
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Industry-specific subreddits are must-haves for job movement intel. People often post anonymously about leaving companies or joining new ones, providing details they’d never share on LinkedIn.
Subreddits like r/cscareerquestions, r/marketing, r/finance, and other industry-specific communities frequently feature posts like “Just left [Company X] after 5 years, here’s what I learned” or “Starting at [Company Y] next week, any advice?”
These posts often contain noteworthy information about company cultures, hiring freezes, layoffs, and mass departures that can help you piece together the bigger picture of industry movements.
GitHub: The developer’s diary
If you’re tracking software engineers or technical professionals, GitHub can be quite revealing. Changes to their profile, particularly updates to their employment information or sudden shifts in which repositories they contribute to, can signal job changes.
Many developers also list their current employer in their GitHub profile or update their email address.
The informational interview exchange
Sometimes the old ways are the best ways.
Reaching out for an “informational interview” is the professional equivalent of “let’s grab coffee and you tell me all the gossip.”
The key is authenticity:
- Approach these conversations with genuine curiosity about their industry experience, and the job change details will naturally flow.
- A quick message like: “I noticed you’ve made an interesting career move. I’m considering a similar path and would love to learn from your experience. Could we connect for a quick chat?” works wonders.
Newsletters and industry publications: Let others do the work
Industry newsletters often include “people on the move” sections highlighting notable job changes. Subscribe to these free resources and let others do the tracking for you.
Publications like Business Insider, TechCrunch, and industry-specific journals regularly report on high-profile career moves, especially at the executive level.
Ethical stalking is a thing
There you have it – a comprehensive toolkit for tracking job changes. From Google Alerts to LinkedIn notifications, you’re now equipped with gadgets, tools, insights, and thingamabobs to get the job done.
Use these techniques for legitimate purposes like network maintenance, industry awareness, or recruitment – not for harassment or inappropriate surveillance.
Now go forth and track responsibly! And remember, while you’re busy checking up on others, someone might be using these very same techniques to keep tabs on you. Perhaps it’s time to update that LinkedIn profile after all?
Frequently asked questions and answers
Is it legal to track someone’s job changes online?
Yes, as long as you’re only accessing publicly available information. If you’re breaking into private accounts or databases, that’s crossing into illegal territory.
How often should I check for job updates?
For most purposes, monthly checks are sufficient. Setting up automated alerts means you don’t need to actively check at all.
Will people know I’m tracking their career moves?
On LinkedIn, people can see that you viewed their profile unless you browse in private mode. However, tools like Google Alerts and Twitter searches are completely anonymous.
What’s the etiquette around congratulating someone on a job change, I discovered through these methods?
If they’ve publicly announced it on social media, congratulations are welcome. If you discovered it through more investigative means, either wait for a public announcement or phrase your congratulations carefully: “I heard through the grapevine that you’ve taken on a new role. Congratulations!”
Can these methods be used for recruitment purposes?
Absolutely! Many recruiters use these exact techniques to identify potential candidates who might be open to new opportunities after recent job changes.
How accurate are these free methods compared to paid services?
Free methods may require more manual effort and cross-referencing, but they can be equally accurate. Paid services primarily offer convenience and scale rather than significantly better information.
What should I do if I find conflicting information about someone’s employment?
Cross-reference multiple sources, with primary sources (the person’s own profiles or announcements) taking precedence over secondary sources (mentions by others or in publications).
