How to Find a Service Provider on LinkedIn
When you need to hire someone to do a job, LinkedIn has a way for you to search your network of first-, second-, and third-degree contacts, or the greater LinkedIn network, to find qualified professionals referred by other LinkedIn members.
To search for a service provider on LinkedIn, just follow these steps:
Roll your mouse over the Companies link from the top navigation bar and select Find Companies from the menu that appears.
On the Companies page, click the Service Providers link (on the right side of the screen).
The Service Provider Recommendations home page appears.
LinkedIn automatically picks providers based on recent recommendations. If you scroll down the page, you see some of the Top people in different categories, like Top Real Estate Agents and Top Child Care Providers. (Top is defined as providers that have received the most recommendations from other LinkedIn users so far.)
In the Categories pane, click the category that matches the type of service provider for your search.
After you reach a page loaded with recommended service providers, use the following tricks to find the one that’s just right for you:
Sort based on date or top results. By default, the list that’s returned is sorted based on the date of the most recent recommendation. You can change the sort by clicking the Top Results link.
Sort by recommendations from your network. Click the icon marked 1st or 2nd to get a list of service provider recommendations based on the first- or second-degree connections in your network.
Sort based on location. Click the Change Location link to get a targeted search list close to where you live.
When you click the Change Location link, you’re asked to input your country and postal code. After you do so, you return to the search results page, but with a target list now sorted by the proximity to your new location setting. After all, if you’re looking for a dentist or gardener, you probably want one close to home.
Read all of a provider’s recommendations. Click any provider’s name to read recommendations for that provider.