People Research - Utari Docs

Overview

The People Research tool enables your Utari workers to find and gather professional background information about individuals. This capability is invaluable for recruitment, sales prospecting, partnership development, competitive intelligence, and any situation where understanding someone’s professional background provides strategic value.

People Research Capabilities

Professional Profiles

Find detailed professional information including current role, company, and career history

Career Background

Access work experience, previous positions, and career progression

Skills & Expertise

Identify key skills, competencies, and areas of expertise

Education & Credentials

Discover educational background, degrees, and certifications

People Research uses publicly available professional information from sources like LinkedIn and professional databases. All data is ethically sourced from public profiles.

Using People Research

Basic Research Process

Specify Who to Research

Provide information about the person:

    Research Sarah Johnson who works at TechCorp as VP of Engineering
    
    Find information about John Smith, CEO of StartupXYZ
    
    Look up Maria Garcia in the AI/ML space in San Francisco
    
    Research the CTO of Acme Corporation

Worker Conducts Research

Your worker searches professional databases and returns:

    Professional Profile: Sarah Johnson
    
    Current Position:
    - Title: VP of Engineering
    - Company: TechCorp
    - Location: San Francisco, CA
    - Started: January 2022
    
    Previous Experience:
    - Senior Engineering Manager, Google (2018-2021)
    - Engineering Lead, Uber (2015-2018)
    - Software Engineer, Microsoft (2012-2015)
    
    Education:
    - MS Computer Science, Stanford University
    - BS Computer Engineering, MIT
    
    Key Skills:
    - Distributed Systems
    - Team Leadership
    - Cloud Architecture
    - Machine Learning
    
    Notable:
    - 500+ connections on LinkedIn
    - Active speaker at tech conferences
    - Published author on engineering leadership

Use Information Strategically

Apply research findings to:

Personalize outreach
Prepare for meetings
Assess fit for roles
Understand background
Build context

Common Use Cases

Recruitment and Hiring

Candidate Research

Research potential candidates before interviews:

    Research candidates for Senior Developer role:
    
    For each candidate, find:
    - Current employment and role
    - Years of relevant experience
    - Technical skills and expertise
    - Educational background
    - Notable projects or achievements
    - Career progression pattern
    
    Use to:
    - Prepare targeted interview questions
    - Understand career trajectory
    - Assess cultural fit
    - Identify talking points

Talent Sourcing

Find potential candidates with specific backgrounds:

    Find people who:
    - Have experience with Kubernetes and distributed systems
    - Previously worked at top-tier tech companies
    - Based in or open to Seattle area
    - Currently in senior engineering roles
    
    Generate list with:
    - Names and current companies
    - Relevant experience
    - Contact information (if public)
    - Key qualifications

Reference Checking

Research professional connections:

    Research candidate's previous managers:
    - Where are they now?
    - What are their current roles?
    - How to reach them?
    - Mutual connections?
    
    Prepare for reference calls with context

Sales and Business Development

Prospect Research

Understand decision-makers before outreach:

    Research key stakeholders at target company:
    
    For VP of Sales at Enterprise Corp:
    - Career background
    - Previous companies and roles
    - Areas of expertise
    - Recent activity or posts
    - Mutual connections
    - Common interests
    
    Use to personalize outreach:
    "I noticed your experience scaling sales teams at [Previous Company]..."

Account Planning

Map decision-makers and influencers:

    Research buying committee at Target Account:
    
    1. CEO - Technical background, previous startup founder
    2. CTO - Former engineer, cares about scalability
    3. VP Finance - ROI-focused, risk-averse
    4. VP Operations - Process-oriented, efficiency focus
    
    Tailor messaging for each stakeholder

Partnership Development

Research potential partners:

    Research leadership at potential partner company:
    - Decision-makers and influencers
    - Previous partnerships they've done
    - Strategic priorities (based on background)
    - Personal interests and motivations
    
    Identify partnership champions and build relationships

Competitive Intelligence

Competitor Tracking

Monitor competitor team changes:

    Track key hires at competitor:
    
    Recent additions:
    - New VP Product from Google
    - Senior ML Engineer from Meta
    - Enterprise Sales Director from Salesforce
    
    Insights:
    - Building ML capabilities
    - Investing in enterprise sales
    - Hiring from top-tier companies

Industry Expertise Mapping

Identify domain experts:

    Find leading experts in [specific technology]:
    - Who are the recognized authorities?
    - Where do they work now?
    - What are they working on?
    - Who follows their work?
    
    Use for: Advisory board, partnerships, thought leadership

Meeting Preparation

Pre-Meeting Research

Prepare for important meetings:

    Meeting tomorrow with [Name] from [Company]
    
    Research:
    - Current role and responsibilities
    - Career path to current position
    - Relevant experience for our discussion
    - Recent work or achievements
    - Mutual connections or interests
    
    Preparation notes:
    - "Congratulate on recent promotion"
    - "Reference their work at [Previous Company]"
    - "Discuss mutual connection with [Name]"

Speaker/Event Research

Research speakers or attendees:

    Conference speakers research:
    - Background and expertise
    - Speaking topics
    - Companies and roles
    - Best questions to ask
    - Networking opportunities

Research Query Examples

By Name and Company

Research Jane Doe who works at Acme Corp

Find information about John Smith, VP of Marketing at TechStartup

Look up the background of Sarah Wilson at Google

Research the CTO of Competitor Inc

Find information about the Head of Product at [Company]

Look up the VP of Sales at our target account

By Criteria and Background

Find people with expertise in:
- Kubernetes and cloud architecture
- Previously at FAANG companies
- Currently in senior roles

Research professionals specializing in machine learning for healthcare

Find executives in the fintech space with:
- Background in traditional banking
- Experience scaling startups
- Based in New York

Research leaders in sustainable energy sector

Find senior developers in Seattle with:
- 10+ years experience
- Background at Microsoft or Amazon
- Open to new opportunities

Multi-Person Research

Research the leadership team at [Company]:
- CEO
- CTO
- VP Product
- VP Sales

Provide background on each for account planning

Research three candidates for our role:
1. Alex Johnson - current at Google
2. Maria Garcia - current at Meta  
3. David Chen - current at Amazon

Compare backgrounds, experience, and fit

Information Typically Available

Professional Information

Current Position
Career History
Skills & Expertise
Education
Additional Info

Job title
Company name
Department/division
Start date
Location
Reporting structure (sometimes)

Combining with Other Tools

+ Document Creator

Create research profiles and candidate summaries

+ Spreadsheet Tools

Organize research findings in structured databases

+ Web Search

Supplement with additional public information

+ Email Integration

Use research to personalize outreach emails

Example Combined Workflow

Research Target Prospects

    Research 10 VP-level contacts at target accounts in fintech

Organize in Spreadsheet

    Create tracking sheet with:
    - Name, title, company
    - Background summary
    - Relevant experience
    - Contact info
    - Personalization notes

Generate Personalized Outreach

    For each prospect, draft personalized email using:
    - Their specific background
    - Relevant experience
    - Mutual connections
    - Tailored value proposition

Track Engagement

    Update spreadsheet with:
    - Outreach dates
    - Response status
    - Meeting scheduled
    - Notes from conversations

Best Practices

Respect Privacy

Only use publicly available professional information

Verify Information

Cross-reference important details when possible

Use Ethically

Use research for legitimate business purposes only

Keep Current

Information may become outdated—re-research when needed

Personalize Thoughtfully

Use research to add value, not to be creepy

Document Sources

Note where information came from for reference

Ethical Guidelines

Important Ethical Considerations:

✅ Use for legitimate business purposes
✅ Respect publicly available information boundaries
✅ Personalize outreach to add value
✅ Be transparent about research when appropriate
❌ Don’t use for harassment or stalking
❌ Don’t access private or protected information
❌ Don’t share sensitive personal details publicly
❌ Don’t use research to discriminate
❌ Don’t pretend to know someone personally based solely on research

Troubleshooting

Can't find information on specific person

Try:

Including more identifying details (company, location, role)
Checking name spelling variations
Searching by company and role instead
Providing additional context
Understanding some people have minimal public profiles

Information seems outdated

Note:

Professional information changes frequently
People change jobs and roles
Profiles may not be updated regularly
Re-research if information is critical
Verify current employment when important

Multiple people with same name

Specify:

Company name
Location
Industry or field
Additional identifying details
Previous companies if known

Limited information available

Understand:

Not everyone maintains public profiles
Some industries/roles are less visible online
Privacy settings may limit visibility
Junior roles often have less information
Use what’s available, supplement with other research

Privacy and Compliance

Data Sources: People Research uses only publicly available professional information from sources like:

Professional networking sites (LinkedIn, etc.)
Company websites and press releases
Public databases and directories
Conference speaker listings
Published articles and interviews

All information is ethically sourced and publicly accessible.

Summary

You’ve successfully learned how to:

Research professional backgrounds and career histories

Find people based on skills, experience, and criteria

Use research for recruitment, sales, and business development

Prepare for meetings with relevant background context

Organize and track research findings

Apply ethical guidelines for people research

The People Research tool enables informed, personalized engagement by providing professional background context. Whether recruiting talent, developing business relationships, or preparing for important meetings, understanding people’s professional backgrounds creates opportunities for meaningful, relevant interactions.

Next Steps

Data Providers

Access LinkedIn and other professional data sources

Web Search

Supplement research with additional information

Document Creator

Create research profiles and summaries

Spreadsheet Tools

Organize research in structured databases

​Overview

​People Research Capabilities

Professional Profiles

Career Background

Skills & Expertise

Education & Credentials

​Using People Research

​Basic Research Process

​Common Use Cases

​Recruitment and Hiring

​Sales and Business Development

​Competitive Intelligence

​Meeting Preparation

​Research Query Examples

​By Name and Company

​By Criteria and Background

​Multi-Person Research

​Information Typically Available

​Professional Information

​Combining with Other Tools

+ Document Creator

+ Spreadsheet Tools

+ Web Search

+ Email Integration

​Example Combined Workflow

​Best Practices

Respect Privacy

Verify Information

Use Ethically

Keep Current

Personalize Thoughtfully

Document Sources

​Ethical Guidelines

​Troubleshooting

​Privacy and Compliance

​Summary

​Next Steps

Data Providers

Web Search

Document Creator

Spreadsheet Tools

Overview

People Research Capabilities

Using People Research

Basic Research Process

Common Use Cases

Recruitment and Hiring

Sales and Business Development

Competitive Intelligence

Meeting Preparation

Research Query Examples

By Name and Company

By Criteria and Background

Multi-Person Research

Information Typically Available

Professional Information

Combining with Other Tools

Example Combined Workflow

Best Practices

Ethical Guidelines

Troubleshooting

Privacy and Compliance

Summary

Next Steps