Okay so I wanted to connect with Cynthia Williams – that cybersecurity expert who spoke at the DEF CON conference last year. Figured LinkedIn would be easy, right? Big mistake. When I just typed “Cynthia Williams” into the search bar? Total chaos. Like scrolling through pages of accountants, nurses, even a florist named Cynthia Williams. Zero luck.
My First Attempt Was a Disaster
I remembered she worked at that big tech company in Austin. So I punched in their name under “Current company” filter. Boom – 27 Cynthia Williams popped up. How?! I started clicking profiles one by one like a maniac. Spotted two with cybersecurity titles, but neither had conference badges or publications showing. Half an hour gone. Felt like chasing ghosts.
The Game Changer Filters
Got smarter and hit the “All Filters” button. This saved my butt:
Location: Austin, TX – since she mentioned living there
Past Company: Put in that startup she founded before joining her current gig
Schools: University of Texas – heard her mention it during a podcast
Scrolled down – suddenly only three profiles appeared. Two looked like fresh grads. But one had that distinctive purple conference badge in her banner photo! Profile said “Director of Threat Intelligence” with posts about DEF CON panels. Nailed it.
Connecting (Without Being Creepy)
Did NOT just smash “Connect”. Actually clicked “More” and chose “Add a note”. Wrote something like:
“Hey Cynthia – loved your DEF CON talk on zero-day exploits. Running similar threat models at my org, would value your perspective on [specific thing she mentioned]. No pressure to connect!”
Sent request around 11am. She accepted by 3pm! Even replied “Appreciate the reference to slide 12 – happy to share frameworks”. Score.
Lesson? LinkedIn search without filters is trash. Use those location/past company/school filters like a metal detector. And for Pete’s sake – never cold connect. Mention where you saw them or what specifically impressed you. Saved me from drowning in the Cynthia Williams ocean.
