Start with this idea:
Tips:
The sources on this page are secondary sources that you can use to glean information to use in searching for primary sources elsewhere. Example: find out if the person belonged to a greek organization in college, then look for the name on a membership list.
Private Companies -- where to look
The HR dept. at a private company is not required, and may not be willing, to divulge information such as a person's salary or employment history. Gaining access to that information may require a FOIA request, but before you do that, check to see if you can get the info you need via a business database. Libraries, corporate offices & large news organizations often subscribe to proprietary information (a Bloomberg terminal, Lexis Nexis database, etc.) that will provide more extensive information than what you can get on the free web as a private citizen. Looking up a company in one of these sources will yield biographical information, salaries & more for the top executives that you might not get from the company's HR representative.
Public Employers -- where to look
State agencies & governments, public universities and federal agencies are required to disclose information such as the employment records & salaries of their employees upon request. You will usually have to contact them and ask. Look for the following offices at the organization:
Archives -- Does the organization have a record archive? For example, at OU, you can look up a current employee's salary in the "Salary Book" at the 2nd fl desk of Alden Library ; for former employees, older salary books are in the Archives on the 5th fl. The Archives also has many other types of university records, such as meeting minutes and university publications.
Listed phone numbers
Print phone / address directories
Current print phone books for a particular location will be located at the local public or academic library. Published print phone books are still the best place to find valid current addresses and phone numbers.
Tip: The Alden Library 2nd fl desk has some local and regional phone books.
Online phone /address directories
Free online directories such as AnyWho, SuperPages, etc. are derived from print phone book listings. Online directories usually have the option to pay for more detailed information, which you should not need to do. Online directories can be a bit harder to use, and the information cannot be trusted for accuracy as well as printed sources, but they can give you some information that can be confirmed in a print phone book or employer directory.
Another good option is to use Argali White & Yellow, a free computer download that searches multiple phone listings as well as allowing reverse lookup (when you have only a phone number and want to see who it belongs to), business phone numbers and the names of businesses on a particular street.
Unlisted phone numbers / Cell phone numbers
Unlisted and cell phone numbers will not be in any free telephone listing sources such as the ones above. Your best bet is to try and get the person's resume or look at other places where they may have listed their phone number.
Scholarly, Professional or Trade Organizations
1. Look for professional, scholarly or trade organization information on a personal website, employer website, or a professional networking site such as Linked In.
2. Go to the organization's website or print membership directory and try to find the person listed there
Corporate Profiles
Business databases often have biographical info about CEOs and other key staff
Inquire at the professional licensing board related to a person's occupation (see an example for ohio)
on't forget to search social media sources for information on a person -- you can glean information from these sources to use in searches elsewhere.
To find out if a person writes a blog, try these techniques:
1. Find the person's social media profile(s) and see if there is a link to a personal or professional blog / website
2. If you find a blog, look at the person's blog profile page for links to other blogs the person writes using the same blogging platform
Try some blog search engines: