How to ask O

Ask O works best when you ask the way you’d brief a sharp colleague: say who or what you’re looking for, where to look, and what you want back. These habits make the biggest difference.

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Say where to look

O looks in different places depending on what you ask. Name the place when it matters. O only searches the web when you ask it to, for example with “search the web” or /websearch.

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Say everything that must be true

When you list several things, O looks for people who match all of them. Founders in Stockholm who used to work at Acme means founder, Stockholm and Acme, all three. When either one is fine, say “or”: Investors in Stockholm or Oslo.

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Say whether you mean now or before

When you name a company, O includes people who work there now and people who worked there before. Say which one you mean:

• Who works at @[company] now?
• Who used to work at @[company]?

A school works the same way: it finds people who studied there, not people who work there.

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Keep a city and a country apart

In Stockholm finds people in the city. In Sweden finds people anywhere in the country. Pick the one you mean.

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Build on the last answer

Your next question can work on the list O just gave you:

• Of these, who is a decision-maker? makes the list shorter.
• Also include people in Oslo. adds to it.
• Start over: find people who… begins a new list.

To look only inside a Circle, name it: In my Circle @[circle], who has changed jobs this year?

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Say how many, and how to sort

Show me the 10 people I connected with most recently. You can sort by when you connected, how many connections people have, seniority or how well they match your question. One answer can only list so many people. If you need more, split the question, for example by city or by company.

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Use what O knows about people

Besides role, company, skills, location and school, you can ask for:

• seniority (senior people, VPs), decision-makers, people who manage a team, and people who are open to work
• industry, languages and certifications
• when you connected (people I connected with this year) and how many connections someone has

Traits like seniority are O’s reading of a profile, not confirmed facts. Check before you rely on them.

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Ask why

Ask O to show its reasons: Why did you pick these people? or Where does this come from? A good answer tells you what it’s based on, so you can check it.

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Missing isn’t the same as no

If O can’t find something, it may simply not have that information: an account isn’t connected, or a profile doesn’t list it. A missing detail is unknown, not false. Profiles can also be out of date.

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Drafts first, then you decide

O can draft an email, a LinkedIn message or an introduction for you. When you ask O to send an email, send a WhatsApp message or book a meeting, it shows it to you first and sends it only when you confirm. Changes such as adding people to a Circle also wait for your OK. Booking a meeting doesn’t check whether people are free, so agree a time first.

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Before and after

Type @ to pick the exact person, company or Circle, so O doesn’t have to guess who you mean.

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