How to Find a Person You Are Looking For

As life introduces new challenges, responsibilities and joys-such as a career opportunity, moving to a different place, joining the military or starting a family-it can be increasingly difficult to regularly communicate with friends. Although people commonly change their name, email address, phone number and job, technological advances make it easier than ever to locate old friends. While finding the person you are looking for requires a little patience and research, reestablishing a meaningful connection can be well worth the time and effort.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Recall details about the person you are looking for. Any detail may help with your search. Write down their full name, possible age range, the school they attended, family details, hobbies and employment history on a piece of paper. Try to remember their home state and any personal stories they shared with you (such as their military experience or fraternity years).

2. Contact common friends and employers. Ask if they have been in contact with the person you are looking for. Try to get a current phone number, home address or email. Still no luck? Contact the person's past employer. While they may not share your friend's personal contact information, ask for a new work number (especially if the employer was used as a professional reference).

3. Try a generic Internet search. While "googling" a person's full name is a common method for finding a person, try additional online resources, such as the Official White Pages (see Resources below). Additionally, conduct a search with parents and siblings' names, if you recall their information.

4. Join an online social networking website. With free registration and easy-to-navigate formats, sites like Facebook and MySpace are excellent places to reconnect with old friends (see Resources). You can search for the person you are looking for by their name, Greek affiliation, hometown, age, graduation year and gender.

5. Evaluate your professional industry. Are you a fashion merchandiser? In medical equipment sales? Third-grade teacher? If your friend was an old coworker, they may still work in the field. Consider the previous job position and employer, and evaluate competitors in the local area to help you find the person you are looking for. Visit each company's website or call them directly and ask if your friend is an employee.

6. Utilize school alumni resources. If the person you are looking for was an old classmate (or you know where they went to school), visit the website of the high school, college or university they attended. Additionally, websites such as Classmates.com promote peer connections. School alumni websites often publish email addresses of graduates by year.

7. Consider their personal interests. If the person you are looking for was once an avid gardener, book club attendee or volunteer at the local animal shelter, they may still be passionate about those hobbies. Look into charities, organizations and groups in your area to see if the person is an active participant.

Tips & Warnings

• Some online resources (such as Classmates) charge a fee. If you still are unable to find your friend, consider hiring a private investigator.
• The person you are looking for may have mixed emotions about reestablishing your friendship. Respect their feelings and do not attempt contact with a person that does not wish to be found.

References

• Photo Credit: Flickr/micahb37
• Facebook
• MySpace

Resources

• The Official White Pages