How do I Search for People Using the RocketReach API?

The RocketReach API allows you to search for professionals based on name, job title, company, location, and other criteria. This guide covers how to perform searches using different filters, order results, and refine queries for better accuracy.

Key Takeaways

Search queries return potential matches but do not include contact information.
You can search by name, job title, company, LinkedIn URL, and location.
Results are paginated, returning up to 10 matches at a time.
You can refine searches using exact matches, exclusions, and ordering filters.
API searches do not deduct lookup or export credits—only contact retrieval does.

How to Search for People Using the RocketReach API

To perform a search, send a request to the /api/v2/person/search endpoint with your query parameters. The API will return a list of matching profiles.se

🔎 View all Available Search Parameters in the API Documentation

Example: Basic Search by Name and Company

curl --request POST --location 'https://api.rocketreach.co/api/v2/person/search' \
     --header 'Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
     --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     --data '{
       "query": {
         "name": ["John Doe"],
         "current_employer": ["Google"]
       }
     }'

This request searches for individuals named John Doe currently employed at Google.

Example: Searching by Job Title

curl --request POST --location 'https://api.rocketreach.co/api/v2/person/search' \
     --header 'Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
     --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     --data '{
       "query": {
         "current_title": ["Software Engineer"]
       }
     }'

This request finds Software Engineers across different companies.

How to Search for People Using LinkedIn URLs

If you have a LinkedIn URL, you can search for a matching profile:

curl --request POST --location 'https://api.rocketreach.co/api/v2/person/search' \
     --header 'Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
     --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     --data '{
       "query": {
         "linkedin_url": ["https://www.linkedin.com/in/johndoe"]
       }
     }'

This searches for John Doe’s LinkedIn profile and returns basic profile details.

How to Perform an Exact Match Search

By default, searches allow variations (e.g., John Doe may return Johnathan Doe). To force an exact match, wrap the search term in double quotes ("").

curl --request POST --location 'https://api.rocketreach.co/api/v2/person/search' \
     --header 'Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
     --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     --data '{
       "query": {
         "name": [""John Doe""]
       }
     }'

This ensures results include only exact matches for "John Doe".

How to Exclude Specific Search Terms

You can filter out unwanted results by using the exclude_ prefix.

Example: Exclude Senior-Level Titles

curl --request POST --location 'https://api.rocketreach.co/api/v2/person/search' \
     --header 'Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
     --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     --data '{
       "query": {
         "current_title": ["Software Engineer"],
         "exclude_current_title": ["Senior", "Sr"]
       }
     }'

This returns Software Engineers but excludes senior-level roles.

How to Use Location Radius in People Searches

You can filter results based on location with an optional radius search.

Example: Find Software Engineers in San Francisco (50 miles radius)

curl --request POST --location 'https://api.rocketreach.co/api/v2/person/search' \
     --header 'Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
     --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     --data '{
       "query": {
         "current_title": ["Software Engineer"],
         "location": [""San Francisco"::~50mi"]
       }
     }'

This finds Software Engineers located within 50 miles of San Francisco.

How to Order Search Results in the API

By default, results are sorted by relevance, but you can specify a different order.

Ordering Options

Order By	Description
relevance	Default—returns best matches first.
popularity	Prioritizes decision-makers, executives, and managers.

Example: Search and Order by Popularity

curl --request POST --location 'https://api.rocketreach.co/api/v2/person/search' \
     --header 'Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
     --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     --data '{
       "query": {
         "current_title": ["Software Engineer"]
       },
       "order_by": "popularity"
     }'

This returns Software Engineers, prioritizing higher-profile professionals.

How API Search Results Are Structured

A successful search returns an array of potential matches.

Example API Response

[
  {
    "id": 12345,
    "name": "John Doe",
    "current_title": "Software Engineer",
    "current_employer": "Google",
    "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/johndoe",
    "location": "San Francisco, CA"
  },
  {
    "id": 67890,
    "name": "Jane Smith",
    "current_title": "Software Engineer",
    "current_employer": "Facebook",
    "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/janesmith",
    "location": "Palo Alto, CA"
  }
]

Search results do not include contact details. You must use the Lookup API to retrieve emails or phone numbers.

Next Steps

Now that you know how to search for people using the API, here’s what you can do next:

Lookup Contact Information – Retrieve emails, phone numbers, and social links.
Use Bulk Search – Search for multiple people in a single request.
Refine Queries – Improve search accuracy using filters.
Integrate API Results – Use search results in CRM or sales tools.