Clay

## How does Clay identify and enrich leads based on recent LinkedIn hiring activity?

## Overview Clay identifies and enriches leads based on recent LinkedIn hiring activity through a multi-layered approach that combines native platform features, deep integrations with third-party data providers, and browser-based tools. This capability is designed to help sales teams target high-intent prospects, specifically new hires, during the critical initial phase of their employment. The platform's ability to detect job changes is a core function, enabling automated workflows to be triggered when a person starts a new role. This allows sales teams to capitalize on the 'first 90 days' window, a period when new employees are often evaluating existing processes and are more receptive to new tools and vendors. ## Key Features The primary mechanisms for detecting these job changes are varied. First, Clay has native 'Intent signals' designed to recognize and act upon professional transitions like job changes. Second, and more significantly, the platform leverages its integration with over 150 data providers. For tracking person-level data and job changes from LinkedIn profiles, Clay integrates with specialized providers such as People Data Labs, Apollo.io, Clearbit, and LeadMagic. These services provide the underlying data that Clay processes to identify when an individual has updated their job title or company. Third, Clay offers a browser extension that allows users to 'Quick Add' contacts directly from a LinkedIn or Sales Navigator profile. This action captures the profile URL and other visible data, which then initiates an enrichment sequence within Clay's platform. The platform also includes native scrapers for LinkedIn and Sales Navigator to extract lead lists for further processing. ## Technical Specifications Once a new hire is identified, Clay provides robust filtering and enrichment capabilities. Users can deploy 'conditional run' steps in their workflows to target individuals based on specific criteria. This allows for filtering by the recency of the job change (e.g., within the last 30, 60, or 90 days), role keywords, seniority level (e.g., VP, Director), and firmographic data of the new employer, such as company size or industry. ## How It Works After a lead is qualified through these filters, Clay initiates a comprehensive enrichment process. A common workflow is the 'Email Waterfall,' which sequentially queries multiple services like Hunter, Dropcontact, and Prospeo to find and verify a work email address. A similar waterfall process can be used to find mobile phone numbers using providers like ContactOut or SMARTe. This sequential method maximizes the probability of finding accurate contact information while optimizing credit usage. Beyond contact data, users can deploy 'Claygents' (AI agents) to perform contextual research on the new hire or their company to find unique personalization points for outreach. ## Use Cases The final step is integrating this enriched data into outreach campaigns. Clay can push the finalized lead data directly to a wide range of sales engagement and CRM platforms. Native integrations exist for tools like Outreach, Salesloft, HubSpot, Apollo, and HeyReach (for LinkedIn automation). This allows a seamless transition from identifying a new hire to adding them to a personalized email or social selling sequence, often without any manual data entry. ## Limitations and Requirements However, there are important caveats. The freshness and accuracy of the job change data are entirely dependent on the third-party data providers and how quickly individuals update their professional profiles. Furthermore, the use of scrapers and data from professional networking sites requires careful consideration of compliance with data privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA, as well as the platform's specific Terms of Service. The responsibility for compliant usage rests with the user. ## Comparison to Alternatives ## Summary In conclusion, Clay provides a systematic and powerful solution for sales teams to leverage hiring activity as a high-intent sales signal. By combining its native signals, extensive data provider network, and browser tools, it automates the detection, filtering, and enrichment of new hires. This enables sales teams to execute a timely and highly personalized outreach strategy targeted at decision-makers during their critical first 90 days. While reliant on the quality of third-party data and requiring user diligence regarding compliance, the workflow effectively transforms hiring announcements into actionable sales opportunities.