If you’ve ever felt like job hunting is a bit like trying to find a needle in a haystack, you’re not alone. Recruiters feel the same way—except their “haystack” is a mountain of resumes, profiles, and job boards. How do they sift through all that? Enter Boolean searching—the magical (and surprisingly simple) tool that helps recruiters find exactly what they’re looking for. Here’s how you can use the same techniques to supercharge your job search.
First things first—Boolean searching sounds techy, but it’s really just a fancy name for using specific words and symbols to refine your search results. Imagine being able to tell Google or LinkedIn, “Hey, I want to see only job postings for Software Engineers in cyber security and skip the fluff.” That’s the power of Boolean searches.
Boolean operators like AND, OR, and NOT let you mix and match terms, so you can zero in on what you really want. Think of them like the Swiss Army knife of search tools—compact, efficient, and packed with functionality.
How Recruiters Use Boolean Searching
Want a behind-the-scenes peek into a recruiter’s toolkit? Boolean searches are the cheat codes that recruiters use to find you (yes, you). Here’s how it works:
🔍 The Art of Boolean Searching for Candidates
Let’s say a recruiter is searching for a Software Engineer with a background in Cyber Security. They’ll hop on Google or LinkedIn and craft a string like this:
"Software Engineer" AND "Cyber Security" AND resume AND (pdf OR doc OR "Curriculum Vitae") -sample
What’s happening here?
“Software Engineer” AND “Cyber Security”: Finds profiles with both terms
AND resume: Limits results to resumes
(pdf OR doc OR “Curriculum Vitae”): Includes specific file formats
-sample: Excludes templates or sample resumes
This search pulls up relevant results while skipping junk, saving hours of scrolling. Boolean isn’t just for Google. Recruiters use these strings in databases like LinkedIn Recruiter and ATS systems to filter out gold from the gravel.
How You Can Use Boolean Searching
Why let recruiters have all the fun? Boolean searching can be a job seeker’s best friend, helping you uncover job postings and hiring contacts faster than ever. Let’s take a look into Lever, Greenhouse, and Ashby.
Greenhouse String: inurl:boards.greenhouse.io ("Job Title") AND (“Location”)
Lever String: inurl:jobs.lever.co ("Job Title") AND (“Location”)
Ashby String: inurl:jobs.ashby.com ("Job Title") AND (“Location”)
Want to connect directly with decision-makers? Boolean can help you find the right people at your dream company. Use the string below to find profiles on LinkedIn. Replace [Company Name] with your target organization, and you’ll have a list of people who might hold the keys to your next role.
"Hiring Manager" OR "Recruiter" OR "Talent Acquisition" OR "Human Resources" AND [Company Name]
Final Tips and Tricks
Keep it Simple: Start with basic strings and refine as needed.
Be Curious: Play around with terms and operators to see what works best.
Stay Focused: Boolean is only as good as your inputs—know what you’re searching for.
With a little practice, Boolean searching will feel less like a techy buzzword and more like your job search superpower. Now go forth and Boolean like a pro—you’ve got this!