

When you’re attempting to write more complex search strings to return more specific results, you can use ( ).įor example, the search string senior AND (creative OR strategist) NOT (junior OR conceptual) will bring up results pertaining to senior creative and senior strategists, but exclude candidates who might be in the same field, but who are junior or have a title such as senior conceptual creative.
BOOLEAN STRINGS FOR IT RECRUITERS HOW TO
How to construct more complex Boolean search with parenthesis When you’re trying to search for two or more keywords that need to be in a specific order, you can use “ ”.įor example, if you’re looking for an account manager, you would type in “account manager”, so that only account managers, rather than account executives or any other iteration of these two keywords, feature in your search results. How to narrow your Boolean search with speech marks Using the operator NOT will limit your search, so that it excludes any keywords that follow NOT to limit the outcome of being presented with unsuitable candidates.įor example, if you were looking for a content creator rather than a copywriter, you might search for content NOT copywriter so that any copywriting candidates would be excluded from your search results. You will be shown results that include any of the keywords you enter, or all of them.įor example, if you’re looking for a creative or a copywriter, then you could try the Boolean search for copywriter OR creative. The operator OR enables you to widen your search with two or more chosen keywords. Using the word AND means you will only be shown candidates who possess all the keywords you list with the word AND.įor example, if you’re looking for someone who has design and illustration skills, you would search for designer AND illustrator. The operator AND allows you to define your search with two or more keywords. Using operators allows you to widen, define or limit your search. If this all feels a little confusing without context, we’ll explore examples of the type of Boolean strings you might use to find the most relevant candidates. The Boolean modifiers (symbols) you should become familiar with are “ ” (speech marks) and ( ) (parentheses). The Boolean operators (words) you should become familiar with – which you can include along with your keywords – are AND, OR and NOT (always written in caps). This is simply the term used to describe the words and symbols you use to search for candidates’ profiles and CVs. As a recruiter, you can use it to increase your chances of finding the most suitable candidates. It’s a way of conducting a precise online search by using certain words (known as operators) and symbols (known as modifiers) in addition to your search keywords. What is Boolean search?īoolean search was named after George Boole, an early computer pioneer who developed the system of logic it’s based on. Here, we explore how to use this technique to seek out the best CVs and candidate profiles. It might sound complicated, but it can be used to find top talent quickly and seamlessly. However, how do you reach people who might have the skills you’re looking for, but who aren’t actively looking for a job?Ī good place to start is to conduct a “Boolean search” online. When you post a job ad on a jobs board, you can be confident that it’s going to be seen by a lot of active job seekers.

The basics (and benefits) of using Boolean search in recruitment
