Boolean searching is a powerful tool for recruiters to quickly find the best candidates for the job. It allows recruiters to search for specific terms and phrases in LinkedIn, resumes, job applications, and other documents.
Boolean search uses operators like AND, OR, and NOT to refine the search results and narrow down the list of potential job candidates.
Basic Operators
The AND operator is used to search for two or more terms. For example, a recruiter could use the search “software engineer AND Java” to find job applicants who have experience with both software engineering and the Java programming language.
The OR operator is used to search for either one of two terms. For example, a recruiter could use the search “software engineer OR programmer” to find job applicants who have experience with either software engineering or programming.
The NOT operator is used to exclude certain terms from the search. For example, a recruiter could use the search “software engineer NOT C++” to find job applicants who have experience with software engineering but not the C++ programming language.
Combinations
These operators can be combined to give the recruiter the exact results they want. For example, a recruiter could use the search “software engineer AND (Java OR C#) NOT C++” to find job applicants who have experience with software engineering and either Java or C# but not C++.
Examples
Here are 20 detailed examples of boolean searches to find different types of software engineers just to give you more practice with it:
1. “software engineer" AND Java – This search will produce results of job applicants who have experience with both software engineering and the Java programming language. It will omit results of job applicants who do not have experience with both.
2. “software engineer" OR programmer – This search will produce results of job applicants who have experience with either software engineering or programming. It will omit results of job applicants who do not have experience with either.
3. “software engineer" NOT C++ – This search will produce results of job applicants who have experience with software engineering but not the C++ programming language. It will omit results of job applicants who have experience with both software engineering and C++.
4. “frontend engineer" AND React – This search will produce results of job applicants who have experience with both frontend engineering and the React JavaScript library. It will omit results of job applicants who do not have experience with both.
5. “backend engineer" OR "database administrator” – This search will produce results of job applicants who have experience with either backend engineering or database administration. It will omit results of job applicants who do not have experience with either.
6. “software engineer" AND Java NOT Scala – This search will produce results of job applicants who have experience with both software engineering and the Java programming language but not the Scala programming language. It will omit results of job applicants who have experience with all three.
7. “software developer" AND Agile – This search will produce results of job applicants who have experience with both software development and the Agile software development methodology. It will omit results of job applicants who do not have experience with both.
8. “software engineer" OR programmer NOT Ruby – This search will produce results of job applicants who have experience with either software engineering or programming but not the Ruby programming language. It will omit results of job applicants who have experience with all three.
9. “full-stack engineer" AND JavaScript – This search will produce results of job applicants who have experience with both full-stack engineering and the JavaScript programming language. It will omit results of job applicants who do not have experience with both.
10. “devops engineer" OR "systems administrator” – This search will produce results of job applicants who have experience with either DevOps engineering or systems administration. It will omit results of job applicants who do not have experience with either.
11. “software engineer" AND C++ NOT Python – This search will produce results of job applicants who have experience with both software engineering and the C++ programming language but not the Python programming language. It will omit results of job applicants who have experience with all three.
12. “game developer" AND Unity – This search will produce results of job applicants who have experience with both game development and the Unity game engine. It will omit results of job applicants who do not have experience with both.
13. “software engineer" OR programmer NOT PHP – This search will produce results of job applicants who have experience with either software engineering or programming but not the PHP programming language. It will omit results of job applicants who have experience with all three.
14. “software tester" AND JIRA – This search will produce results of job applicants who have experience with both software testing and the JIRA issue tracking system. It will omit results of job applicants who do not have experience with both.
15. “software engineer OR programmer NOT Objective-C” – This search will produce results of job applicants who have experience with either software engineering or programming but not the Objective-C programming language. It will omit results of job applicants who have experience with all three.
16. “mobile app developer" AND Swift – This search will produce results of job applicants who have experience with both mobile app development and the Swift programming language. It will omit results of job applicants who do not have experience with both.
17. “software engineer" OR programmer NOT Go – This search will produce results of job applicants who have experience with either software engineering or programming but not the Go programming language. It will omit results of job applicants who have experience with all three.
18. “software architect" AND Cloud – This search will produce results of job applicants who have experience with both software architecture and the cloud computing platform. It will omit results of job applicants who do not have experience with both.
19. “software engineer" OR programmer NOT Elixir – This search will produce results of job applicants who have experience with either software engineering or programming but not the Elixir programming language. It will omit results of job applicants who have experience with all three.
20. “software engineer" AND (C# OR Java) NOT Ruby – This search will produce results of job applicants who have experience with both software engineering and either the C# or Java programming language but not the Ruby programming language. It will omit results of job applicants who have experience with all four.
Common mistakes
Common mistakes people make when using boolean searches include using the wrong operator, typos in terms, and not using quotation marks:
- For example, using the wrong operator (e.g. using OR instead of AND) may produce results that are not relevant to the recruiter’s search.
- Typos in terms (e.g. spelling Java as Javs) may produce no results at all.
- Not including variations of key phrases or words e.g. if you include React it may not return results where the candidate mentions React.js or ReactJS.
- Not using quotation marks (e.g. software engineer Java) may produce results that include any mention of the words “software”, “engineer”, or “Java”, which may not be relevant to the recruiter’s search. A better search might be "software engineer" AND Java.
- Not including parentheses to separate out operators or putting them in the wrong place - for example ("Software Engineer" AND Java) OR Python is a different search than ("Software Engineer") AND (Java OR Python).
Hopefully this quick introduction to boolean operators and boolean search was helpful as you get started in your career in recruiting.
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