What is this about? 📖
At its core, this lesson is about maximizing your reach as a recruiter.
We're diving deep into the world of digital sourcing, guiding you through the intricate webs of Boolean search, exposing you to vast online platforms brimming with potential candidates, and introducing you to indispensable tools that can make your job easier and more efficient.
It's not just about finding candidates; it's about finding the right candidates in less time and with less effort.
What will you learn by the end of this guide? 🎯
- Harness Boolean Search: It's a powerful way to filter out noise and zero in on what truly matters. You'll go beyond basic keyword searches and use logical operators to craft precise queries.
- Tap into Diverse Platforms: Not all talent pools are on LinkedIn. Whether it's a coder on GitHub, a designer on Behance, or an expert sharing knowledge on Medium, you'll know where to look.
- Leverage Specialized Tools: The world of recruiting has seen an explosion of tools aimed at making your life easier. You'll be familiar with those that can improve your job ads, manage your candidates, and supercharge your productivity.
Why is it important? 🌟
Today, there's a vast ocean of digital information.
Yet, finding the right talent feels like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Traditional methods of posting a job and hoping for the best may not yield the desired results.
In this digital era, passive candidates—those not actively looking for a job but open to opportunities—can often be the best finds. They're typically content in their current roles, which usually means they're competent and valued.
With the skills you'll gain from this guide, you'll be equipped to uncover these hidden gems, approach them with enticing propositions, and ultimately enrich your talent pool.
Master Boolean Search: 🧠
Understand and use modifiers like +, -, "", *, OR, (), intitle:, inurl:, and filetype: for precise results.
Get familiar with field search operators like title:, body:, url:, link:, and author: to hone in on specifics.
Search Operators / Modifiers:
| Operator | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| + | Requires term | apple +red (Searches for pages that must contain "red") |
| – | Excludes term | apple -red (Searches for "apple" but excludes results with "red") |
| * | Wildcard | apple * pie (Searches for "apple" followed by any word, then "pie") |
| "" | Exact phrase | "apple pie" (Searches for the exact phrase "apple pie") |
| OR | Either term | apple OR orange (Searches for either "apple" or "orange") |
| () | Group terms | (apple OR orange) pie (Searches for "apple pie" or "orange pie") |
| intitle: | In title | intitle:apple (Searches for pages with "apple" in the title) |
| inurl: | In URL | inurl:apple (Searches for pages with "apple" in the URL) |
| site: | Specific site | site:example.com (Searches within "example.com") |
| filetype: | File type | filetype:pdf apple (Searches for PDFs containing "apple") |
Field Search:
| Operator | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| title: | In title | title:apple (Searches for documents with "apple" in the title) |
| body: | In body | body:apple (Searches for documents with "apple" in the body) |
| url: | In URL | url:apple (Searches for URLs containing "apple") |
| link: | Linked to | link:example.com (Searches for pages linking to "example.com") |
| author: | By author | author:John (Searches for documents authored by "John") |
| location: | By location | location:USA (Searches for documents from the USA) |
| date: | By date | date:2023 (Searches for documents from 2023) |
| type: | By type | type:pdf (Searches for PDF documents) |
| language: | By language | language:en (Searches for English documents) |
| source: | By source | source:nytimes (Searches for documents from NY Times) |
Harness the Power of LinkedIn: 💼
Use operators like AND, OR, NOT, title:, company:, and location: for targeted LinkedIn searches.
(Note: LinkedIn's search algorithm and available operators may change over time.)
LinkedIn Boolean Strings:
(Note: LinkedIn's search algorithm and available operators may change over time.)
| Operator | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| AND | Both terms | developer AND python (Searches for profiles with both "developer" and "python") |
| OR | Either term | developer OR engineer (Searches for profiles with either "developer" or "engineer") |
| NOT | Excludes term | developer NOT junior (Searches for "developer" but excludes "junior") |
| () | Group terms | (developer OR engineer) AND python |
| title: | Job title | title:CEO (Searches for profiles with the title "CEO") |
| company: | At company | company:Google (Searches for profiles at Google) |
| school: | Attended school | school:"Harvard University" |
| location: | In location | location:"San Francisco" |
| skill: | Has skill | skill:python (Searches for profiles with the skill "python") |
| endorsement: | Endorsed for | endorsement:management (Searches for profiles endorsed for "management") |
Google Docs CV Treasure Hunt: 📄
Use various combinations of (resume OR CV) with specific job titles, skills, locations, and other attributes followed by site:docs.google.com to unearth hidden gems.
Searching resumes or CVs through Google documents:
| Explanation | Example |
|---|---|
| Basic Search for Resumes/CVs in Google Docs | (resume OR CV) site:docs.google.com |
| Search for Resumes/CVs with Specific Job Title (e.g., Software Engineer) | (resume OR CV) "Software Engineer" site:docs.google.com |
| Search for Resumes/CVs Excluding Certain Terms (e.g., Intern) | (resume OR CV) NOT intern site:docs.google.com |
| Search for Resumes/CVs with Specific Skills (e.g., Python and Java) | (resume OR CV) AND (Python AND Java) site:docs.google.com |
| Search for Resumes/CVs with Either of Two Skills (e.g., Python or Java) | (resume OR CV) AND (Python OR Java) site:docs.google.com |
| Search for Resumes/CVs from a Specific Location (e.g., New York) | (resume OR CV) "New York" site:docs.google.com |
| Search for Resumes/CVs with Specific Education (e.g., MBA) | (resume OR CV) AND MBA site:docs.google.com |
| Search for Resumes/CVs with Experience in a Specific Company (e.g., Google) | (resume OR CV) AND "Google" site:docs.google.com |
| Search for Resumes/CVs with a Combination of Skills and Experience (e.g., Python and 5 years) | (resume OR CV) AND (Python AND "5 years") site:docs.google.com |
| Search for Resumes/CVs with Specific Language Proficiency (e.g., Fluent in Spanish) | (resume OR CV) AND "Fluent in Spanish" site:docs.google.com |
Broaden Your Search Engine Skills: 🔍
Utilize general operators that work across search engines like +, -, "", intext:, inanchor:, and cache:
Search Engine Operators:
(Note: These are general operators that might work across various search engines.)
| Operator | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| + | Requires term | apple +red |
| – | Excludes term | apple -red |
| * | Placeholder | apple * pie |
| "" | Exact phrase | "apple pie" |
| OR | Either term | apple OR orange |
| intext: | In text | intext:apple (Searches for pages with "apple" in the text) |
| inanchor: | In anchor text | inanchor:click here (Searches for pages with "click here" in anchor text) |
| cache: | Cached version | cache:example.com (Shows cached version of "example.com") |
| info: | Information about | info:example.com (Shows information about "example.com") |
| related: | Related sites | related:example.com (Shows sites related to "example.com") |
Explore Various Platforms to Source Talent: 🌐
Branch out beyond LinkedIn. Explore communities on Facebook, find experts on Medium, or engage with professionals on platforms like GitHub and Reddit.
Top 50 Platforms to Source From
| Platforms | Context |
|---|---|
| Facebook communities | Vast social media platform |
| Discover via industries, hashtags | |
| Meetup.com | Event site, find talent |
| SlideShare | Research tech presentations |
| Slack | Communication tool, job ads |
| Medium | Find experts and writers |
| Keybase.io | Security app, large user base |
| Primary candidate sourcing platform | |
| GitHub | Largest platform for engineers |
| Stack Overflow | Q&A forum for engineers |
| Large online community | |
| HackerRank | Competitive programming challenges |
| AngelList | Startup and scaleup talent |
| Professional network in Germany | |
| Kaggle | Data science competition platform |
| Tumblr | Microblogging, social networking |
| ResearchGate | Scientific articles, publications |
| GitLab | DevOps platform, code collaboration |
| Coderwall | Collaborative learning for developers |
| Dev.to | Community for engineers |
| StackShare | Share technology stacks |
| HackerEarth | Coding challenges, hackathons |
| Codepen | Social development environment |
| Behance | Platform for designers |
| Dribbble | Show and tell for designers |
| Toptal | Top 3% of freelance talent |
| LeetCode | Platform for coding challenges |
Level Up Your Job Ads: 🚀
Ensure your ads are error-free, readable, and unbiased with tools like Grammarly, Hemingway App, and Gender Decoder.
Improving Job Ads
| Tool | Context |
|---|---|
| Grammarly | Grammar and spelling checker |
| Hemingway App | Checks readability score |
| Ongig | Enhances employer branding |
| Textio | Analyzes job ad copy |
| Gender Decoder | Checks job ad gender bias |
| Glossary Tech | Tech term glossary for recruiters |
Stay Organized with CRMs: 📋
Keep track of your sourced candidates and manage job openings efficiently using platforms like SmashFly CRM and Loxo.
CRMs For Recruiters
| Tool | Context |
|---|---|
| SmashFly CRM | Manages sourced candidates |
| Loxo | ATS and CRM solution |
| DataCruit | Manages job openings, candidates |
Boost Productivity and Workflow: ⏱️
Use tools like Google Sheets for organization, Zapier for automation, and Better Proposals for seamless job offer management.
Productivity and Workflow Improvement
| Tool | Context |
|---|---|
| Google Sheets | Organize candidate lists |
| Zapier / IFTTT | Automate tasks |
| Save links for later | |
| Better Proposals | Send signable job offers |
Next steps 🚀:
- Practice: Regularly use Boolean search to get comfortable with it.
- Stay Updated: Platforms and search algorithms evolve. Always be in the know.
- Diversify Your Platforms: Don’t rely on just one. The more, the merrier!
Further resources 📚:
📹 Search Strategy: Beyond the Buzzwords: a must watch if you want to 10x your sourcing approach ⭐ Our top choice!
📹Â Dueling Sourcers Playlist: bitesized pieces of sourcing hacks by seasoned pros
📹 Spinning Up a New Search- Mike ‘Batman’ Cohen: make hyper-personalized bulk messages
📹Â Become a LinkedIn Search Ninja: Advanced Boolean Search | Talent Connect London 2014
📌Â Boolean Search Cheatsheet: a comprehensive list of Boolean search strings. Bookmark this!