How to Optimize Search Queries for Recruitment

Here’s a little secret from a recruiter's desk: How we actually find you on LinkedIn. We don't scroll through millions of profiles hoping to get lucky. Instead, we use something called Boolean Search—a system of keywords and operators to instantly filter out the noise and find the exact talent we need. If you want your profile to hit a recruiter's first page, you need to understand the three core commands we use to find you: 1. AND (The Must-Haves) When I search Finance AND Corporate, LinkedIn will only show profiles that have both words. The Fix: Find the non-negotiable skills in the job descriptions you want (like "Risk Management" or "Financial Analysis") and make sure they are written clearly in your Headline, About, and Experience sections. 2. OR (The Synonyms) Different companies use different titles for the exact same job, so I use "OR" to catch everyone: "Relationship Manager" OR "Account Manager". The Fix: Ditch the quirky, internal job titles that only your current company uses. Stick to industry standards so you don't get filtered out. 3. Quotes "" (The Exact Match) If I put quotes around a phrase like "Corporate Credit Solutions Manager", the system only pulls profiles where those words sit together in that exact order. The Fix: Weave exact phrases, methodologies, or specific tools into your profile naturally instead of just listing single words. 💡 The Golden Rule: Recruiters can only find what you choose to show. If a skill or tool you master isn't written on your profile, to our search engine, it doesn't exist. Take 15 minutes to audit your LinkedIn today. Think like a recruiter, update your keywords, and let the opportunities come to you! #CareerAdvice #JobSearchStrategy #LinkedInOptimization #GetHired #TalentAcquisition

Most people think recruiters are scrolling LinkedIn. They're not. [This isn't TikTok or Instagram.] They’re running searches that look more like this: ("Product Manager" OR "Senior Product Manager") AND (SaaS OR "B2B software") AND (roadmap OR "product strategy") NOT (intern OR assistant) Or this: ("Software Engineer" OR "Backend Engineer") AND (Python AND AWS) AND ("microservices" OR Kubernetes) AND ("Series B" OR "high growth") NOT (student OR junior) It's a Boolean search. That’s how people get found. Recruiters don’t casually browse profiles. They build searches based on titles, alternate titles, tech stack, company type, seniority, and proof of impact. Then they narrow it down to the strongest matches. If your profile doesn’t contain the right words, you won’t appear. It’s that simple. Here’s how to make sure you show up in their search: ➜ Use your actual job title in your headline. If your title is Director of Talent Acquisition, say that. Not “People Champion.” ➜ List your tech stack and core skills clearly in the Skills section. ➜ Write an About section that includes the keywords tied to the roles you want. ➜ Add measurable achievements in bullet form. ➜ Stay active. Recent activity increases visibility. This isn’t about gaming the system. It’s about understanding how the system works. You can be highly qualified. But if your profile doesn’t align with how recruiters search, you won’t be in the results. 📌 When did you last update your profile with search in mind? =>> Career Strategist for tech leaders. =>> DM me or schedule a Discovery call if we should work together.

Most job searches I see right now look the same...apply on LinkedIn, apply on Indeed, repeat and then… silence. What’s happening behind the scenes (from a recruiter lens) is now hundreds of applicants per role is normal, not every application gets fully reviewed and recruiters are sourcing at the same time they’re reviewing applicants so if you’re only applying, you’re in the most crowded part of the process. In my “power hour” or job search strategy sessions, the shift has been how do we get you outside of that pile. Here's a few ways that have been working for a lot of my clients: 1. Slack communities (personal fav). There are job channels where roles get shared before they hit job boards, not just for applying but: - seeing roles earlier - getting context from people already in the company - having a more direct line to hiring teams 2. X-ray / boolean search (this is how I find candidates and you can use it to find roles too) You can search company ATS pages directly by typing this into Google. Here are some examples: - site:lever.co "product marketing manager" "b2b saas" remote - site:greenhouse.io "product designer" fintech "design systems" - site:ashbyhq.com "growth marketing" startup Not every role is pushed to LinkedIn, you find roles earlier in the process especially helpful for startups and smaller teams and tailor the x-ray search based on location, keywords, titles etc. 3. Targeted outreach, this is usually the missing piece. Instead of “I applied" connect the dots for them: - what part of the role you align with - 1-2 relevant examples - keep it short and specific Recruiters are scanning quickly but clarity helps you stand out more than volume. 4. Make your LinkedIn searchable (not just polished). A lot of profiles read well but don’t show up in search. Recruiters are using keyword strings like: “product marketing manager” + “gtm” + “b2b saas” “product designer” + “protopie” + “design systems” Those need to show up in headline or skills or about/experience section. That’s what gets you into search results in the first place. This isn’t about stopping applications, it’s about not relying on one channel the goal is to create more ways in being found, finding roles earlier and having real conversations alongside applying. Applying is still part of it, it just can’t be the only part anymore.

Most job seekers are searching the wrong way 🤯 typing job titles into search bars and hoping for the best. 🚨 There’s a better way. It’s called *Boolean search* It’s the exact method recruiters use to find top candidates - faster But, YOU can use it to reverse engineer their search or to find *better* jobs (faster). 👇10 Boolean Search Basics (that could save you hours of scrolling) 🎯 Find jobs in a specific industry & city → "sales director" AND ("tech" OR "software") AND "San Francisco" Only shows sales director roles in tech/software companies in SF. 🎯Exclude job types you don’t want → "project manager" AND "Los Angeles" NOT "contract" Filters out contract roles, so you only see full-time positions. 🎯Find remote jobs (and ignore entry-level roles) → ("data analyst" AND "remote") NOT ("internship" OR "junior") Focuses on remote data analyst jobs while avoiding entry-level roles. 🎯Search multiple job titles at once → ("product manager" OR "program manager" OR "project manager") AND "Seattle" Expands your search to three similar job titles in Seattle. 🎯Find recruiters in your field → (recruiter OR "talent acquisition") AND ("finance" OR "investment banking") Connects you with recruiters who specialize in finance & banking. 🎯Locate hiring managers at a specific company → ("hiring manager" OR "team lead") AND "Tesla" AND "engineering" Helps you find decision-makers at Tesla in the engineering department. 🎯Search for companies currently hiring → "We're hiring" AND ("cybersecurity" OR "network security") AND ("remote" OR "hybrid") Finds job posts from companies actively looking for cybersecurity professionals. 🎯 Discover networking events in your industry → ("digital marketing" OR "SEO") AND ("conference" OR "webinar" OR "networking event") NOT "paid" Finds relevant events for digital marketers without paid ads cluttering results. 🎯Find companies growing fast (new jobs soon!) → "hiring surge" OR "expanding team" OR "new office" AND "biotech" Targets biotech companies that are scaling up—new roles are coming. 🎯Boolean search combo → ( ("UX designer" AND "Austin") OR ("Google" AND ("hiring manager" OR "design lead")) OR (recruiter AND "user experience") ) NOT ("junior" OR "assistant") A power search for UX jobs in Austin, hiring managers at Google, and UX recruiters, while skipping junior-level roles. Better searching = better results ______ 📽Watch a video overview of this: https://lnkd.in/eKaxXYjP

Recruiters aren’t finding you on LinkedIn because they search for exactly what they need. If your profile isn’t optimized, you don’t exist. Step 1: Become Searchable Recruiters don’t have time to guess what you do. They search by job title, location, and skills (so hand-feed it to them). ➝ Job Title: Your target role should be in your Headline (not your current job). ➝ Location: Turn on “Open to Work” and list up to five target cities. ➝ Skills: Pack your About, Experience, and Skills sections with keywords pulled straight from job descriptions. Those are the exact words recruiters type into LinkedIn. Step 2: Make It Easy to Contact You Recruiters only get a limited number of InMails per month. If they can’t reach you easily, they’ll move on. ➝ Add your email to your About section so they can contact you directly. Step 3: Start Engaging Most people treat LinkedIn like a static résumé. The ones getting recruiter messages? They’re active. ➝ Spend 30 minutes commenting before you post to warm up the algorithm. ➝ After posting, comment on at least 10 more posts to increase reach. ➝ Reply to every comment within the first hour—this tells LinkedIn your post deserves attention. ➝ Posting #OpentoWork? Message a few contacts and ask them to engage early. It’ll push your post up the feed. Step 4: Post Smarter, Not Harder You want inbound opportunities? Stop treating LinkedIn like a résumé and start treating it like a conversation. ➝ Share insights, challenges you’ve solved, or lessons you’ve learned. ➝ Keep it simple. Relatable > Perfect. ➝ Best time to post: Tuesday or Wednesday, around lunchtime. Step 5: Show You’re Human People connect with people, not profiles. ➝ Post about hobbies, moments, and perspectives outside of work. ➝ These posts actually perform better than pure career content because they make you memorable. Step 6: Keep Building Your Edge LinkedIn Learning is free with most accounts—use it. ➝ Pick up certifications in high-demand areas. ➝ For marketers: HubSpot, Salesforce, and Google Analytics are great places to start. Most job seekers wait for luck to find them. The smart ones build visibility, attract recruiters, and control their own momentum. You don’t need luck. You need strategy and visibility.

Jobseeker PSA: This is the easiest way to find specific hiring managers, recruiters, and referrals on LinkedIn: Boolean search 🙌 Boolean search is a technique many recruiters use when searching for potential candidates. The cool part? Even if you’re not a recruiter, you can still use it. Here’s how: Want to find recruiters and hiring managers that are hiring? In the LinkedIn search bar, try typing: “job title” AND hiring AND remote “job title” AND hiring AND location “job title” AND hiring AND company name For example: “program manager” AND hiring AND remote “program manager” AND hiring AND chicago “program manager” AND hiring AND microsoft Once you click search, all of the recruiters and hiring managers who fit that criteria will appear, along with their most recent posts! Looking for a potential referral instead? Try searching: “job title” AND company name “job title” AND company name AND location Or, one of my personal favorites? Add something like your college, a volunteer organization, etc. to the search string. If you’re reaching out cold, sharing something in common is an easy way to break the ice. For example: “program manager” AND microsoft AND harvard All of the program managers who work for Microsoft and attended Harvard will come up. The combinations are truly endless! A few things to note: - Boolean search strings can be as long and specific as you’d like so play around with keywords. - Remember to capitalize the AND in between words. You can also use the words OR and NOT. Utilizing Boolean search strings can be a game changer for your job search! Have you tried using Boolean search before? - Found this helpful? Follow Brenna Lasky for more posts like this and like and share to help your network.