LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 722 million users worldwide. With such a vast database of profiles, LinkedIn can be an invaluable tool for job seekers looking to find open positions that match their skills and experience.
One of the most powerful features of LinkedIn’s job search is the ability to conduct Boolean searches on job titles. A Boolean search allows you to use keywords, operators, and modifiers to construct precise and targeted searches.
What is a Boolean Search?
A Boolean search is a type of advanced online search that uses Boolean operators such as AND, OR, NOT to eliminate unwanted results and drill down to find more relevant matches. The term “Boolean” comes from George Boole, a mathematician who created a system of logic that laid the foundations for Boolean algebra. In the context of searches, Boolean terms serve as parameters to narrow or expand results.
Here are some examples of common Boolean operators:
- AND – Requires both terms on either side of the operator to be present for a result
- OR – Requires at least one of the terms on either side of the operator to be present
- NOT – Excludes results that contain the term after NOT
By stringing together keywords and operators, you can craft precise queries and filter search results more effectively. This is extremely useful on platforms like LinkedIn where there can be an overwhelming amount of job postings.
Why Use Boolean Search for Job Titles on LinkedIn
Searching for jobs on LinkedIn using just a keyword or job title can return too many or irrelevant results. With over 15 million active job listings on the platform, you need a way to narrow your focus.
A Boolean string allows you to input multiple keywords and operators to find openings that contain the exact terms you want across multiple parameters like job title, company, location, and more.
Here are some key benefits of using a Boolean search for job titles on LinkedIn:
- Filters results by specific job titles or combinations of titles
- Include or exclude certain terms and keywords
- Search multiple title variations and synonym phrases
- Focus results on exact matches to your parameters
- Combine titles with locations, companies, skills, and other filters
- Easily tweak searches for more or less matches
In short, Boolean searches give you more control over your LinkedIn job search experience. You can target results to open positions perfectly suited to your skills and qualifications.
Boolean Operators for Job Title Searches
Here are some of the most helpful Boolean operators and tactics for searching job titles on LinkedIn:
AND
The AND operator allows you to combine multiple terms so that the results must contain both words or phrases on either side of AND to show up. This is great for finding jobs that require expertise across multiple areas. Some examples:
- “product manager” AND “program manager”
- “registered nurse” AND “critical care”
- “software engineer” AND “full stack”
OR
The OR operator links words and phrases where results can contain one or both terms. This allows you to broaden your search to related jobs. Some examples:
- “project manager” OR “project coordinator”
- “front end developer” OR “front end engineer”
- “data scientist” OR “data analyst”
NOT
Using NOT excludes results that contain the term after it. This allows you to filter out irrelevant or unwanted jobs. Some examples:
- “software developer” NOT “senior”
- “project manager” NOT “construction”
- “data analyst” NOT Tableau
Quotation Marks
Wrapping a phrase in quotation marks tells LinkedIn to search for the exact term or multi-word job title. For example:
- “Sr. Financial Analyst”
- “Customer Experience Manager”
- “Full Stack Web Developer”
Parentheses
Adding parentheses allows you to group together terms and operators to construct more complex Boolean searches. For example:
- (“project manager” OR “program manager”) AND “software”
- (“clinical research” OR clinical scientist) AND (oncology OR “cancer research”)
Real World Job Title Boolean Search Examples
Let’s look at some practical examples of how to use Boolean operators to search LinkedIn job listings:
Marketing AND Communications
To find openings for marketing professionals who also have communications experience, try:
“marketing” AND “communications”
This will return results for titles like Marketing & Communications Manager, Marketing Communications Specialist, etc.
Product OR Program Manager
If you want to expand your search to two similar project management roles, use OR:
“product manager” OR “program manager”
Results will contain job titles for either product managers or program managers.
RN NOT LPN
Nurses can use NOT to narrow between two levels of nursing roles:
“RN” NOT “LPN”
This will return nursing jobs specifying RN in the title but exclude LPN roles.
“Customer Success Manager”
Quotation marks around a specific job title will pinpoint openings matching that exact term:
“Customer Success Manager”
Results will only include Customer Success Manager roles.
Advanced Boolean Job Search Tips
Here are some pro tips for constructing even more powerful Boolean searches for LinkedIn job titles:
- Try varying word order – “manager project” vs “project manager” can sometimes yield different results
- Watch out for singular vs plural – engineer vs engineers
- Filter by job function, seniority level, date posted, company, location, and other criteria
- Combine title searches with essential or desired skills
- Save and re-use effective Boolean searches to refining over time
Mistakes to Avoid with Boolean Job Searches
While Boolean searches are powerful, there are some common mistakes to avoid:
- Don’t overcomplicate – Simple searches are often most effective
- Avoid typos and mismatches – Double check operators match on both sides
- Check parenthesis balance – Make sure all open parenthesis are closed
- Watch out for excluded middle results – The OR operator can omit potentially relevant postings
Taking a bit of extra care when constructing your Boolean job searches will prevent errors and yield the best results.
Conclusion
Using Boolean operators like AND, OR and NOT in your LinkedIn job searches provides precision and control over matching results. By combining keywords, required and excluded terms, quotation marks, and parentheses, you can surface job listings perfectly tailored to your title, skills and experience.
Crafting targeted Boolean search strings takes practice, but can drastically improve your chances of finding your next great job opportunity among the sea of listings on LinkedIn.