BOOLEAN SEARCH, TOP 6 TIPS FOR YOU WHILE SEARCHING ON LINKEDIN
For those who regularly use LinkedIn, the search is one of the most important and used features. Did you know that LinkedIn has extremely useful features to make the search easier? Yes, It’s the boolean search.
So, what’s boolean search?
A Boolean search is a method of using a search engine that allows you to combine words and phrases using the words and, or, not, and near, along with the + (add) and — (subtract) symbols to limit search results and reduce the number of unrelated results that are returned. These words and symbols are known as Boolean operators, and you can use them to limit, widen, or refine your search. Most internet search engines and Web directories default to these Boolean search parameters anyway, but knowing how to use these operators can make your searches more efficient, convenient, and successful.
Whether you need to find candidates, find customers or simply want to expand your network, the 6 tips below will help you save considerable time, increase accuracy and be more proactive in searching.
1. SEARCH FOR THE CLOCK FROM ACCURACY WITH DUAL OUTPUTS “…”
If you want to search for clustered keywords (including multiple words), add quotation marks (“…”) that will help the system return more accurate results. Although still not completely accurate, adding quotation marks will help the system see the keyword as a cluster instead of separate words. For example, the keyword [“marketing manager”] will bring more relevant results than the [marketing manager] keyword.
2. USING THE FORMULA OF KEYWORDS
On LinkedIn, you can format the keywords you seek to ensure that LinkedIn returns the results you expect. For example, if you want to find someone with the position of Software Engineer, you can issue more commands with the command [title: software engineer] or [title: “software engineer”]. LinkedIn currently supports 5 formatting commands as follows:
firstname — Search users by name
lastname — Search for users based on them
title — Search for users based on the current job position
company — Search for users based on the company that is working
school — Search users based on the school attended
3. SEARCH FOR MANY COMBINATIONS
The AND command (full capitalization) will help you combine multiple keywords into one search. The returned result will include all the clusters you have combined with the AND statement. For example, you can search for users who have both Facebook Ads, AdWords and SEO keywords in the profile with the command [facebook ads AND AdWords AND seo].
According to LinkedIn, you don’t need to use the AND command to find results that match many keywords, just fill all the keywords into the search box. Besides, the more keywords you combine, the more limited the number of returned results.
4. SEARCH BY FOLLOWING KEYWORDS WITH “OR”
Use the OR command (full capitalization) to search at the same time for keywords of equivalent value to you. For example, if you need to find someone with HR or HR experience, you can use the command [hr OR hr admin]. The OR command will help you find more results than usual.
5. ELIMINATE THE RESULTS NOT RELATED WITH “OR”
With the NOT command, you can remove results that contain keywords you don’t want to see. For example, to find a Marketing person but not Trade Marketing, you can use [marketing NOT trade].
6. IMPROVE THE SEARCH RESULTS WITH MORE ORDERS USING SINGLE OUTLETS (…)
To make a complex search command include many smaller commands, you can use parentheses (…). For example, to find a person with the Brand Manager keyword but not Assistant to Brand Manager at Unilever or Procter & Gamble, use the [brand manager NOT assistant) AND (unilever OR procter & gamble) command].
Note: When searching, the priority order of the commands will be as follows:
1. Brackets [“”]
2. Parentheses [()]
3. NOT
4. AND
5. OR
In order to help users find more results and avoid omissions, LinkedIn’s system will suggest some proposals that are closely related to the searched keywords, whether or not they use the above commands. In addition to the above tools, LinkedIn’s search function is also quite robust with filters according to each search criteria.
In conclusion, LinkedIn always is an amazing platform, not only for professionals but for companies as well. We hope this article will be able to help you work more effectively with LinkedIn!
Find this article useful? Let’s like and share this for your friends as well. Or if you’ve already become a master of using boolean search. Then don’t forget to check out our blog for discovering more and more interesting and useful tips and tricks!
