Use Boolean Search Strings To Find Your Next Job

How many of you out there have been endlessly applying to jobs, only to get rejected or hear nothing back?

My guess is likely most of you.

A common mistake for most job seekers is that they focus all of their energy on randomly applying to jobs.

Sure, that’s part of what needs to be done. But why don’t we divert some of that energy somewhere else that might yield better results?

One way to find your next gig is by using Boolean Search strings - yes, the same ones us recruiters use to find candidates - to find job openings.

Before we go into how to do it, let’s go over “why” 👇:

1: We post our most immediate needs on LinkedIn

I’m not talking about a job posting. I’m talking about me writing a post saying that I have an opening.

Recruiters are not doing this unless it’s an immediate need.

Whether it’s a niche skillset or immediate urgency to fill, there’s a reason why I’m posting about this role.

I need candidates. I need it covered. and I need to do it now.

2: Direct access to a decision maker

Whoever is posting about the role likely has some sort of influence about it.

It’s obvious, right? Why would they post about a role unless it had some sort of meaning to them?

Whether it’s the recruiter, hiring manager, a director, team lead - you can let them know your interest level, why you’re a fit, and send your resume directly to them.

You can’t do that on a job application!

3: More likely to get feedback

Since you’re contacting a decision maker directly, you’re more likely to hear feedback (positive or negative) about your application.

Whether it’s getting shortlisted for interviews or getting rejected, regardless you’ll likely know next steps faster.

Plus, let’s say you’re not a fit for the role. Since you’re talking to a decision maker directly, you can check to see with them if they have any other roles that may fit your background.

So, how exactly do we do this?

We can start out with something basic.

“TITLE” AND “Hiring” in the linkedin search bar. If you want to look for remote roles, you can also add AND “REMOTE”.

Note: Make sure to include the quotation marks.

For this example, we’ll do “Product Manager” AND “Hiring”

You’ll see this screen pop up. You’ll want to click on “posts”.

Boom! Very first post that pop up shows a list of companies that are hiring for PMs.

We can take it a step further. Let’s click “date posted” for the past week and “content type” for job posts.

Scroll a little bit and we’ll come across solid matches.

Almost immediately we see two leads. One from a specialized PM recruiter, another for 2 openings from a decision maker at Visa.

Conclusion:

There you go folks! Now go grab the opportunity you deserve!

If you have any questions, comment here with your search strings and results. I’ll see if there’s anything that we can tweak.

By the way, if you’re looking for detailed advice on how to win your job search (including networking templates), my ebook is still on sale here.

If you’re looking for some custom bespoke advice on how to do this or to go over anything else about your job search and career, let’s schedule a consultation here.