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To master the art of the hiring process is quite hard and is not even close to anything that you might have ever worked on. The recent trend of hiring processes has always been changing and hence there has been a great ambiguity regarding how to get those perfect candidates who will do the task for you. This ambiguity should however not get to you! You also need not worry as the Boolean search will be your savior that will save you from any confusion regarding the hiring process. Wondering why Boolean Search is actually a big deal? Well, there are two main reasons for the same and can be provided as follows:

  • Allows control of candidate variable
  • Increases the speed at which one can identify the qualified candidates from a list of applicants.

Not only are these two reasons why Boolean Search has been one of the greatest methods to be adopted but here are some of the other features that allow it to be the simplest way through which one can actually complete the entire tiring process of hiring new candidates.

List Of The Most Widely Used Boolean Search Operators

There are three mainly used Boolean Search Operators and are as follows:

  • AND
  • OR
  • NOT

Including these three Boolean Search Operators here is a list of all the Boolean Search Operators that helps recruiters find their ideal candidate:

Boolean Search OperatorPurposesExamples
ANDProvides all results that will be related to the provided keywords which are linked by ANDResults will be shown for both: ‘content writer AND SEO analyst’
ORThe results will include either of the keywords that are connected with OR. It can also show all the results connected to the keywords‘Content Writer OR SEO Analyst’
NOT / minus symbol (-)It removes all the results that are related to the keyword or is the keyword itself. It is also to be noted that when you use this operator you must use the sign as Google won’t recognize the word NOT.‘NOT Content writer’ / -content writer
Brackets ()This operator allows the recruiter to group certain search strings together and include priorities for each of the strings.‘Content Writer (writer or developer)’
Quotation marks “ “This Boolean search operator allows recruiters to search for a single exact phrase and not the keywords that are related to it.“Content Writer”

Boolean Search optimizes Candidate Variables:

It is not possible that each of the applicants that have applied for the position has all the qualities that you are looking for in them. In such cases, it is important to find out the candidates who will fulfill almost all of your requirements. This might seem hard especially when the recruiters are supposed to go through each and every page of the resumes to note the qualities.

In order to reduce this burden, Boolean Search Operators have been created. These provide not only fast results but also accurate ones that will reduce the time wasted on finding the right candidate. Here are some of the variables that can be controlled based on the required candidates:

Location:

The geolocation of a candidate is preferably one that is closest to the company’s location. However, when the applications for the job are open, there are chances that candidates who live far away may also apply for the position. This incurs a bit of loss for the company because if the candidate is selected, the company will have to look after the travel needs of the candidate. Due to this expense, companies tend to search for candidates who live nearby or who can travel to the company on a daily basis.

The Boolean Search operators allow the recruiters to segregate out the candidates based on the specific zip code ranges or by using a combination of both the address and the area code. This method however is not 100 percent the best choice for checking the details of the candidates, as there might be hardly 1 or 2 percent of candidates who have not yet updated their new address which leads to misinformation.

This misinformation can also be rectified if the recruiters contact the candidates. Such cases are seen rarely and hence are not a big deal. Boolean Search Operators hence helps the recruiters find the candidate based on location

Skills:

Finding a candidate who has all the skills that you are looking for is quite hard. This can again be easily targeted with the help of specific Boolean Search Operators. While resumes are not the best means to check one’s skill sets, they can still be used to filter out the candidates based on the keyword you are looking for.

There are however high chances that what has been mentioned in the resume may turn out to be wrong. It is hence of utmost importance that recruiters pay special attention to tests that will determine the actual skills that a candidate might consist of. It is still seen that the Boolean Search operators will however reach out to a certain extent to reduce the burden on the recruiters.

Availability:

Databases are always filled in with potential candidates who might have been some of the best choices but couldn’t start due to prior commitments. This can hinder the hiring process. Hiring a candidate who is actually available to complete the task will only be the top priority. However, finding that one candidate who is available through a large database can be tiring. Boolean search operators however make it easy as they provide certain search strings that allow recruiters to find the candidates who are available for work based on their profile.

This can be known by checking out the resumes that were posted within the last 30 days. Those who haven’t updated their CVs within the last 30 days are probably employed or are not interested in the opening anymore. However, this does not mean that they are not available. Recruiters can still confirm their availability through the phone if they seem the better candidate.

Compensation:

Compensation becomes a grave matter when selecting candidates. The candidates that seem suitable for the role may have experience of around 10 to 12 years which in turn increases the expectation of the candidates in terms of compensation. While it might be hard to find the job with the said compensation with just a limited number of years of experience, Boolean Search Operators help recruiters find the candidate specifically for the role. For example with the help of Boolean Search Operators, you can search for a specific string that allows giving a more filtered result.

Recruiters in Control!

Recruiters are hence in control of what they need and what their ideal candidate must be like. If you have this particular feature of Boolean Search Operators via TurboHire you can make sure that you get the best out of the best candidates from the list of applicants. You can also ensure that there is no more bias and equality is being followed while selecting candidates and hence providing a fair chance.

For a more detailed manual on how to use Boolean Search, read: Step-By-Step Guide To Boolean Search In Candidate Discovery Stage Of Hiring

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Do Boolean operators work in Google?

Google is the largest database that consists of a number of details regarding the candidates who are interested in jobs. As it covers a wide range of work options, it is possible to find better candidates than at a certain targeted place. Boolean operators are such operators that are created to fit even Google and hence providing a better platform for research.

2. Is it possible to do a Boolean search on a LinkedIn recruiter?

Using Boolean Search Operators such as AND, OR, NOT it is possible to find out the candidates you are looking for even on the LinkedIn recruiter. You will also find that the results are much more accurate than just typing in mere keywords. Using quotation marks or brackets will also enhance the overall effect of the results.

3. Is it possible to become a Boolean black belt?

Becoming a Boolean black belt means being able to understand the process entirely and be able to analyze the job requirements. It is also essential that you translate the requirements into Boolean strings for better search results.

4. Does Boolean help a recruiter find the candidate in a jiffy?

Finding the right candidate in just a moment of search is quite impossible. As there is not just one factor that governs the skills of the candidate and hence even after using Boolean Search Operators you will still have to use human tasks that will provide a clear idea of the skills.

5. What are the main limitations of finding candidates via a Boolean Search?

While Boolean is a great system to use when you need to increase the speed of the hiring process, it does have one big limitation. The limitation that Boolean consists of is that it will provide results of only the exact words contained in the string and hence making it impossible to go beyond the words provided. For a much wider response, you will have to enter the words that are associated with the skills.

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