The asterisk can be used on most resume databases and non-Internet search engines as a root word/stem/truncation search. “Project Manager” AND NOT (SQL OR Spanish)īonus: You can use the minus sign as the NOT operator on many sites and search engines, including LinkedIn.“Project Manager” AND NOT SQL AND Spanish.“Project Manager” AND SQL AND NOT Spanish.Starting with a very restrictive search with many search terms, you can use the NOT operator to systematically and progressively loosen the search into mutually exclusive result sets (not so common usage, but very effective strategy).Excluding words you do not want to retrieve to reduce false positive results (most common usage).Net AND NOT (Java OR JSP OR J2EE) – that search will not return any results with any mention of Java, JSP, and/or J2EE. On all of the major job board resume databases, some ATS’s and LinkedIn, you can use the NOT operator in conjunction with an OR statement.Įxample. In this case, you could run: “project manager” and not construction – this search will not return any results with “project manager” and the word “construction” contained within them. Project Manager, you may want to employ the NOT operator in order to eliminate false positive results – results that mention your search terms but do not in fact match your target hiring profile. The NOT operator is exclusionary – it excludes specific search terms and so the query will not return any results with that term (or terms) in them.Įxample: If you were searching for an I.T. To search for a list of desired skills where you would be pleased if a candidate had experience with at least one, e.g., (apache OR linux OR mysql).īonus: You can use the pipe symbol (|) for the OR operator on Google, Bing, and Monster.To think of all of the alternate ways a particular skill or technology can be expressed, e.g., (CPA OR “C.P.A” OR “Certified Public Accountant”).However, if candidates mention 2 or all 3, they also will be returned, and most search engines will rank them as more relevant results because of such. The returned results must mention at least one of the following: apache, weblogic, websphere. As a best practice, I tell people to always use parentheses around OR statements as a matter of good search syntax.Įxample: Java AND Oracle AND SQL AND AJAX AND (apache OR weblogic OR websphere) The OR operator is technically interpreted as “at least one is required, more than one or all can be returned.”Īlthough some search engines, such as Google, do not require you to encapsulate OR statements with parentheses, if you don’t on most databases and LinkedIn – your search will run but execute in a way that you probably did not intent. Many people incorrectly think the Boolean OR operator is an either/or operator, when in fact it is not. The OR operator offers flexible inclusion, and typically broadens your search results. On most Internet search engines and LinkedIn, every space is an “implied AND,” and you don’t have to type it, as every blank space is interpreted as an AND operator.īonus: You can use the ampersand (&) as the AND operator on Monster. Unless you are searching for common words, with every AND you add to your Boolean query, the fewer results you will typically get.Įxample: Java AND Oracle AND SQL AND AJAX It should be used for targeting required skills, experience, technologies, or titles you would like to limit your results to. The AND operator is inclusionary and thus limits your search. Nothing will explode and your searches will execute.Īnd now, back to the Boolean basics… Boolean Search Operator: AND And here’s a quick fact: you don’t have to capitalize Boolean operators on any of the major job boards and many of the major ATS’s. Now that I have your attention, this post is going to focus on the basic Boolean search operators and search modifiers symbols and will not go into any detail of the many special Internet-only search commands/operators.Īlthough a great many people seem to think that Boolean = Internet search, Boolean logic and searching has been around WAY before the Internet. I never cease to be amazed by what you can find on the Internet and what people take pictures of.

Boolean search exclude