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If you haven’t already read my Search: Beyond Boolean article, I strongly advise you to do so. If you’re not writing queries with the specific intent to predictively control the probability of match beyond keywords, I’d argue you’re not approaching talent sourcing from the right perspective, which will drastically affect the efficacy of your searches. So, without further ado: #1 Searching for anything (people, information, etc.) isn’t about Boolean strings – it’s about information retrievalīoolean logic just happens to be the easiest way to construct a query, which, when it comes to sourcing talent, is essentially asking a system to return results of people who have a high probability of being qualified for and interested in your current and/or future opportunities, regardless of job seeking status. I’m going to take the opportunity to address the points Matt raised – not because I am trying to stay “relevant,” as some might suggest (my blog is a not-for-profit personal passion and I don’t consult/train for a fee), and also not because I have a vested interest in “keeping Boolean search alive” (because I really don’t) – rather, because I am still amazed that a fundamental lack of understanding of search and information retrieval – both “manual” Boolean search and “automated” taxonomy driven and/or AI-powered semantic search – and I am constantly trying to help people not only understand both, but also appreciate their intrinsic limitations, as well as separate reality from hype. I enjoyed Matt’s post and his approach, but I did not find his arguments to be thoroughly sound – although I suspect he wasn’t trying to make them so (after all, his blog is titled “Snark Attack”). You can read the snippet regarding Boolean Strings below – click the image to be taken to the entire post, in which Matt addresses mobile recruiting and employer branding. Most job boards will recognize the asterisk, but not all search engines do.Īdmin* = administration, administrator, administer, administered, etc.An entertaining blog post by Matt Charney was recently brought to my attention in which he tells the world to shut up and stop talking about Boolean strings – he argues that Boolean search is a dying art and that “investing time or energy into becoming a master at Boolean is a lot like learning the fine art of calligraphy or opening a Delorean dealership.” The asterisk is a time-saver so you don't have to write out long, complicated search terms. The asterisk can be used for a root word, stem, or truncation.
#Boolean search language software
The example given returns results that contain both software engineer and software architect. The keyword(s) within the parenthesis will be given priority. Parenthesis can be used to combine other Operators for a more complex search. Any result that has the search option you excluded will not show up in your results. Placing NOT between your search keywords excludes the term after NOT from your search.
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Placing OR between your search keywords or terms will broaden your search results by returning all possible combinations of your search terms. Placing AND between your keywords will return results that only include both or all your keywords. Without the quotes, your search engine may return all results that contain each separate word. Placing quotation marks around a search term or phrase limits your search to that exact term or phrase.