A useful hiring tool

A clearer Boolean search for your next hire.

Build clear LinkedIn, Google, and GitHub search queries from the skills, experience, and locations that matter.

Job titles (comma-separated)Must-have skillsall are required (AND)Alternative skillsat least one is required (OR)

SeniorityLocation

Company keywords to includematches profile text (OR)Company keywords to exclude

Industry keywordsLinkedIn and Google searchesOther terms to exclude

LinkedIn boolean search

NOT (recruiter OR staffing OR agency)

Google X-ray (LinkedIn profiles)

site:linkedin.com/in -recruiter -staffing -agency

GitHub X-ray

site:github.com -recruiter -staffing -agency

Once applications arrive, keep every candidate and decision together.

Review your applicants

How recruiter Boolean search works

Boolean search combines exact phrases with AND, OR, and exclusions. The useful distinction is between evidence every candidate must have and alternative wording that may appear on an otherwise relevant profile. Google X-ray searches only public, indexed pages; they do not represent every LinkedIn or GitHub member.

SyntaxUse it forExample

AND

Require every must-have term.

TypeScript AND PostgreSQL

OR

Accept any synonym or alternative. Put alternatives in parentheses.

("Account Executive" OR "Sales Executive")

NOT / -term

Remove unwanted results. LinkedIn uses NOT; Google uses a leading minus sign.

NOT (recruiter OR agency) · -recruiter -agency

"exact phrase"

Keep multi-word titles, skills, companies, or locations together.

"distributed systems"

site:

Limit a Google search to public pages on one website.

site:linkedin.com/in · site:github.com

Boolean search examples by role

Start with a small set of defensible requirements. Add synonyms only where candidates genuinely describe the same experience in different ways.

Senior frontend engineer

Must have React and TypeScript, plus at least one of Next.js or Remix.

("Senior Frontend Engineer" OR "Lead Frontend Developer") AND React AND TypeScript AND ("Next.js" OR Remix) AND (senior OR lead) AND "London" NOT (recruiter OR staffing)

B2B account executive

Require SaaS experience, then allow either mid-market or enterprise wording.

("Account Executive" OR "Sales Executive") AND SaaS AND "B2B sales" AND ("mid-market" OR enterprise) AND (fintech OR payments) NOT (recruiter OR agency)

Data engineer — Google X-ray

Search public LinkedIn profiles while accepting either dbt or Spark.

site:linkedin.com/in ("Data Engineer" OR "Analytics Engineer") Python SQL (dbt OR Spark) "Berlin" -recruiter -agency

Common Boolean search mistakes

Making every skill mandatoryPut only non-negotiable evidence in must-haves. Move equivalent tools or useful extras into the OR group, or a relevant profile can disappear for using different wording.
Leaving OR terms ungroupedUse parentheses around titles and alternatives. Without them, the search engine can combine AND and OR in a way you did not intend.
Using broad exclusionsExclude clear noise such as staffing firms carefully. A broad word like “consultant” can also remove qualified candidates with consulting experience.
Treating keywords as proofA matching profile is a sourcing lead, not a verified qualification. Read the work history and confirm the evidence before contacting or shortlisting someone.

Continue this role in Penroll

This tool handles one part of the job. Penroll brings together the job post, hosted applications, thoughtful shortlist, interviews, and offer in one workspace.

Start a hire

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