Search like a recruiter
Recruiter-grade search strings, built for you.
Recruiters don't scroll — they search with Boolean strings and Google X-ray queries that surface exactly the right people. The Boolean Search Builder gives you the same power: enter a job title, must-have skills, a location and a company, and it assembles a clean Boolean query for LinkedIn's search box plus Google X-ray queries that find public LinkedIn and GitHub profiles.
Use it two ways: to find jobs and the hiring managers behind them, or to understand how recruiters find you (so you can put the right keywords in your own profile). One click copies each query or opens it live. Pair it with Scout to actually reach the people you surface.
- ✓Boolean query for the LinkedIn search box
- ✓Google X-ray for LinkedIn and GitHub profiles
- ✓Filter by title, skills, location, company, exclusions
- ✓Copy or open each query in one click — free
How recruiters actually search for candidates
A recruiter doesn't browse LinkedIn profiles one by one. Instead, they write a search query that surfaces exactly the people they need. On LinkedIn, that query uses Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) and field-specific syntax to narrow millions of profiles down to dozens. A Google X-ray query uses the same logic but searches public web pages, often finding people who don't maintain an active LinkedIn presence or whose profiles are restricted. The query might look like this: (Java OR Python) AND "machine learning" AND ("San Francisco" OR remote) AND -"principal" AND -"lead". It surfaces software engineers in machine learning roles who are not already at principal or lead level, which is where recruiters find people ready for a step up.
The mechanics matter because how you phrase a query completely changes what surfaces. If you search for 'manager', you get people with the word 'manager' anywhere in their profile: 'product manager', 'engineering manager', 'office manager', 'case manager'. If you search for 'engineering manager' (in quotes), you get only profiles where those two words sit adjacent, which is much more specific. If you add AND "Python" you exclude every manager who doesn't list Python. Add NOT "manager" to the same query and you surface Python engineers who might not have 'manager' in their title but do have leadership experience elsewhere in their profile.
Google X-ray works on public web pages rather than LinkedIn's internal database, so a query like site:linkedin.com/in/ + your search terms returns LinkedIn profiles that are indexed by Google. This is powerful for people who hide their LinkedIn from search or keep it private — their profile won't show up, but a GitHub page, personal website, or blog post mentioning their work will. X-ray queries also surface people on job boards, portfolios, and niche platforms, so the person you find might not even be on LinkedIn but their work is publicly documented elsewhere.
Building queries that actually work
A working Boolean query needs three things: a core skill or role, relevant context like location or industry, and exclusions to remove people you don't want. Without the exclusions, you surface too many false positives. For example, 'React' on LinkedIn without context returns JavaScript developers who used React five years ago, people whose profile mentions React once in a blog post, and people whose name happens to be React (unusual but possible). Add AND "full-time" OR "contract" and you cut unemployed people. Add AND ("San Francisco" OR "New York" OR remote) and you cut people in timezones that don't fit. Add AND -"manager" -"lead" -"director" and you exclude senior people if you are looking for mid-level. Each filter is a precision tool.
The Boolean Search Builder handles this by asking you what you need: job title, must-have skills, location, company, and exclusions. It then assembles a clean query using the right operators and field syntax for LinkedIn's search box, and also generates an equivalent Google X-ray query. You can see what the query actually looks like, copy it, or open it live in a new tab. The benefit of seeing the query is that you learn how recruiters think — you start to notice that 'engineer' alone is too broad, but 'infrastructure engineer' or 'infrastructure AND engineer' (depending on whether you want the phrase) is precise enough.
Testing a query teaches you quickly. Open the query live on LinkedIn and scroll through results — if you see a lot of false positives (managers, completely different roles), revise the query by adding exclusions or using quotes to enforce phrases. If you see nothing, your query is too narrow and something is wrong (a skill nobody lists, a title nobody uses, or conflicting requirements). The best queries take two or three iterations, and they are usually simpler than they look.
Using recruiter-grade search to change your own visibility
Understanding how recruiters search is a mirror. If recruiters are looking for 'Python AND AWS AND architecture' and your profile mentions Python once in a bullet point and doesn't list AWS or any architectural work, their query won't surface you even though you do that work. By reverse-engineering recruiter queries, you learn what keywords you should emphasize in your own profile, and more importantly, where your profile has gaps.
The gaps are often obvious once you see them through a recruiter's lens. Your experience section might be heavy on responsibilities and light on skills: 'Led a team of engineers building infrastructure' is much harder for a recruiter to search than 'Led a team of engineers building infrastructure (Python, AWS, Kubernetes, Terraform)'. The first requires a recruiter to guess your skills; the second is searchable. The shift in emphasis does not require embellishment — you are being specific about work you already did, just in language that turns up in recruiter queries.
A second strategy is to search for yourself the way a recruiter would, using the very queries the Boolean Search Builder generates. Run your own query and see what LinkedIn surface. If you don't appear in your own results, ask why: are the keywords wrong, are your skills listed differently, is your role title non-standard? Fix those gaps in your profile, then run the query again. Pair this with the tool's reverse angle: build a query for a competitor (someone doing the job you want) and see what their profile emphasizes that yours doesn't. You can then fill those gaps. The Boolean Search Builder is as much a tool for understanding recruiter logic as it is a way to find jobs.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Boolean and Google X-ray search?
Boolean search runs within LinkedIn's search box and finds profiles indexed there. Google X-ray uses Google's web search with the same operators, surfacing people on LinkedIn, GitHub, personal sites and job boards. X-ray finds people not actively using LinkedIn and discovers public work you wouldn't find via LinkedIn search alone.
Can I search GitHub or other platforms with Boolean?
The Boolean builder generates queries for LinkedIn and Google X-ray by default. Google X-ray queries work on any public web, so you can modify them to search GitHub, stack overflow or other sites by editing the site: operator (site:github.com/in/ instead of site:linkedin.com/in/).
What are the operators AND, OR, and NOT?
AND means both terms must appear (Python AND AWS finds people with both). OR means either term (Python OR Java finds people with either). NOT excludes a term (Python -manager finds Python developers who aren't managers). Quotes like "machine learning" search for the exact phrase, not scattered words.
How do I know if my query is too broad or too narrow?
Too broad returns thousands of results with obvious false positives. Too narrow returns zero or very few results. Test by opening the query live and scrolling results. Add exclusions to filter noise; remove requirements if nothing surfaces. Most effective queries take one or two iterations.
Can I use this to find hiring managers in my target company?
Yes. Build a query for your target company, then filter for 'recruiter', 'hiring manager', or 'people operations' in the role field. Or combine it with Scout, which automates finding recruiters and hiring managers at any company by location.
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