How to use Boolean Search on LinkedIn? An in-depth example [+ Free template]

Hey there!

Have you been struggling with:

🔍Finding the right candidates/prospects?

😮‍💨Too many irrelevant results?

⌛Hours spent searching?

😥Feeling overwhelmed?

Don’t worry; I’m here to discuss something that can help.

Boolean search!

You can easily adjust your LinkedIn search by combining keywords with operators.

This helps you find exactly what you’re looking for, whether it’s profiles, jobs, or other content.

Here’s what we’ll be covering in this blog:

🔍 What LinkedIn Boolean search is,

🔍 How to run a Boolean search on LinkedIn (and where to use it),

🔍 Tips to combine Boolean operators for better results,

🔍 How ChatGPT can help you build powerful Boolean search strings, and

🔍 A practical example (+ free template)

So, before we jump into how to use Boolean search on LinkedIn to your benefit, let’s first understand:

What is LinkedIn Boolean search?

Let’s say you’re on LinkedIn, trying to find the perfect candidate, job, or content, but the search results are all over the place.

Frustrating, right?

That’s where Boolean search comes in.

It lets you narrow down results by using operators like AND, OR, and NOT, giving LinkedIn clear instructions on exactly what you want.

Instead of sifting through irrelevant profiles, you can find exactly what you need.

For example, if you want someone with both sales and marketing experience, use “AND.” If you’re fine with either skill, “OR” will widen your search.

Want to exclude certain results?

“NOT” helps you filter them out.

Boolean search saves you time by bringing up only the most relevant results. It’s a simple, useful tool that helps you find what you’re looking for without all the clutter.

How cool is that!?

By now, you probably get the gist of what LinkedIn Boolean search is all about,

Which brings us to:

How to do a Boolean search on LinkedIn?

As I mentioned earlier, it can get really annoying to find exactly what you want on LinkedIn amongst an entire ocean of jobs, candidates, leads, etc.

Using Boolean search the right way can really help you overcome this issue.

So, let’s talk about the 5 Boolean search operators on LinkedIn:

Using AND operator

The AND operator is your go-to when you want to include multiple criteria in your search.

By placing AND between two or more terms, LinkedIn will only show results that contain ALL those terms.

For example, if you’re looking for a marketing manager with experience in social media, you can search for:

“Marketing” AND "Social Media"

This will bring up profiles including "Marketing" and "Social Media," ensuring you get results that include both terms.

Using NOT operator

Sometimes, you want to exclude certain terms from your search, the NOT operator is perfect for this.

By placing NOT before a term, LinkedIn will exclude results containing that term.

For example, if you want to find a software developer but don’t want any Java developers, you can search for:

Software Developer NOT Java

This helps you eliminate unwanted results, saving you time and effort.

Using OR operator

Now, the OR operator is the right choice if you're open to multiple options.

By placing OR between terms, LinkedIn will show results that include any of those terms.

For example, if you’re looking for someone with experience in either SEO or PPC, you can search for:

SEO OR PPC

This broadens your search, giving you more results to choose from, like this:

Using quotation marks [“ ”]

You can include quotation marks in your search when searching for exact phrases.

By enclosing a phrase in quotation marks, LinkedIn will only show results that match the exact wording.

For example, if you’re looking for a “Chief Marketing Officer,” you can search for:

"Chief Marketing Officer"

This ensures you only see profiles with that specific title, avoiding irrelevant results.

Using parentheses ()

Parentheses are used to group terms and control the order of your search.

This is especially useful when combining multiple Boolean operators.

For example, if you’re looking for profiles with experience in either content marketing or SEO, but you want to exclude social media, you can search for:

(Content Marketing OR SEO) NOT "Social Media"

You’ll get something like this:

Where can you use boolean search on LinkedIn?

You can apply Boolean search across three different LinkedIn tools:

1. LinkedIn Basic Search:

In LinkedIn’s free search option, Boolean operators filter results within various fields:

• Names (First and Last)
• Job Titles
• Companies
• Schools

The main search bar scans an entire profile, covering details like job descriptions, education, skills, and recommendations.

But if you’re using field-specific keywords (e.g., "Job Title"), it focuses primarily on those criteria.

And here’s a drawback, LinkedIn Basic doesn’t support complex boolean searches.

Try it, and you’ll hit an error message.

Yeah, that’s a subtle nudge to upgrade to premium features.

2. LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Sales Navigator Boolean search gives you the same flexibility but with enhanced targeting options.

When you use Boolean search with Linked Sales Nav, you can get super specific search results.

Here, you can search through entire profiles, including descriptions, job experiences, education, skills, and recommendations.

Sales Navigator also lets you filter the exact results by current job titles, past roles, schools, and companies.

You can add the keywords you’re looking for like:

And you’ll get profiles that have the exact keyword in them.

3. LinkedIn Recruiter

LinkedIn Recruiter combined with boolean search works pretty much the same way as Sales Navigator, but it’s designed with the hiring process in mind.

You can use Boolean to filter searches by keywords, job titles, companies, and schools.

This tool is built to help you find the perfect candidates quickly by narrowing your search down to exactly who you’re looking for, whether that’s current job titles or past experience.

How to combine Boolean operators for precise results?

Combining Boolean operators can give you laser-focused search results on LinkedIn, helping you find exactly what you need with minimal effort.

Here’s how to do it:

Start with Broad Terms: Begin with general terms and then narrow down your search by adding more specific criteria.

Use AND to Refine: Combine key skills or qualifications using AND.

For example, if you’re looking for a marketing manager with experience in both SEO and social media, you can search for:

“Marketing Manager” AND “SEO” AND "Social Media"

Exclusion with NOT: If certain terms or qualifications don’t fit your criteria, exclude them with NOT.

For example, if you don’t want results for junior roles, you can refine your search like this:

“Marketing Manager” AND “SEO” AND "Social Media" NOT “Junior”

Expand with OR: If you’re open to multiple job titles or skills, use OR to expand your search.

For example:

(Marketing Manager OR Marketing Director) AND (SEO OR PPC)

Group with Parentheses: Use parentheses to group similar terms and control the search logic, like this:

(Marketing Manager OR Marketing Director) AND (SEO OR PPC) NOT "Social Media"

This approach effectively combines different criteria, resulting in precise and relevant search outcomes.

How can you use ChatGPT to create perfect Boolean search strings?

Now, ChatGPT can be a really useful tool when creating LinkedIn Boolean search strings.

Just start by clearly describing your ideal candidate or profile.

ChatGPT can then translate that into a detailed, accurate Boolean search string, helping you refine your LinkedIn search results.

For example, if you're looking for software engineers with experience in Java and Python but want to exclude those with C++ experience, you could tell ChatGPT something like:

ChatGPT would respond with a search string like:  

By specifying the job title, required skills, and exclusions, ChatGPT can help you build a Boolean search string that filters out irrelevant profiles and narrows down your search to the most relevant candidates.

After all, you're the expert on what you’re looking for.

LinkedIn Boolean search example

When searching for top-tier professionals in a specific field, a well-crafted Boolean search can make all the difference.

Imagine you're targeting senior roles within the Tech and IT sectors but want to avoid positions like interns or freelancers.

Here’s how you can structure your search to pinpoint exactly who you're looking for:

Start with the key positions you’re interested in.

Now list them all in one set of parentheses..

For instance, you might want to find individuals with titles like "Director," "Head," "VP," or "Manager."

Here’s a sample of what that might look like:

("Director" OR "Head" OR “VP”)

Next, specify the industry or field of interest.

Since you’re focusing on the Tech and IT sectors, include keywords that capture these areas.

Your industry-related terms could look something like this:

("Technology" OR "IT")

Finally, exclude specific roles such as interns or freelancers to avoid profiles that don’t fit your criteria.

Your exclusion term might be:

("Intern")

Combine all these elements into a single, powerful search string:

("Director" OR "Head" OR "VP") AND ("Technology" OR "IT") NOT ("Intern")

With this approach, you can easily find what you want, while efficiently filtering out less relevant results.

It’s a neat way to keep your search organized and targeted, especially as your criteria becomes more complex.

Free Boolean search template:

Here’s a boolean search template you can steal directly:

Use this as a starting point and tailor it to suit your unique needs:

1. Targeted Titles or Roles:

(Title1 OR Title2)

2. Specific Industries or Fields:

(Industry1 OR Field1 OR Field2)

3. Exclusions:

NOT (ExcludeTerm1 OR ExcludeTerm2)

Complete Example:

For finding senior-level IT professionals while excluding certain roles and targeting specific skills:

(Director OR Manager) AND (Technology OR IT) NOT (Intern OR Freelancer)

This Boolean search template is simple to customize, adjust the terms as needed to fit your search!

Conclusion

You’ve figured out how to run a Boolean search on LinkedIn — that’s a big win!

Now, imagine taking that list of ideal prospects and reaching out to them automatically.

That’s where SalesRobot comes in.

It sends connection requests and messages for you, so you don’t have to do it all by yourself. (Except, who has time for that really?)

Because let’s be honest, doing it manually is draining. Sending personalized connection requests and tracking follow-ups can quickly become a never-ending task.

With SalesRobot, all of that happens on autopilot.

No more being stuck in a monotonous cycle on repeat. Just more time and energy to focus on what really matters.

Here’s how you can do it easily:

For example, if you want to add prospects from LinkedIn search:

1. Go to LinkedIn, and type in the boolean search string of your choice:

2. When you’re satisfied with your search, copy the search URL,

3. Log in to SalesRobot, go to “Campaigns," and select "Create campaign."

4. Choose “I’m an advanced user", give a name to your campaign and click “save”.

5. Select “Add from LinkedIn search” and paste LinkedIn search URL.

6. Configure a few settings,

7. And that’s it! Just choose how you want to create your message sequence:

8. Add steps to your sequence, or create a new one from scratch.

And yayyy! Your campaign is is ready in under 5 minutes😎

Yes, it’s that simple.

You wanna give it a try, don’t you?

Go ahead — SalesRobot is free for 14 days; we don’t even need your credit card details.

See ya!

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