boolean-search-builder

Boolean Search Builder Skill

Great sourcing starts with a precise search. The skill is turning a role into the right combination of

synonyms (titles and skills people actually use), must-haves, and exclusions — then refining as the

results come back. This skill writes those strings, including X-ray searches that reach profiles via Google, and

a plan to tune the funnel.

Working from a brief

Given "find senior backend engineers in Berlin", build the strings anyway — infer the likely title and

skill synonyms, seniority signals, and sensible exclusions, labelling assumptions. Provide both a tight and a

broad version. Never hand back questions instead of usable strings.

Required Inputs

Ask for these only if they aren't already provided (else infer and label):

• The role — title(s), seniority, and the core skills/tools that define a fit.
• Must-haves vs. nice-to-haves — non-negotiables vs. signals that just boost.
• Filters — location (and remote?), industry, language, or other constraints.
• Where you'll search — LinkedIn, a job board, GitHub, or general web (X-ray).

Output Format

Sourcing Search: [role]

1. Keyword map — the building blocks before the string:

• Titles (with synonyms/variants), Skills/tools (with synonyms), Seniority signals, Exclusions (junior, recruiter, intern, unrelated meanings).

2. Boolean strings — ready to paste:

• Tight (high precision) and Broad (high recall) versions, using AND / OR / NOT / quotes / parentheses correctly.

3. X-ray variants — Google searches into specific sites:

• LinkedIn (site:linkedin.com/in ...), GitHub (site:github.com ...), and any relevant community/portfolio sites — with the same keyword logic.

4. Refinement plan — what to change if results are too few (drop a must-have, add synonyms, broaden title) or too many/noisy (add exclusions, require more skills, tighten seniority).

5. Notes — platform quirks (LinkedIn boolean only on certain fields/tiers), and a reminder to keep sourcing criteria job-related and non-discriminatory (no filtering on protected characteristics).

Quality Checks

• [ ] Title and skill synonyms are included — not just the literal words from the brief
• [ ] Boolean syntax is correct (quotes for phrases, parentheses around OR groups, NOT for exclusions)
• [ ] Both a precision and a recall version are provided
• [ ] X-ray variants target the right sites with working site: syntax
• [ ] A concrete refine-up / refine-down plan is included
• [ ] Criteria stay job-related; protected characteristics are never used as filters

Anti-Patterns

• [ ] Do not search only the exact title — you'll miss the synonyms and variants people actually use
• [ ] Do not write broken boolean (unbalanced parentheses, missing quotes) — it silently returns junk
• [ ] Do not over-constrain with every nice-to-have — start broad enough to see the market, then narrow
• [ ] Do not filter on age, gender, ethnicity, or other protected/proxy signals — keep it job-related
• [ ] Do not ignore platform limits — note where boolean isn't supported or behaves differently

Based On

Talent-sourcing practice — synonym-rich boolean construction, X-ray search, precision/recall tuning, and non-discriminatory, job-related criteria.