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.
Example Trigger Phrases
- "Build a boolean search."
- "Write an X-ray search."
- "Find people with specific skills."