Searching for keywords on LinkedIn Recruiter can help you find qualified candidates that match specific skills, experiences, or other attributes you’re looking for. Here are some tips for conducting effective keyword searches:
Use Advanced Boolean Search
LinkedIn Recruiter has a robust search function that supports Boolean operators like AND, OR, NOT. Using AND narrows your search results to profiles that contain all the keywords. OR expands your results to profiles with any of the keywords. NOT excludes certain keywords from the results. Some examples:
- “project manager AND PMP” finds profiles with both keywords
- “engineer OR developer” finds profiles with either keyword
- “sales NOT pharmaceutical” excludes pharmaceutical sales profiles
Search by Skills & Expertise
You can search for LinkedIn members by the skills and expertise listed on their profile. Try searching for specific hard skills like “SQL”, “JavaScript”, “CAD design”. Or look for soft skills like “team management”, “client relations”. You can combine skill keywords with job titles, companies, locations, and more to refine your search.
Leverage LinkedIn’s Search Suggestions
As you type keywords into the main search bar, LinkedIn will suggest search terms based on what others have searched for. These can give you ideas for relevant keywords to try. You may find useful skills or job titles you didn’t think of.
Use Keywords From Existing Job Descriptions
Check job descriptions you already have for the position you’re trying to fill. Look for keywords and key phrases describing the role’s responsibilities, must-have skills, qualifications, and other requirements. Paste these keywords into LinkedIn Recruiter to find candidates that match.
Search by Job Title
You can search for LinkedIn members by their current or previous job titles. For example, “project manager”, “digital marketing manager”, “data analyst”. Include additional keywords to narrow your search within a job title.
Some tips:
- Use quotation marks around an exact job title phrase like “digital marketing manager”
- Pluralize words if relevant – try “project managers” vs “project manager”
- Try alternate titles like “software engineer” and “software developer”
Search Within Specific Fields
You can restrict your search to specific profile fields on LinkedIn to refine results:
Field | Examples |
---|---|
Current companies | “Microsoft” under current companies |
Past companies | “IBM” under past companies |
Schools | “Harvard” under schools |
Locations | “London” under location |
Skills | “Social media marketing” under skills |
Job titles | “Marketing manager” under job titles |
This helps turn up leads specifically from target companies, schools, geographic regions, and other fields.
Use LinkedIn’s Recruiter Search Filters
Take advantage of LinkedIn Recruiter’s advanced search filters to drill down on certain candidate demographics and profile traits:
- Experience level – Search by entry level, intermediate, director, executive, etc.
- Function – Engineering, finance, marketing, human resources, etc.
- Industry – Healthcare, IT, education, hospitality, etc.
- Company size – Filter by size of current employer.
- Date joined company – Find candidates that started a new job recently.
- Location – Pinpoint location city, state, or country.
- Language – Search profiles by language tag.
- Field of study – For students/grads by major.
Search LinkedIn Groups
You can search within LinkedIn Groups related to your target position or industry. For example, search for “python developer” within the Python Developers Group. This surfaces group members with that keyword/skill.
Save Keyword Searches
LinkedIn Recruiter allows you to save keyword searches to re-run them later. This is useful for ongoing recruiting efforts. Saved searches will continuously match new profile updates in LinkedIn’s database.
You can get notifications when new profiles match your saved searches. You can also create search alerts – these will notify you whenever a profile gets updated with a keyword match.
Monitor Candidate Search Activity
A neat LinkedIn Recruiter feature is the ability to monitor search activity of candidates in your pipeline. This reveals the types of jobs, companies, and roles they are interested in.
You can see recent searches made by your prospects directly on their profile. This intelligence can tell you how engaged they still are in a job search. It can also prompt you to reach out if they are looking at other opportunities.
Conclusion
Mastering keyword search is key to sourcing great candidates on LinkedIn. Take advantage of Boolean, filters, job titles, skills, search suggestions, and other keyword techniques. Follow candidates directly and monitor their search activity for more insights.
Saved searches and search alerts will automatically surface new prospects that match your criteria. Refine and expand your keywords over time to build an effective candidate pipeline.