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Candidate search guide

Boolean search or natural-language candidate search: when to use each

Use Boolean when you already know the exact titles, alternatives, and exclusions. Use natural language when you understand the work but not every term people may use. Use manual filters for known hard constraints. A combined workflow keeps role context and exact constraints together.

By Nguyen-Bang Vu, Market Research & Editorial at Blosto7 minute read

Natural language

Useful when the role is clear but the vocabulary is not.

Boolean

Useful when titles, alternatives, and genuine exclusions are known.

Manual filters

Useful for exact supported constraints such as location or title.

Combined

Useful when the role needs context and a few exact boundaries.

Choose the input that matches what you know

The starting point should reflect the information you already have. A description carries context. Boolean makes selected logic explicit. Manual filters set supported hard constraints directly. Whichever starting point you use, review the resulting search before launch.

Start with natural language
You can explain the work, responsibilities, and context, but the title vocabulary is still unclear.
Start with Boolean
You know the relevant titles and synonyms and need a small number of explicit alternatives or exclusions.
Start with manual filters
Location, title, seniority, or another supported hard constraint is already settled.
Combine them
The role needs context as well as exact constraints that should stay visible during review.

Use Boolean when the vocabulary is known

Boolean makes selected query logic visible. AND joins requirements, OR lists alternatives, and NOT removes a term. Quotation marks keep a phrase together. Parentheses group alternatives.

LinkedIn recommends specific, inclusive terms instead of long exclusion lists. Keep every exclusion clear enough that another recruiter can inspect it. Read LinkedIn's Boolean guidance.

  • Keep title alternatives inclusive.
  • Use NOT only for a genuine exclusion.
  • Keep the string short enough that another recruiter can inspect it.
  • Check whether a profile may express the same experience with different words.

Use a description when the role needs context

Natural-language input starts with the work rather than the operators. Describe the responsibilities, environment, relevant experience, and outcome. Then inspect how that description was turned into filters and evaluation criteria.

LinkedIn Recruiter also presents plain-language, keyword or Boolean input, and filters as available starting points. Its documentation says generated filters can be changed and AI-assisted search is optional. See the search overview and the FAQ.

A useful description

Start with a focused role brief. Explain the work, name the hard boundaries, keep preferences as preferences, and then review the resulting configuration.

You do not need to choose only one approach

Role context and exact constraints can coexist. Start with a description, then keep the few filters that truly define the search pool. Title preferences or adjacent experience can remain review criteria instead of becoming hard exclusions.

Keep NOT lists concise

Use exclusions for genuine boundaries and keep the logic easy to inspect.

Keep preferences as evaluation criteria

Use hard filters for requirements that truly define the search pool.

Start from a focused role brief

Keep the responsibilities and requirements that matter for the work.

Review the interpretation

Check inferred title, location, seniority, filters, and criteria before launch.

How Blosto handles each starting point

In Blosto

In Blosto, you can start a candidate search with a description of the person you need, a pasted job description, a Boolean string, or supported manual filters.

Descriptions, job descriptions, and Boolean strings use AI to generate a search configuration. Review and edit the generated filters and evaluation criteria before launching the search.

Manual filters start a search directly, without generated evaluation criteria.

For Boolean input, Blosto turns the string into a search configuration with supported filters and visible evaluation criteria. Review and edit the configuration before launching the search.

Compare the configuration, not the input length

Assume a team needs a platform engineer in Germany with production Kubernetes experience and migration responsibility.

Natural language

Platform engineer in Germany. Production Kubernetes experience is required. Migration responsibility is important.

Boolean

("Platform Engineer" OR "Site Reliability Engineer") AND Kubernetes

Manual

Location: Germany
Titles: Platform Engineer, Site Reliability Engineer

Hard filters

Germany and the selected title set, if they are truly required.

Evaluation criteria

Production Kubernetes work and responsibility for migrations.

Unknown

A criterion stays unknown when the profile contains no evidence for it.

Review four things before launching the search

  1. 01Check that every hard filter is genuinely required.
  2. 02Check that title alternatives are broad enough for the role.
  3. 03Review the generated hard filters and evaluation criteria.
  4. 04If evidence for a requirement is missing, decide which criterion should remain unknown.

Choose the method that gives your recruiting team the clearest configuration. Review it, make the final adjustments, and launch the search with shared criteria.

Continue with the workflow

Choose the input that gives your team the clearest configuration, then review that configuration before searching.

See how candidate search worksRead the hiring brief to shortlist guideStart candidate search

Sources and scope

LinkedIn sources document current Recruiter syntax and search options. Product statements describe the Blosto workflow reviewed on 31 August 2026.