# Build Boolean search strings to source candidates

Ready-to-paste Boolean and X-ray search strings, with synonyms and variations, to find candidates for a hard role.

- Topic: HR & Hiring
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: HR & Hiring, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/build-boolean-search-strings-to-source-candidates

## Prompt

```text
Build Boolean search strings to help me source candidates.

**Role:** [TITLE and LEVEL]
**Must-have skills or experience:** [LIST - max 5]
**Nice-to-have:** [LIST]
**Location:** [CITY / REGION / remote, and time zones]
**Where I'll search:** [e.g. LinkedIn Recruiter, LinkedIn basic, Google X-ray, GitHub, an ATS or job board resume database]
**Exclusions:** [e.g. recruiters, current employer, titles that are too senior or junior]

Do the following:
1. List synonyms and alternate titles for the role, and related terms for each must-have skill (abbreviations, tool names, spelling variants).
2. Write 3 strings per platform: broad, balanced, and narrow. Use correct syntax for each platform (AND / OR / NOT, quotes, parentheses, site: and intitle: for X-ray) and note any platform limits (e.g. character or operator limits).
3. Add a string for adjacent or non-obvious talent pools (e.g. career changers, related industries, bootcamp grads) to widen and diversify the pipeline.
4. Explain how to adjust each string if it returns too many or too few results.

Output: a table with columns Platform | Version | String | What it targets. Don't include terms that proxy for age, gender, ethnicity, or other protected traits (e.g. graduation years, "young", fraternity names).
```

## What to fill in

- TITLE and LEVEL
- LIST - max 5
- LIST
- CITY / REGION / remote, and time zones

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.