MARKETING YOURSELF AS A CANDIDATE USING RECRUITING METHODS

I wanted to write this article to explain one way that you as a candidate, can show up in searches sooner. This is a direct result of many conversations last year with candidates who had questions about getting found more.

This is not a new method by any means, but I’ve found that some haven’t applied it to market themselves better. It’s simply bringing to surface one way that Talent Acquisition searches for candidates and how you can be prepared for this. I’ve tested it out many times and candidates have appeared on several pages earlier with the exact same search method after updating their profiles.

This search method is called Boolean Search. While this has been commonly known and used by the writer (Talent Acquisition, Engineers, etc.) for a long time, you can also take advantage of this search method as a candidate. Since some Recruiters still use Boolean Search to personalize what they are looking for, your Resume and LinkedIn profile should be as detailed as possible with keywords. This is important because it can determine how soon you will show up in a search result to someone using a Boolean Search. 

HOW BOOLEAN SEARCH STRINGS WORK

First, what is a Boolean Search String? This is a search that allows Recruiters to combine keywords with operators (or modifiers) such as AND, NOT, and OR to produce more relevant results. Quotation marks return an exact phrase.

Here’s an example. Let’s say my client has a need for a Full Stack Developer and the main stack is VueJS/PHP (Laravel framework). Now, they are also doing some Machine Learning, so Python would be a huge plus.

Here is what a general Boolean Search String could look like to find this candidate:

(Developer OR Engineer) AND (Vue) AND (PHP) AND (Laravel) AND (Python OR ML OR “Machine Learning”). The search results are candidates that have all the “ANDS” and either of the “ORS”. So, a Developer OR Engineer who has Vue, PHP, Laravel, and Python or Machine Learning.

You can be a fit for this job but aren’t coming up in the search because your Resume or LinkedIn Page may say: “Full Stack PHP Developer who is experienced with back end languages and advanced JavaScript libraries and frameworks”. This information is true, but you haven’t specified which ones – especially if they aren’t listed in a “technical skills used section” under each role. Specifically having Vue and Laravel as keywords make a difference.

You can now see how you can use keyword-based Boolean Searching to your advantage, making sure to update your resume and LinkedIn with skills you have experience with that may have not been there before. My search picks up the actual technology. If you want to be seen, specifically for your skillset, you must make sure the keywords are there, and in the right place. I'm not saying to delete explanations of your work, just be sure to include the keyword-based skills.

COMPARING YOUR RESUME AND LINKEDIN

Since we’re discussing both Resumes for online boards and LinkedIn profiles, I want to point out something that I see often. A candidate who has a great online resume, but their LinkedIn profile is bare.  The Job History section of your LinkedIn profile should match your online resume since some Recruiters may only use LinkedIn.

These are typically the two extremes I see on LinkedIn. One with job history/skills that match the resume. The other, with no explanation of what they are doing with skills that could have appeared in search results.

GOOD EXAMPLE

ABC Company | Web Designer / Developer | 2018 - 2020

· Led a Custom WordPress Site – Responsive, Themes/Templates, PHP, XAMPP, MySQL, Cross-Browser Compatible, Git, JavaScript, jQuery, Gulp, Sass, Google Analytics, SEO

BAD EXAMPLE

ABC Company | Web Designer / Developer | 2018 – 2020

· Led a Custom WordPress Site

The good example gives a lot more keywords of their project which opens them up to being found more easily in a Boolean Search.

MOVING FORWARD

This is an honest, ethical method of “keyword-based” marketing of your page to those in Talent Acquisition that are searching for a specific candidate, for a specific need. It is making sure that you listed when and where you’ve actually used what, to increase your chances of being seen.  

There are other options, such as just listing skills that appear at the bottom of the page, but if they aren't in the actual job history, recruiters have no way of knowing if you have the production or education-only experience.

I understand that this article was geared more towards Software Engineering / Web Development. However, it can be applied to anything. You may feel that you are one drop in an ocean of talent, but the more you invest in your profiles, the better your chances.

If you have any questions, I can be reached at [email protected]

Happy Searching!