Although it may seem like a revolutionary concept, Boolean searches are not a new concept created by and for LinkedIn technology. In fact, it is a concept that is gaining more and more popularity every day since George Boole coined it.
In 1854, Boole began to talk about a logic based on the combination of concepts in order to filter databases. This is a branch of algebra that simplifies the logic circuits of switching and that evolved in digital electronics and, of course, has been applied to search engines such as LinkedIn.
George Boole's contribution is considered to be the incorporation of singapore email list the most traditional logic from the field of philosophy into the field of mathematics through rules and axioms, that is, Boolean searches open a door to the foundations of mathematical logic.
2. Why should we handle boolean searches well?
We use Boolean searches when we want to perform the most exhaustive search possible in a database. We understand all LinkedIn users as belonging to the database, in which each user completes his or her profile with a series of studies, courses, jobs, and skills, which are translated into keywords that the operator is able to read and track.
All the information we provide to the social network, including the most recurrent posts or content, is part of the keywords that the search engine audits. That is why it is so important to have the profile and the wall with updated and truthful content . All this information helps us to be found and to find our suitable prospect or profile.
Mastering the Boolean search technique will allow us to save both time and resources when screening the people we want to contact. Whether as part of a human resources task, to recruit professional profiles, or from the business side, with the intention of contacting other professionals to whom we can offer our products and services.
Before we begin, we would like to provide some information that, although they may seem obvious, are often overlooked. The first thing to consider is the language in which the search is being carried out. Sometimes the position is indicated in English, even if the search is carried out in Spanish. Likewise, searching for a team leader is not the same as searching for a Team Leader or a Chef is not the same as searching for a cook. The search results will be different, so it is important to keep this in mind when carrying out our search.
3. LinkedIn Searches
Boolean search consists of combining attributes in a search. These attributes define the case study. For example, if we are looking for a marketing technician who also has knowledge of design, we can use the “AND” attribute between Marketing AND Design, or the “AND” attribute.
Let's learn the 5 most important elements for the Boolean exercise :
OR: By writing the word OR in capital letters we can include more than one element in a list, expanding the search results.
And: By writing the word AND in capital letters we can filter the contacts to include all the elements in a list, limiting the search results.
NOT: By writing the word NOT in capital letters we can filter the contacts to exclude a term from the results, limiting the search results.
“ “ (searches in quotation marks): to perform an exact search we will use “”, refining the searches only to the contacts that contain this concept.
() (searches in parentheses): For more complex searches, it is used to exclude or include certain nuances in a more generic concept.
LinkedIn has developed its own guide to assist with the use of these operators.
boolean searches
4. Booleans in Sales Navigator
In the case of Sales Navigator, the Boolean search can be done in the same way as through LinkedIn's natural search engine, or you can choose to go a step further by taking advantage of each of the spaces in which filters are enabled.
That is, Sales Navigator allows us to perform searches by specific field such as studies, city or job position. On each of these actions we can apply a new Boolean search, being able to specify the search performed much more.
In the case of boolean terms in Navigator, it is recommended not to use “AND” when the search has two or more terms. In fact, you will be able to see how the results contain the sum of the concepts without needing to use the conjunction.
5. Save the search in Sales Navigator
In Sales Navigator we can carry out really complex searches, or those that take a long time to prepare, and that meet a series of very specific characteristics that we are interested in monitoring, mainly in the case of attracting potential clients for your company or business.
Once we have performed the search and the parameters are defined, you will see the option to “Save search” in the upper right corner of the search results page. From here you can assign a name to this search and even set an alert to receive an email notification with new results on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, as you choose.