Check out our article on X ray search tips so that you can speed up your job search and find a great role.
Looking for a job can be frustrating and tedious. There are so many job boards to review and it often becomes overwhelming. If you only spend time on LinkedIn, you might miss some smaller startups that you can find on AngelList. Plus, applying for a job in the first few days after it is posted increases your chances of hearing back, so you want to make sure you stay on top of the openings, especially if you have a company in mind.
At Pathrise, we work with job-seekers every day. In fact, we’ve helped over 800 people land great roles faster than they would on their own. We know what works and what doesn’t. That’s why we want to share one of our favorite tricks for speeding up your job search: the X Ray search.
What is X Ray search?
X Ray search is when you use a Boolean search string to combine phrases, keywords, and symbols to return precise results that match what you want. To put it more simply: you are searching in the computer’s language, which makes it easier for you to get exact results.
Examples of X Ray search
Before you dive into creating your own Boolean searches, check out these examples and tips so you know how to craft your own.
If you want to search a specific site (LinkedIn) for roles that utilize a specific tool (Ruby) in a specific place (San Francisco), your Boolean search would look something like this:
- site:linkedin.com (“Ruby” AND (“programming” OR “code”) AND “San Francisco”
You can also replace the tool with a role instead, so instead of focusing on Ruby, you can focus on the type of position you are targeting:
- site:linkedin.com (“Data Analyst” OR “Senior Data Analyst” OR “Data Scientist” OR “Sr. Data Scientist”) AND “New York”
Finally, you can also use a Boolean search to find recruiters or hiring managers for your cold email outreach. In this example, you are searching for recruiters who focus on engineering and work in Texas:
- site:linkedin.com (“college recruiter” OR “university recruiter” OR “technical recruiter”) AND (“engineer” OR “engineers” OR “Python”) AND “Texas”
How can X Ray search speed up your job search?
When you write extremely specific search queries like these Boolean strings above, you can cut through all of the extra job openings that don’t fit with your experience and goals. Then, you can spend the extra time that you saved making sure that your applications are perfect for these positions.
Plus, you should always take the time to send a compelling and concise cold email to a recruiter or hiring manager as a follow up on each application. You can use X Ray searches to find the best recruiter for your outreach and you can use the extra time you have to make sure your emails are personalized and well written. If you are looking for more information on how to find a hiring manager’s email address so that you can make sure your cold emails arrive in their inbox, check out our article.
We have also created guides to help you reach out to Google recruiters, Facebook recruiters, and even more tech company recruiters. Sending a strong cold email can triple your application response rate!
With these tips & examples at your disposal, you should be more than ready to use X Ray search to speed up your job search.
Pathrise is a career accelerator that works with students and professionals 1-on-1 so they can land their dream job in tech. With our tips and guidance, candidates in our program have seen 3x as many responses to their applications on average.
If you want to work with our mentors 1-on-1 to get help with your cold emails or with any other aspect of the job search, become a Pathrise fellow.
Apply today.
