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Use candidate search with Boolean operators and advanced filters

In Candidate Search, you can apply Boolean Operators and use the Advanced Search option.

Table of Contents

This article is for administrators and staffing users.

 

You can use candidate search to quickly find candidates in your database. You can search by name, stage, tags, application answers, candidate metadata, and more. You can also use Boolean operators to narrow or expand results. 

Get started with candidate search 

  1. Go to People > Hiring > Applicant Tracking to open the Recruiting platform.   
  2. Select the Search icon, then select Candidate Search. 
     
  3. In the Search field, enter a candidate's name. 
    Optional: Change the All Stages filter to narrow results. 
  4. Select the Magnifying glass icon to run the search. 
     

Search tips 

  • Use an asterisk (* ) as a wildcard to search for part of a name.  
    • Example: Enter Jon* to find names such as Jonathan. 
  • Searches use OR logic across Name, Resume, Application, and Comments fields.  
    • Example: A search for Jason returns candidates with:  
      • A Name containing Jason 
      • A Resume containing Jason 
      • An Application containing Jason 
      • Comments containing Jason 

Use advanced search 

  1. Select the Search icon, then select Candidate Search. 
  2. Select Advanced Search to display additional search filters. 
  3. Enter values in one or more search filters to narrow your results. 
  • Example: Search for Brian in the name field and FL in the state field. 
  • Use any combination of fields to find the candidate you need, including candidate metadata fields.   
  1. Select the Magnifying glass icon to run the search. 
     
    Note: To remove fields from the search panel, select the Gear icon and update the fields that display as search options. 
     

Choose data shown in search results 

  1. Select the Columns icon to customize search results columns.  
  2. Select the columns to display. Clear the columns to hide.  
  3. Select Done. 
    Notes: You can sort by any column by selecting the column header.  You can adjust a column width by selecting and resizing it. 

Export search results 

Important: You must be an Administrator to export candidate search results. 

  1. Select the Download icon. 
  2. Select Excel or CSV. 
       

Use boolean search operators 

Boolean Operators are words and symbols you add to your search to narrow or expand your search results, by combining search terms. They help you search your database more efficiently.  

Important: Type Boolean Operators in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. Use AND, OR, and NOT. Do not use lowercase versions of these operators. 

 

Recruiting supports these Boolean Operators in all Advanced Search fields:

AND
  • AND narrows a search by combining terms.
  • Results must include both terms.
  • Example: engineer AND "senior developer" finds results with both the word engineer and the phrase senior developer.
  • This is case sensitive. You must use AND.
OR
  • OR broadens a search.
  • Results include either word you enter.
  • It helps with different spellings or similar terms.
    • Example: Analyst OR Analysis
  • It helps when only one match is needed.
    • Example: hospitality OR catering OR hotelier
  •  This is case sensitive. You must use OR.
NOT
  • NOT removes results with a word you do not want.
    • Example: architect NOT "software architect" 
      • This finds results that contain the word architect but not the phrase "software architect".
  • This is case sensitive. You must use NOT.
" " Quotation Marks
  • Search exact words
  • Use quotation marks around a phrase to search exact words in the same order.
  • Example: 
    • Sales manager finds results with “sales” and “manager”‘, but not together.
    • "Sales manager" finds the exact phrase.
* Asterisk
  • Wild card option
  • Use an asterisk (*) to search for part of a word.
  • It helps you find different endings of a word.
  • Examples:
    • Program* finds programmer, programming, program etc.
    • Govern* finds govern, government, governing, governmental, etc.
( ) Brackets / Parentheses
  • Use parentheses to group terms.
  • They help you build longer search strings.
  • Example:
    • NOT (Kansas AND employer) avoids results with both words.
  • Parentheses help when building long OR lists.
    • Example: IBM OR Oracle OR "Red Hat" OR Microsoft
    • Example of titles: "Manager" OR "Director"
  • Combine them: 
    • ("Manager" OR "Director") AND (IBM OR Oracle OR "Red Hat" OR Microsoft)
    • The order of each group does not matter.
  • More examples:
    • "JavaScript OR (C++ and SQL)" finds JavaScript OR both C++ AND SQL
    • "(JavaScript OR C++) and SQL" finds JavaScript OR C++ AND SQL

Relevant information

Updated: August 25th, 2026 7916 views


*This content is for educational purposes only, is not intended to provide specific legal advice, and should not be used as a substitute for the legal advice of a qualified attorney or other professional. The information may not reflect the most current legal developments, may be changed without notice and is not guaranteed to be complete, correct, or up-to-date.

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