How to Work with LinkedIn X-ray. Search and Find the Best Candidates

Talent sourcing for any field is a lengthy and costly process that requires various tools and multiple sources. Although LinkedIn has become the most popular platform for HR professionals, its limitations based on your subscription can reduce recruitment effectiveness.

To improve the search results for qualified and professional candidates, you should slightly adjust your tactics and incorporate technologies into your workflow that allow you to find an audience that cannot be detected by standard search methods. We’re talking about LinkedIn Xray Search — a search method that uses Boolean operators.

The Expandi team has prepared a guide that will elevate your recruitment skills on LinkedIn to a new level. In this article, you will find answers to questions such as:

• What is LinkedIn Xray Search?

• Why use LinkedIn Xray Search?

• LinkedIn filters for Xray search.

• What templates work best for X-ray recruiting?

We are ready to dive in, but before fully immersing ourselves in Xray search, we invite you to join the LinkedIn Outreach Family. This is a closed Facebook group where you will find like-minded individuals who share relevant lead management methods and case studies of successful sales campaigns with templates at virtually every stage. Join us if you are not already a member!

Now, let's move on to the guide!

First, let’s understand what LinkedIn X-ray Search is and how to use it to select the best candidates, and then discuss setting up a campaign to reach potential candidates.

What Is LinkedIn Xray Search?

Xray Search [Boolean search] is a method for searching candidate profiles using Boolean commands to obtain more accurate results. By combining Boolean operators — specific keywords and phrases — recruiters detail their search criteria, enabling the generation of higher-quality lists of potential candidates for recruitment campaigns. Moreover, you can find candidates with specific skills not only on job search websites or LinkedIn but also on unconventional sources [e.g., GitHub or Behance]. You can add, remove, or modify search operators.

You can start working with LinkedIn Xray search in the following way:

• Use Boolean operators when searching on LinkedIn to yield more results compared to standard LinkedIn filters. Recruiters can formulate specific queries to find specialists who meet certain criteria.

• Enter Boolean operators to search publicly accessible LinkedIn profiles in search engines — this is the simplest way to bypass restrictions imposed by a free account or LinkedIn subscription plan. Additionally, the platform strictly monitors security issues and may ban accounts for bulk resume downloading.

Information from LinkedIn user profiles is indexed by search engines. This opens up opportunities for recruiters, especially if you are searching for a candidate with specific skills or experience. The Google Xray Search bar can include the following keywords:

• education;

• key skills;

• company name;

• job title;

• responsibilities;

• candidate location;

• courses;

• other important keywords for your search.

The set of characteristics in the query depends solely on the job requirements.

To formulate relevant queries, you need to master a specific syntax.

Xray LinkedIn Search Syntax for Formulating Queries

To search based on specified parameters, use the following Boolean operators:

• site: — used for searching on a specific site [site:linkedin.com];

• inurl: — used to search for keywords present in the profile URL [Inurl:engineer];

• intitle: — specifies that the search should be limited to titles  [intitle:manager];

• AND — adds criteria and searches pages that contain all specified keywords [AND “ui designer” AND “ux designer”];

• NOT — excludes certain search criteria, thereby reducing the result count [NOT “junior developer”];

• OR — covers the same categories, using different terms [OR visual OR graphic];

• “pub” or “in” — helps to find exclusively public profiles on LinkedIn [site:linkedin.com/pub].

You can also use modifiers that help refine the search:

• Brackets () —  group parts of the query [(support OR service)];

• Minus (-) — like NOT, excludes unwanted words or phrases from the search [- “quality assurance”];

• Quotation marks “” — combine words into a single phrase that precisely matches the specified criteria [“product designer”];

• Asterisk — searches for a key phrase that includes a specific keyword [designer].

Using these operators, you can create a variety of search queries and experiment with combinations of keywords.

Advantages of Xray Search Linkedin for Recruiting

LinkedIn has quite user-friendly and clear filters, which is why many recruiters are sceptical about the necessity of learning special syntax and formulating search queries. However, the benefits of Linked in Xray will become apparent quickly. Beyond being a completely free tool, there are seven additional reasons that demonstrate the necessity of targeted technology for enhancing the effectiveness of standard LinkedIn searches.

1. You get a chance to bypass profile viewing limitations. LinkedIn imposes restrictions on the number of profile views for free accounts. To expand your capabilities, you can purchase Premium subscriptions. But why do that when Google indexes public LinkedIn profiles?! Use Xray search, and you will obtain the information you need.

2. You will access hidden profiles and 3rd degree contacts. LinkedIn limits information about individuals outside your network. By using crafted search strings with Boolean operators, you can view 3rd-degree contacts and unrelated profiles, something that cannot be achieved through LinkedIn's standard search. Expandi.io recommends logging out of your LinkedIn account and using "Incognito" mode.

3. You will be able to create long queries to filter out irrelevant results. With Boolean operators, you can filter search results to exclude candidates that do not meet your criteria.

4. You will have more accurate search results. Complex search queries take numerous factors into account, such as experience, skills, education, location, country, region, language proficiency, etc. This allows you to find candidates who possess the necessary skills and meet the job requirements, having the right education and work experience.

5. You will be able to combine keywords using modifiers (*). The asterisk is placed between two keywords to include up to five missing modifiers in the search.

Moreover, with Xray Search, you save time. This tool allows you to quickly and effectively find the right candidates, reducing time spent manually sorting through results. Additionally, during the query formulation stage, irrelevant CVs are essentially filtered out.

How to Use X-ray Linkedin Search — Talent Sourcing Guide

Now, let’s move on to the guide that will transform you into a sourcing guru and make your candidate search as effective as possible.

Preparing for Boolean Search on LinkedIn 

Where should you start with Xray Search? We’ve prepared a detailed instruction for you to achieve optimal results:

1. Determine the candidate competencies required for the position.

2. Select relevant keywords or phrases and compile a list of synonyms and modifiers for the job title. Don’t forget about keywords to exclude.

3. If you are looking for an in-office employee, specify the ideal location for the candidate. If the job is remote, feel free to skip this point.

4. Specify the company names, work experience, education institutions, and degrees that should be included or excluded (optional).

5. Formulate a search query from operators and keywords based on the specified criteria.

Add the query to the search bar, press Enter, and receive your results.

Xray Search Limitation on LinkedIn 

While Xray Search is powerful in many ways, it does have certain limitations on LinkedIn that are important to know before formulating queries. First, let’s enumerate the filters that support Xray Search:

• profile headline;

• first and last name;

• educational institution;

• company.

Do not despair, as you always have advanced search queries in Google at your disposal. The browser will find the information you need from LinkedIn.

Let’s consider several examples of using Boolean operators in LinkedIn:

• quotes “” search for an exact match of a key phrase [“project manager”];

• NOT excludes specific words from the search, automatically filtering out irrelevant options and reducing the number of results [Java AND developer NOT Python]. You can use NOT as many times as needed to refine your query. The NOT operator can be replaced with the minus sign (-).

• AND requires that all listed words must appear in the results. It adds key criteria to the search query [RUBY AND Node].

• скобки () are used to create more complex queries and allow grouping of terms and operators [“designer (ui OR ux)”].

To get the most out of the tool, practice formulating queries and selecting different keywords.

Launching Automated Outreach Campaign in Expandi

You’ve formulated queries, received and scraped results, created a contact list, and imported it into a .CSV file. Now is the perfect time to launch your outreach campaign! The best way to do this is with LinkedIn automation tools like Expandi.io.

You can use one of the smart sequence templates or create a campaign using the editor by selecting the following actions:

• Visit profile.

• Follow profile.

• Follow company.

• Skill endorsement.

• Connection request.

• Follow-up message.

• Open InMail.

Be sure to establish a list of conditions:

• Custom condition.

• If connected.

• If the email is opened.

• Email bounced.

• Email clicked.

• If Open InMail.

• If post liked.

Few Takeaways About Xray Search Linkedin 

Boolean operators are a powerful tool for creating precise queries that focus on finding only relevant candidates. They extend the reach beyond the LinkedIn platform, increasing the chances for recruiters to discover candidates who have not yet been contacted by HR professionals from other companies.

To find great candidates using LinkedIn Xray Search:

• experiment with queries and keywords.

• target scan LinkedIn using Xray to obtain varied search results.

• always write operators NOT, AND, and OR in uppercase.

• create specific queries for which there are no filters in LinkedIn.

• utilize automation tools for LinkedIn.

For instance, Expandi.io automates recruitment campaigns on LinkedIn. Explore the capabilities of this cloud solution and its smart sequence templates by taking advantage of a 7-day demo version. Advanced search filters will help you find the ideal candidates!

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