X-Ray Searching Techniques (LinkedIn,Github,Google+)

A Sourcers searching is never done with these sites LinkedIn, Github, Google+. if you're relying only on these site's native search boxes, you're missing out on top candidates. A far more comprehensive and specific way to scour for talent is to build boolean strings and use them to X-Ray sites It means search every page Google has scraped from any site you choose, based on filters like location, title, skills, and more. Here, I'll break down what goes in to a proper X-Ray search, and how you can bend the knowledge of Google to your will. Google helps us in indexing each and every page from different web sites.

LinkedIn

First, let's talk about structure. If you're not familiar with Boolean search, an X-ray search string could be overwhelming. Here's a sample search search terms replaced by the the specific search criteria represented in that area of the string you'll past into Google:

site: URL  "position" skills "linkedin specific modules" "location"

So, for example:

site: linkedin.com “engineer” java hadoop “people you know” “Bangalore”

LinkedIn Specific Variables: It's important to note that LinkedIn's pages have many different modules and areas they list profiles based on different criteria. A couple examples of these are "People you know", "People Also Viewed", and "Latest Activity". I'm sure as you browse LinkedIn, you'll notice others, so plug those into your search string and see what you get.

Github

X-Raying Github is a bit trickier, as typically users aren't listing their titles or positions anywhere on the site. As a result, it's better to narrow down the field by looking for active users with a given amount of followers, or specifically within the repositories or activity tab. 

Here's an example:

site:github.com "india" ("3..50 followers")(jquery | hadoop)

This string will give you a jumping off point, but there's a great deal more customization to be had. For example, whittle your results down further by including a pipe ( | ) after the 50 followers and adding a range for favorites. Then, you'd have:

site:github.com "India" ("3..50 followers" | "10..500 starred") (jquery | hadoop)

If you have specific details about the types of projects your candidate would eventually be working on at your organization, consider including these keywords paired with Github's "Contributions" or "Public Activity" tab.

site:github.com "India" ("3..50 followers" | "10..500 starred") (jquery | hadoop) tab.activity

Google+

Many people scoff at Google+, but every week it seems I see a new post explaining why we can't ignore it. So I'll just assume that you, like many of the best recruiters, DO take Google+ seriously, and I'll jump right to the string:

site:plus.google.com ("lives * india"|"lived * India") (recruiter|sourcer|"talent acquisition") -inurl:(posts||photos|videos|plusones)

A few things stand out about this search. For one, including "lived * India") is a sneaky way to widen the net you cast. Even if someone isn't currently living in India, if they've lived there in the past, they may have a soft spot for the City, and be more open to a move.

In addition, you must take into account G+'s various tabs, in the same way you factor in Github's profile sections and LinkedIn's various modules. Here, it's important to make tabs negative search parameters by including them after the minus (-) sign. This is because many people share content regarding many different topics, some of which might not be their area of expertise. With the above example, all but the 'about' section are left out, meaning you'll only be searching the material in the relevant area of the candidate's profile.

Boolean Search Basics

Boolean Search Basics

AND

OR

NOT

()

"" 

*

By applying these appropriately, along with the keywords you wish to consider, you can create a huge range of search operations. There is no limit to how often you can use any of these elements in a search, so you can create very specific search strings, which will save you a lot of time in filtering the results.

AND

AND is the simplest function to apply. Any search terms that follow an AND command must appear in the result. For example:

engineer AND “senior developer”

Will give results that include both the word engineer and the phrase “senior developer”. All search results will include both, and any CVs that have either engineer or “senior developer” (but not both) will not appear.

OR

OR provides options into a search. Usage of the OR command allows you to create a list of possibilities for which only one match is important. For example, the following search phrase would give you results that contain one or more of the stated words:

hospitality OR catering OR hotelier

NOT

NOT is the command of exclusion. If there are closely related terms that mean very different things, then usage of the NOT command is extremely valuable. An example could be as follows:

architect NOT “software architect”

This would give you results that contain the word architect, but leaving out any that use the phrase “software architects”. Very useful if you are operating in the construction industry. The one major limitation with the NOT command is that it isn’t recognized by Google.

“” – Quotation Marks

You will have noticed that I have used the “” expression above in some examples already, wrapped around particular keywords. These quotation marks are used to capture a phrase that is to be kept intact, in the precise word order stated. Not using “” around a phrase will mean that each word is treated separately, usually with an assumed AND in between each one. 

For example:

Java Developer

would give results that contain "Java" and "Developer", but not necessarily in the same sentence or paragraph!

“Java Developer”

would give results that only contain the phrase "Java Developer"

() – Brackets

Using brackets is essential for complex search strings, and it can be their application that causes the most confusion. Essentially, a clause within brackets is given priority over other elements around it. The most common place that brackets are applied by recruiters is in the use of OR strings. Perhaps a good example would be company names. You have a list of target companies from where you wish to find your talent, and a candidate can have worked at any one (or ideally several) of them. You might initially construct a command like this:

IBM OR Oracle OR “Red Hat” OR Microsoft

These are all large companies though, so any search like this is likely to generate a large number of results. If you wanted to find just individuals who have reached Manager or Director level, then you might use the following command:

“Manager” OR “Director”

To combine both commands into one search, we use brackets to tell the search engine that these are separate conditions. In order to tell the search engine that we want to see results containing either Manager or Director and also one of IBM, Oracle, Red Hat, or Microsoft, we group them like this:

(“Manager” OR “Director”) AND (IBM OR Oracle OR “Red Hat” OR Microsoft)

It makes no difference which order the two bracketed sections go; the same results will result either way.

* - Asterisk

The asterisk can be used on most resume databases and non-Internet search engines as a root word/stem/truncation search. In other words, the search engine will return and highlight any word that begins with the root/stem of the word truncated by the asterisk.

For example: admin* will return: administrator, administration, administer, administered, etc.

The asterisk is a time saver for search engines that recognize it (most major job boards and ATS’s) because it saves you from creating long OR statements and having to think of every way a particular word can be expressed.

LinkedIn does not support the asterisk, so you will have to construct large OR statements to search for all of the various ways someone could mention each term you’re searching for. For example: (configure OR configuring OR configured OR configures)

Facebook Hacks for Better Sourcing

Facebook Search tool for Recruitment by Shane McCusker

I believe you guys will love using Facebook Search tool. Specify the criteria of your Search and this tool will help you search in Facebook. Find people by Name, Job, Location, Age, Gender, their Friends, the Groups they are members of etc. Your browser may need to be logged into Facebook for this to work. We should be thankful to Shane McCusker from intelligence Software Ltd.



Click here to add to your Chrome browser: 
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/facebook-search/dipfggodcibdmflidbceoaanadclgomm

Recruit Using Facebook with FB UID Scraper

As of the second quarter of 2015, Facebook reported 1.49 Billion monthly active users worldwide. That is a large amount of people and in turn a number amount of potential candidates. So how can you recruit using Facebook? FB UID Scraper is a Chrome Extension optimized for recruiters to pull user data from Facebook Graph Search. Facebook Graph Search, is a search engine that allowed people to search using regular language.  For example, rather than creating elaborate boolean searches, you can create a search to find people who are not my friends and went to work at [Company] in [Year].

You will have the ability to find hundreds and thousands of files. At one time, in order to use the data, you would have to manually enter each result into a spreadsheet to pull the information into your candidate database or Application Tracking System.

Click here to add to your Chrome browser: 

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/fb-uid-scraper/hflfdfjhemennkeeolpjdbdfbfonodbg/

LinkedIn Hacks for Better Sourcing

Crystal Knows for LinkedIn:

Crystal is a relatively new Chrome extension that analyses public data to tell you exactly how to communicate with different individuals – with startling accuracy! Yes, using personality detection technology, the Crystal for LinkedIn Chrome extension creates unique personality profiles for every person with an online presence, to show you how to communicate with them in the most effective way. In other words, it helps boost a recruiter’s candidate response rate by helping them speak/write in the style preferred by their chosen candidate. After installing the Crystal for LinkedIn Chrome extension, when you view a LinkedIn profile just click the Crystal icon to visit that LinkedIn user’s full personality profile on CrystalKnows.com, where you’ll learn the best way to communicate in several instances with that person, based on their unique personality.

click here to add on your chrome browser: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/crystal-for-gmail-linkedi/nmaonghoefpmlfgaknnboiekjhfpmajh?hl=en


Locksmith for LinkedIn- Not a Premium User  Don't worry View your 3rd connections aswell: 

This is such a clever, clever little tool! Especially for those of you still using a free LinkedIn account to carry out candidate searches on the site. As most of you are already aware, as a free account user, you can only access full names and profiles of first and second level contacts. Any contact outside your network will be displayed with the first letter of the last name only or just as “LinkedIn Member".

That’s where Locksmith comes in handy. This tool automatically locates full profiles of those 3rd degree and Out of Network connections, by finding a connection referral link, accessing complete profiles within seconds and revealing to you the full name and profile of the contact you wish to view: While we don’t officially advocate the use of such tools, as they are technically in breach of LinkedIn’s T&Cs, who are we to stand between you and a great tool that works well and gets the job done. Note: Locksmith may not work on every single profile you try it out on, however, it did work in 2/3 cases when we tested it.

click here to add on your chrome browser: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/locksmith-for-linkedin/genllfnipblmicelmgkbdofmbgldnhlg


Prophet- for Finding out Email ID's in LinkedIn:

It’s 100% free and uses an advanced engine to predict the most likely email address for a given person (although, you do have to validate the email before use). It also provides information from other social media channels on a given user from sites including: Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and GitHub. Find anyone's Contact Information. Prophet is a free tool that reveals more information about people . Uncover Emails, Phones and other Social Sites for almost any social profile.

click here to add on your chrome browser: 

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/prophet/alikckkmddkoooodkchoheabgakpopmg/

LinkedIn Recruiter/Linkedin Search tool:

One of the most redundant tasks sourcers and recruiters experience each day is cross referencing candidates in LinkedIn Recruiter that they have found from another source or Via an X-Ray search of LinkedIn. The problem is that once we identify a potential candidate we have to open a new tab, copy the name and paste or type it into LinkedIn Recruiter/LinkedIn.com and execute another search. This is not time well spent. So to improve the speed and efficiency of our sourcing efforts here is a tool that will share with those who have LinkedIn Recruiter/LinkedIn.com

LinkedIn Recruiter:

click here to add on your chrome browser: 
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/linkedin-recruiter-search/mijelolohogkjnhbaggkfddgpibdpfme


Linkedin.Com:

click here to add on your chrome browser: 

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/search-on-linkedin/kldijfbphampndgemooecbdgfdnmhhjl