How The Boolean Job Search Method Might Be The Key To Finding A Job
Finding ways to make your job search smart and more efficient is always a win. And whether you apply to two jobs a week or 20, your approach and strategy should be one that’s going to give you a leg up.
One method that has gotten a resurgence of chatter on social recently is the Boolean search for job seekers. This gets a little technical, but it’s not complicated, as it’s simply a way for you to streamline the results you get when you’re looking for specific job opportunities online. Let’s get into the details of how this might be beneficial to you in your job search:
What Is Boolean Search?
Its roots are in an algebraic method, credited to 19th-century math whiz George Boole, that incorporates symbolic logic. The search version combines words and phrases (also called Boolean operators), using “and,” “or,” and “not” (known as Boolean operators) to streamline a particular online search. It’s been used in research for decades since libraries and other parties began offering digital catalogs and databases.
Recruiters and sales professionals have used this method to pinpoint specific skills and talents for outreach and job interviews. For sales, it’s a tool to find keywords that are applicable for finding specific sales leads and clients, and for recruiters, it helps them narrow down the candidates to contact for a specific position.
Job seekers have been using it as well, but in reverse, researching through job boards, LinkedIn, and other platforms for specific positions at specific companies in specific cities with specific duties.
@stem_babe Job searching tips #jobsearcg #jobsearching #careeradvice @Indeed @LinkedIn UK
Benefits Of The Boolean Search Method For Job Seekers
Well, first, it saves time since you’ll be narrowing your search from super-vague and general to focused and strategic. You can find fits that match, more or less, what you’re looking for in a job or company.
Second, when you think in terms of Boolean search, it can inform you on what keywords to use on your resume, LinkedIn profile, or professional website in order to attract the attention you actually want when searching for a job or at least so that you’ll be included among other candidates. This definitely beats being excluded simply because the words don’t exist or getting constant junk mail about invites to interview for jobs that are totally outside of what you really want.
How To Use The Boolean Search For Job Seekers
There are several savvy ways people use Boolean search to find more targeted job leads and postings. TikTok user Stem_Babe, for example, has offered tips on how best to use the method, urging job seekers in the tech industry to type in job skills versus titles. Another TikTok user, 6FigureChickConsulting, specifies that jobseekers should leverage the Boolean job search approach on LinkedIn to find leads for specific jobs shared via posts from their networks.
When you search, add in the words “and,” or “or" between job titles, skills, cities, or credentials. You can also add quotation marks around specific phrases when you want to be even more specific with a term. For example, you might search “marketing director and tech startup” if you wanted that role in a specific area of the tech industry. You might type “research editor or copy editor” if you want job listings narrowed down to those specific roles. Add quotation marks around industry-specific jargon, programming knowledge, or specialized skills.
You can play around with it, trying different phrases and word groupings to see what keyword combinations work for what you’re looking for. You can also use SEO tools and resources to find out what phrases you might want to target for your industry and the type of job you’re interested in. You’ll know you’re on to something when the number of search results gets smaller and smaller, and you’re finding more of the types of jobs you want to apply for than those you do not.
Give the Boolean search method a try the next time you’re looking for job opportunities, and add it to your strategy if it’s ideal and proves to save you time and stress.
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This Black Woman-Owned Creative Agency Shows Us The Art Of Rebranding
Rebranding is an intricate process and very important to the success of businesses that want to change. However, before a business owner makes this decision, they should determine whether it's a rebrand or an evolution.
That's where people like Lola Adewuya come in. Lola is the founder and CEO of The Brand Doula, a brand development studio with a multidisciplinary approach to branding, social media, marketing, and design.
While an evolution is a natural progression that happens as businesses grow, a rebrand is a total change. Lola tells xoNecole, "A total rebrand is necessary when a business’s current reputation/what it’s known for is at odds with the business’s vision or direction.
"For example, if you’ve fundamentally changed what your product is and does, it’s likely that your brand is out of alignment with the business. Or, if you find your company is developing a reputation that doesn’t serve it, it might be time to pump the brakes and figure out what needs to change.
She continues, "Sometimes you’ll see companies (especially startups) announce a name change that comes with updated messaging, visuals, etc. That usually means their vision has changed or expanded, and their previous branding was too narrow/couldn’t encompass everything they planned to do."
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The Brand Doula was born in 2019, and its focus is on putting "the experiences, goals, and needs of women of color founders first," as well as brands with "culture-shifting missions."
According to Lola, culture-shifting is "the act of influencing dominant behavior, beliefs, or experiences in a community or group (ideally, for the better)."
"At The Brand Doula, we work with companies and leaders that set out to challenge the status quo in their industries and communities. They’re here to make an impact that sends ripples across the market," she says.
"We help the problem solvers of the world — the ones who aren't satisfied with 'this is how it's always been' and instead ask 'how could this be better?' Our clients build for impact, reimagining tools, systems, and ways of living to move cultures forward."
The Brand Doula has worked with many brands, including Too Collective, to assist with their collaboration with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Balanced Black Girl for a "refresh," aka rebrand. For businesses looking to rebrand, Lola shares four essential steps.
1. Do an audit of your current brand experience — what’s still relevant and what needs to change? Reflect on why you’re doing the rebrand in the first place and what success would look like after relaunching.
2. Tackle the overall strategy first — before you start redesigning logos and websites, align on a new vision for your brand. How do you want your company to be positioned moving forward? Has your audience changed at all? Will your company have a fresh personality and voice?
3. Bring your audience along the journey — there’s no need to move in secret. Inviting your current audience into the journey can actually help them feel more connected to and invested in your story, enough to stick around as changes are being made.
4. Keep business moving — one of my biggest pet peeves is when companies take down their websites as soon as they have the idea to rebrand, then have a Coming Soon page up for months! You lose a lot of momentum and interest by doing that. If you’re still in business and generating income, continue to operate while you work on your rebrand behind the scenes. You don’t want to cut existing customers off out of the blue, and you also don’t want so much downtime that folks forget your business exists or start looking for other solutions.
While determining whether the rebrand was successful may take a few months, Lola says a clear sign that it is unsuccessful is negative feedback from your target audience. "Customers are typically more vocal about what they don’t like more than what they do like," she says.
But some good signs to look out for are improvements in engagement with your marketing, positive reviews, press and increase in retention, and overall feeling aligned with the new branding.
For more information about Lola and The Brand Doula, visit her website, thebranddoula.com.
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Lauren London Is On A Journey Of Self-Love: 'I Need To Learn Who I Am Outside Of My Trauma'
Lauren London has gone through many transitions in her life, from becoming a mother to experiencing loss when her beau, Nipsey Hussle, passed, and now she is focused on self-love.
During her conversation on A Really Good Crypodcast, the beloved actress revealed her struggles with self-love and why it's important to take this time in her life to learn how to love on herself.
"I've never really functioned in self-love. I've never really functioned in self-acceptance, and this is my time to learn what that is," she shared.
"I need to learn who I am outside of my trauma, from the childhood trauma and then the adult trauma. I need to really know what it feels like to be in sovereignty with me, and that's the space that I'm in.
"I don't really know self-acceptance like that and I would like to know that. I would like to see myself the way God intended me to see myself. Not through the reflection of anyone else right now, really just through the eyes of God."
She continued, "I didn't have that growing up. I had a lot of things I had to overcome. I've been in survivor mode for many years before the tragedy (Nipsey's death), and so I need to love on Lauren. I need to see what that is."
Being an actress, Lauren opened up about some of the things that come with the territory, including going to events and parties to stay relevant.
While she said going out doesn't fill her soul, it is a constant battle with her friends and her team. But according to the mom of two, she no longer wants her identity to be tied to her work.
"I think now I'm just, again, finding home within myself," she said. When it comes to what's next for the You People star, Lauren said she doesn't know and it's okay to just be and sit in what you just accomplished.
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Feature image is by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Glamour