How to Use Recruiters to Find Remote Work Opportunities

This post will teach you how to find recruiters, hiring managers, and referrals on LinkedIn in under 10 seconds and with one search. 90% of jobseekers miss out simply because they don’t know this trick.  It’s not a tool, it’s a simple technique called BOOLEAN Search.  ►  What is BOOLEAN Search?   BOOLEAN search is a way to combine keywords with operators like AND, OR, and NOT to refine your LinkedIn searches.  Recruiters use this technique to find candidates, but you can flip the script and use it to find recruiters, hiring managers, and potential referrals.  ► How does it work?   You combine:   - Job Titles   - Keywords like hiring   - Locations or Company Names  Using operators like AND to include multiple terms or NOT to exclude unwanted results.  ► How to Use BOOLEAN Search on LinkedIn  Finding Recruiters and Hiring Managers:   Type these into the LinkedIn search bar:  1. "job title" AND hiring AND remote      → Example: "software engineer" AND hiring AND remote   2. "job title" AND hiring AND location      → Example: "data analyst" AND hiring AND bangalore   3. "job title" AND hiring AND company name      → Example: "product manager" AND hiring AND google  This pulls up posts from recruiters or hiring managers actively hiring for those roles.  ► Finding Referrals or Professionals for Networking:  1. "job title" AND company name      → Example: "backend developer" AND amazon   2. "job title" AND company name AND location      → Example: "UX designer" AND adobe AND london  Pro Tip: Add your college to the search string to find alumni.   Example: "software engineer" AND amazon AND IIT   This helps you break the ice when reaching out.   Tips for Mastering BOOLEAN Search:  1. Play with Keywords: The more specific you are, the better your results.  2. Use AND, OR, and NOT:      - AND → To include multiple terms.      - OR → For alternative terms (e.g., "developer" OR "programmer").      - NOT → To exclude terms (e.g., "developer" NOT "intern").  3. Capitalize the Operators: Always write AND, OR, NOT in all caps.  

When I was recruiting at a startup, I didn’t have LinkedIn Recruiter or fancy sourcing tools. So I got creative and turned to Google. There’s a trick called X-ray search that recruiters use to find talent. But job seekers can flip it to find roles that aren’t showing up on LinkedIn or job boards. It works because you’re searching company job boards directly specifically sites hosted by Greenhouse, Lever and Ashby which are the three most common platforms used by startups, tech companies and design forward teams to post jobs. Here’s how it works: Say you’re a Product Designer looking for remote roles. Pop this into Google: site:jobs.lever.co OR site:jobs.greenhouse.io OR site:ashbyhq.com "product designer" AND "remote" You’ll get real-time openings, straight from company career pages. Looking for something location-based and you’re a Social Media Manager in LA, use this: site:jobs.greenhouse.io OR site:jobs.lever.co "social media manager" AND "Los Angeles" You can plug in any title, industry or location that matters to you like “brand designer,” “UX internship,” or “marketing. coordinator” This is how I found amazing candidates when I had zero tools. Now I’m sharing it with you because the best jobs aren’t always on the front page. Try it and let me know what you find!

Jobseeker PSA: This is the easiest way to find specific hiring managers, recruiters, and referrals on LinkedIn: Boolean search 🙌 Boolean search is a technique many recruiters use when searching for potential candidates. The cool part? Even if you’re not a recruiter, you can still use it. Here’s how: Want to find recruiters and hiring managers that are hiring? In the LinkedIn search bar, try typing: “job title” AND hiring AND remote “job title” AND hiring AND location “job title” AND hiring AND company name For example: “program manager” AND hiring AND remote “program manager” AND hiring AND chicago “program manager” AND hiring AND microsoft Once you click search, all of the recruiters and hiring managers who fit that criteria will appear, along with their most recent posts! Looking for a potential referral instead? Try searching: “job title” AND company name “job title” AND company name AND location Or, one of my personal favorites? Add something like your college, a volunteer organization, etc. to the search string. If you’re reaching out cold, sharing something in common is an easy way to break the ice. For example: “program manager” AND microsoft AND harvard All of the program managers who work for Microsoft and attended Harvard will come up. The combinations are truly endless! A few things to note: - Boolean search strings can be as long and specific as you’d like so play around with keywords. - Remember to capitalize the AND in between words. You can also use the words OR and NOT. Utilizing Boolean search strings can be a game changer for your job search! Have you tried using Boolean search before? - Found this helpful? Follow Brenna Lasky for more posts like this and like and share to help your network.