Every AI sourcing vendor wants you to believe that Boolean search is dead—that their magical algorithms have made manual searching obsolete. And look, I get it. The pitch is seductive: "Just describe what you want in plain English and we'll find the perfect candidates!"

Here's the reality: AI sourcing tools are getting better, but Boolean search is still the most reliable way to find exactly what you're looking for. The recruiters who combine Boolean expertise with AI tools are the ones crushing it right now, not the ones who've abandoned fundamentals for shiny new tech.

Why Boolean Search Still Matters

Boolean search uses operators like AND, OR, NOT, and parentheses to create precise search queries. It's not sexy, but it gives you control over exactly what you're searching for in ways that natural language AI still can't match.

Want to find software engineers who know React or Vue but not Angular, who work at startups under 100 employees in specific cities? A well-crafted Boolean string does this instantly. AI sourcing tools? They'll give you approximations and you'll spend time filtering out irrelevant results.

The most skilled recruiters use Boolean to build initial candidate pools, then use AI to analyze and rank those candidates. It's not either/or—it's both.

The Essential Operators You Need

Let's cover the fundamentals that actually matter:

AND - Requires all terms to be present. "Software Engineer AND Python" finds profiles containing both terms. This narrows your results.

OR - Returns results with any of the terms. "React OR Vue OR Angular" finds people who know any of these frameworks. This broadens your results.

NOT - Excludes results containing the term. "Recruiter NOT agency" finds in-house recruiters while excluding agency recruiters. Use this to filter out irrelevant results.

Parentheses - Control the order of operations, just like in math. "(React OR Vue) AND (Senior OR Lead)" finds senior-level people who know either React or Vue.

Quotes - Search for exact phrases. "Project Manager" in quotes finds that exact title, not "managed projects" or "project coordination."

Real-World Examples That Actually Work

Let's get specific. Here are searches I've used successfully:

Finding technical recruiters in specific locations:

("Technical Recruiter" OR "Tech Recruiter" OR "Engineering Recruiter") AND (Seattle OR Portland OR San Francisco) NOT agency

Finding senior full-stack developers with specific tech:

(Senior OR Lead OR Principal) AND ("Full Stack" OR "Full-stack") AND (React OR Vue) AND (Node.js OR "Node JS") AND (AWS OR Azure OR GCP)

Finding diverse candidates in leadership:

(VP OR "Vice President" OR Director OR "Head of") AND (Operations OR Engineering OR Product) AND ("Women in Tech" OR "Black in Tech" OR "Latinos in Tech" OR "LGBTQ")

Finding candidates open to remote work:

("Remote OK" OR "Open to Remote" OR "Remote Preferred" OR "Will Relocate" OR "Open to Opportunities")

The key is layering operators to get progressively more specific. Start broad, then refine.

Platform-Specific Quirks

Boolean works differently on different platforms, which is annoying but important to know:

LinkedIn Recruiter: Supports most Boolean operators but has quirks. Parentheses work. NOT sometimes requires you to use "NOT" instead of the minus sign. Quotes work for exact phrases.

Google (X-Ray Search): Boolean works perfectly but you need to specify site: to search specific platforms. Example: site:linkedin.com/in/ "Software Engineer" Python San Francisco searches LinkedIn profiles via Google.

GitHub: Search by language, location, and stars. Example: language:Python location:Boston stars:>100 finds prolific Python developers in Boston.

Stack Overflow: Search by tags and reputation. Example: [python] [django] is:answer score:50.. finds users who've written highly-upvoted Django answers.

When AI Actually Beats Boolean

Let me be fair: there are scenarios where AI sourcing is genuinely better.

AI excels at identifying transferable skills and adjacent experience. Someone who's been a "Customer Success Manager" might be perfect for your "Account Manager" role, but they won't show up in a Boolean search for "Account Manager." AI tools can make these connections.

AI is also better at diversity sourcing because it can identify candidates from underrepresented backgrounds without requiring explicit keywords. Boolean searches for diversity can feel performative and reduce people to identity markers. AI can identify diverse candidate pools more thoughtfully.

Natural language queries work well for exploratory searches when you're not sure exactly what you're looking for. "Find me people who've scaled customer support teams from 5 to 50+ at SaaS startups" is easier in natural language than Boolean.

The Hybrid Approach That Works

Here's what top recruiters actually do:

1. Use Boolean to build initial pools. Create precise searches for must-have skills, titles, locations, and companies.

2. Use AI to expand and refine. Run your Boolean results through AI tools to identify patterns, suggest similar candidates, and find people you might have missed.

3. Use Boolean to filter AI results. When AI gives you 500 candidate suggestions, use Boolean to filter down to the 50 who match specific technical requirements.

This hybrid approach gives you precision when you need it and exploration when you don't.

Common Boolean Mistakes

Overcomplicating searches: The most complex Boolean string isn't always the best one. Start simple, add complexity only when needed.

Forgetting operator precedence: Parentheses matter. Senior AND Engineer OR Developer is not the same as Senior AND (Engineer OR Developer). The first finds senior engineers and ANY developers. The second finds senior people who are engineers or developers.

Not testing searches: Run your search, review the first 20 results, and adjust based on what you're actually getting. If half the results are irrelevant, your search needs refinement.

Ignoring synonyms: Different people use different terms. "Full Stack" vs "Full-stack" vs "Fullstack." Account for variations with OR operators.

The Bottom Line

Boolean search isn't dead—it's evolved into one tool in a larger toolkit. The recruiters who dismiss it as outdated are the ones struggling to find needle-in-haystack candidates. The ones who've mastered Boolean AND AI sourcing are the ones finding people nobody else can.

Learn the fundamentals. Practice regularly. Build a library of effective searches you can reuse and modify. And don't fall for vendor claims that AI has made manual searching obsolete. The best technology augments human expertise—it doesn't replace it.

If you're serious about sourcing, Boolean proficiency is non-negotiable. Everything else builds on that foundation.

Key Takeaways:

• Boolean search gives you precision that AI sourcing still can't match
• Essential operators: AND, OR, NOT, parentheses, quotes
• Different platforms (LinkedIn, Google, GitHub) have different Boolean rules
• AI excels at transferable skills and diversity sourcing
• Best approach: Use Boolean for precision, AI for exploration
• Common mistakes: overcomplicated searches, ignoring synonyms, not testing
• Boolean + AI hybrid approach beats either alone