7 LinkedIn Advanced Search Tips to Find Your Dream Job

LinkedIn is a goldmine of networking opportunities, which have become even more accessible as LinkedIn has upgraded its search features and made them available for free. With the support of advanced search on Linkedin, finding someone is so much easier.

So, what exactly makes LinkedIn so popular and valuable in finding jobs and expanding your professional network? Well, come to think of it.

While you’re reading this, over 700 million professionals from 200 regions worldwide are connecting to offer or get job opportunities. LinkedIn is the largest professional network on the Internet. No exaggeration here. Over 30 million companies on LinkedIn are searching for a candidate like you.

So, how do you search for connections and jobs in all these companies? It seems so overwhelming at first glance, but LinkedIn has made things much easier to navigate with its advanced search features. Here’s your list of ultimate tips and advantages of the advanced search tools on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn Advanced Search Tips

#1 Use LinkedIn Advanced Search Filters

Until 2017, LinkedIn had a special LinkedIn Advanced Search page and a link conveniently located near the search bar. However, it’s not there anymore. So, wait! Is it gone then? No, the Advanced Search tools and features still exist, but they are embedded and can be accessed directly from the search bar.

Before:

Now:

To start your search, just type who or what you are looking for into the search bar in the top left corner. For example, let’s say I’m looking for “recruiter lululemon”. When I type that into my search bar, here’s what I get:

970 results may be just way too many to deal with if I want to expand my network or connect with recruiters as soon as possible! So, how can I narrow my search results down?

If I click on “All Filters”, I can see on top of the page you will see an abundance of filters that will help you with sorting your results.

So, I am going to filter by 1^st and 2^nd connections, add “Greater Vancouver Metropolitan Area” as my desired location, select “lululemon” as the current company and check “Staffing and Recruiting” industry. Let’s see what I get.

15 results are way more manageable and now I can connect with these people and send them a customized message to make a great impression. Another thing I could do is ask our shared connections for an introduction and take our conversation from there.

#2 Look at Search Predictions

Not sure what exactly to look for? LinkedIn search predication can be a great inspiration when you’re thinking about how to craft your requests better. Let’s say I have the word ‘digital’ in mind. I type into the search bar and this is what I get:

From here, I can go on exploring digital marketing in different categories, connect with likeminded people in groups and connect with people with similar interests. Way to go!

#3 Filter Job Search Results

After searching for jobs on LinkedIn, you can also filter your search results easily. To start looking for jobs, click on the “Jobs” tab and type some keywords into the search bar. Let’s say I’m looking for a “hospitality manager” job in “Greater Vancouver Metropolitan Area.” Here’s what I get:

273 results! Many vacancies are good news; however, it may be quite hard for me to work through such a huge number and see how I match the requirements. I’m going to go ahead and filter by “Date Posted” and select “Past Month”, select “Entry Level” and “Under 10 Applicants” in “LinkedIn Features”, as I don’t want too many people to compete with. Here’s what I get:

6 jobs seem way easier to handle! Now I can study the requirements, see how I fit in and start tailoring my resume and cover letter.

#4 Search in Groups on LinkedIn

LinkedIn groups are a great place for professionals from the same industry and sharing similar interests. They are great for searching for new connections, asking for advice and guidance as well as finding answers to many questions. You can unlock all these opportunities by simply clicking on the “Work” tab and selecting “Groups”.

#5 Save Your Most Common Searches

If you are on the job hunt, you may be using the same keywords in your search. So, instead of memorizing them, you can save your search and set up alerts to smooth over your search. Simply click on “Create search alert” to keep your search parameters for the future.

# 6 Make Use of LinkedIn Premium Search Filters

Before delving into LinkedIn Premium Search filters, take a look at different Premium plans LinkedIn has to offer to see what works best for you. Is LinkedIn Premium worth it? Well, take a look at our previous article to learn more about it and decide. A sneak peek into what advantages you can get:

• InMail messages to people you have found through your search
• Who’s viewed your profile
• Check out competitive data and analytics etc.

# 7 Refine Results with Boolean Search on LinkedIn

To make your LinkedIn search even more precise, learn Boolean commands to help LinkedIn understand what you are looking for even better.

• Quotes: wrap the phrase in quotation marks (e.g., “digital marketing”) to look for that exact phrase
• AND: using the AND command you can make LinkedIn search for every word in your query (e.g., digital marketing AND Amazon).
• OR: use the OR command to let LinkedIn know that you are searching for either this keyword or another one (e.g., marketing manager Vancouver OR marketing manager Burnaby).
• NOT: using NOT will exclude the word after it from the search (e.g., digital marketing Vancouver NOT Burnaby).
• Parenthesis (): using this command is a bit more complex, but it’s great if you want to combine terms (e.g., digital marketer NOT (assistant OR strategist).

You can use this online tool to help you get hold of Boolean search and refine your LinkedIn search results now!

Great! You are an expert on the LinkedIn search now. Try out these techniques to maximize your opportunities in Canada. Let us know how these techniques and tools worked out for you in the comments below. Contact our International Team or our co-op manager (corp.mgt@ciccc.ca) for more tips and support.