Welcome to CodersRank (if you’re new)!

In this post, you will get a step-by-step walkthrough on how to use the candidate search on CodersRank. We’ll cover all the possible keywords you can use AND give you a little refresher on boolean search, too.

Let’s jump right in:

1) A quick note about our database

In the beginning, to get a complete picture of how the search engine works, you might want to look at where the data came from.

None of the profiles are scraped on CodersRank. All of our users have come to us through individual and voluntary registrations and many of them provide their details to us manually.

Therefore, there are two main types of developer information on CodersRank:

  • Coding info from connected accounts (GitHub, GitLab, Stack Overflow, LinkedIn)
  • Coding/resume info they provide manually

2) How CodersRank’s recruiter search engine works

On the left of the candidate search page is where all the magic happens. The ‘Skills / Boolean search’ field is what you will mainly use to search in CodersRank’s talent pool.

codersrank boolean search

How does the search engine look for candidates?

Here’s a list of keywords that the CodersRank search engine accepts:

  • A full boolean string
  • Programming languages
  • Technologies
  • Frameworks
  • Company name
  • Candidate name
  • Certification name
  • Any keyword from the About/Bio, Work Experience, or Education sections

This also means that when you search for a keyword, it looks in all of the fields on a developer’s profile, such as:

  • Profile Summary
  • About/Bio
  • Tech Stack
  • Work Experience
  • Education
  • Portfolio
  • Name of CodersRank scores
  • Spoken languages

For example, if you look for JavaScript, CodersRank will show you all of the possible occurrences of the keyword.

3) Step-by-step candidate search – BASIC

Here’s a hypothetical job description you need to hire for.

Front-end developer || 4+ years of JavaScript || 2+ years of react.js || Location: Poland

Step 1: As we said above, you always want to start with the search field on the left. Simply add the most important requirements here, separated by the AND operator.

react AND javascript AND frontend

Worth to mention that regarding the Tech Stack, we try to manage synonyms, like:

  • nodejs = node.js = node js = node
  • javascript = js
  • go = golang
  • django = django-rest-framework = django rest = django/flask = django-oscar

Step 2: Set each skill to reflect the required years of experience.

Regarding the experience, we check

  • Tech Stack field (provided manually)
  • Work Experience (if it’s available)
  • Activity on GitHub or GitLab

Step 3: Find Poland in the dropdown under Location.

Step 4: Next, review the profiles on the right. Matching search terms will be highlighted in green. On the top of the page, you can sort the profiles by Relevance, Coding Activity, Recently Created Profiles, Job Interest Change and Years of Experience. In the same row, you can also configure fields to show less profile information.

Step 5: Once you’ve found a fitting candidate, you can engage with their profiles in three ways: Send a Message, View Profile or Add to Shortlist. Look for the icons on the right to make your selection.

Learn more about our Seamless In-app Messaging here

How to contact developers on CodersRank

4) Step-by-step candidate search – ADVANCED

In this scenario, the job you’re sourcing for is a bit more complex. See below.

  • Front-end developer
  • 5+ years of JavaScript experience
  • 3+ years with either react.js or vue.js
  • Must know redux
  • Not looking for seniors
  • Must be located in Poland

To find the right candidates, you should use a combination of boolean search strings.

javascript AND (reactjs OR vuejs) AND redux AND NOT (founder OR ceo OR cto)

Note 1: be careful when using NOT. In this example, it will filter out candidates with more seniority but may also take out profiles that say “…reported to the CEO”.

Note 2: when you do use NOT, always connect it to your string with either AND or OR.


5) Boolean search cheat sheet

Boolean search is the holy grail of sourcing. Once you memorize them, you’ll never look back. Since CodersRank’s sourcing tool uses it, too, we included here a basic boolean cheat sheet that beginners and advanced recruiters can reference at any time.

Here are the main search operators:

  • AND
  • OR
  • NOT
  • ()
  • “”

In order to start a boolean search, you can use one or more operators from this list. You can create as short or as long a string as you need to.

Boolean operator: AND

This is one of the most used search operators. The AND acts as a “must-have” setting in your search. For example, if you’re looking for developers who know both vue.js and react.js, you will need to use AND.

vuejs AND reactjs

The more keywords you add to the string with AND, the fewer candidates you will get. Why? Because you are specifying more and more “must-have” criteria, therefore reducing the number of candidates who qualify.

vuejs AND reactjs AND angularjs AND nuxtjs

In addition, you can also simply provide keywords one after another, divided by spaces. This case is also handled as if there was an AND connecting them. Like this:

vuejs reactjs angularjs nuxtjs

Boolean operator: OR

The OR search operator gives you the chance to see more candidate options. It acts like an “either/or” type argument. It can come useful in a scenario where let’s say you’re looking for developers who know either Java or C#.

java OR C#

Using the OR operator is a great way to broaden your search when the job description allows it. It can also come in handy when there are various ways to spell a skill or technology.

frontend OR front-end OR “front end”

Boolean operator: NOT

The NOT search operator helps exclude elements or further refine results. Oftentimes it can make or break a string by excluding closely connected results that do not actually fit your criteria. For example, you’re looking for a junior JavaScript developer, you can define your string as follows:

javascript AND NOT senior

When you do use NOT, always connect it to your string with either AND or OR. You can also use it by itself which will result in a list of candidates whose only criteria is for them not to have that skill on their profiles.

Boolean operator: brackets ()

The bracket operator is another layer with which you can deepen your search for candidates. There is often confusion among recruiters regarding this boolean. Yet, you will see that there’s nothing confusing about it if you understand its core intent.

Let’s say you want to search for a candidate who must know redux and is great with either react.js or vue.js then you would employ the following formula:

redux AND (reactjs OR vuejs)

Most often brackets are applied together with OR strings.

Boolean operator: quotations ” “

The quotation operator helps you specify certain keywords or phrases as a whole. For example, if you forget to apply an OR between two words, it can lead to incorrect results, as spaces in boolean also stand for AND.

Below is an example of quotations in a string. In this scenario, you are looking for a developer who has experience in both JavaScript and redux and has been in a tech lead role before.

javascript AND redux AND “tech lead”

If you wanted to combine some of the previous operators, you could also say:

javascript AND redux AND (“tech lead” OR “team lead” OR senior)

Questions?

We hope that this write-up was an exhaustive summary of CodersRank’s sourcing platform. We will be updating this post in the future as new releases come out.

In the meantime, keep on blasting us with any questions, feedback, or suggestion. We do read all of your messages and are excited to bring you nothing but the BEST experience.

Author

CEO & Founder of CodersRank.

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