Which search operators work on LinkedIn, Google and GitHub?
Every Boolean and X-ray operator recruiters use on LinkedIn, Google and GitHub, with a working example of each, plus a ready LinkedIn search string for common Gulf roles. Search an operator or a job title.
How Boolean search works
Boolean search combines keywords with three operators. OR widens a search (any of these words), AND narrows it (all of these words) and NOT removes results (none of these words). Quotes keep a phrase together and brackets decide what each operator applies to. A typical sourcing string is (title variants) AND must-have skill AND (nice-to-have skills) NOT (words that signal the wrong profile). Each platform supports a slightly different set, so the table lists where every operator works.
AND
All terms must appear. On Google a space does the same.
OR
Any one term may appear. Write it in capitals.
NOT / -
Exclude a term: NOT on LinkedIn, a minus sign on Google.
X-ray search
Using Google's site: operator to search inside one website, such as public LinkedIn or GitHub profiles.
Things that trip people up
Search engines change what they support without notice. If an operator stops working, check the source linked on its row.
Curly quotes (“ ”) pasted from Word, WhatsApp or email break searches. Retype them as straight quotes.
LinkedIn's free search limits how much you can search each month. Recruiter seats have their own filters that replace some Boolean.
LinkedIn keyword search supports quotes for exact phrases, brackets for grouping, and AND, OR and NOT, which must be in capital letters. It does not support the * wildcard. LinkedIn reads a search in this order: quoted phrases, then brackets, then NOT, then AND, then OR — so always bracket your OR groups.
How is a Google search different from a LinkedIn search?
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Google has no AND (a space does the same job) and no NOT — you exclude a word with a minus sign, as in -jobs. OR must be in capitals. Google also has operators LinkedIn lacks: site: limits results to one website, intitle: and inurl: match the page title or address, and filetype: finds PDFs or Word files. That is what makes X-ray searches possible.
Why does my Boolean string return zero results?
+
Usually one of four things: an operator in lower case (and/or/not are treated as words), a missing closing bracket or quote, too many AND terms (every extra must-have cuts the pool), or a curly quote pasted from Word or WhatsApp instead of a straight one. Remove must-haves one at a time until results come back, then add them back as an OR group.
Is there a limit on how long a search can be?
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Google ignores words after roughly the 32nd, so very long X-ray strings silently lose their last terms — keep title groups short and put the most important terms first. LinkedIn does not publish a fixed limit, but long strings are harder to debug; split very broad searches into two.
How do I use the role strings?
+
Filter the table to 'Role strings', find your role and copy the LinkedIn Boolean. Each one combines common title variants with a short list of core skills. Swap the skills for the ones in your job ad, and set the location in LinkedIn's Locations filter rather than in the keywords.
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LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Financial Analyst" OR "FP&A Analyst" OR "Finance Analyst" OR "Financial Planning Analyst") AND ("FP&A" OR "financial modelling" OR budgeting OR forecasting) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Finance Manager" OR "Financial Controller" OR "Head of Finance" OR "Finance Lead") AND (IFRS OR consolidation OR audit OR treasury) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Internal Auditor" OR Auditor OR "Audit Senior" OR "Audit Associate") AND (CIA OR "risk-based audit" OR "internal controls" OR IFRS) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Frontend Developer" OR "Front End Engineer" OR "Frontend Engineer" OR "UI Developer") AND (React OR TypeScript OR JavaScript OR "Next.js") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Backend Developer" OR "Backend Engineer" OR "Java Developer" OR "Node.js Developer") AND (Java OR "Spring Boot" OR "Node.js" OR ".NET") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Data Analyst" OR "BI Analyst" OR "Business Intelligence Analyst" OR "Reporting Analyst") AND (SQL OR "Power BI" OR Tableau OR Python) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Data Scientist" OR "Machine Learning Engineer" OR "ML Engineer" OR "AI Engineer") AND (Python OR "machine learning" OR "deep learning" OR PyTorch) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Cyber Security Engineer" OR "Information Security Analyst" OR "Security Analyst" OR "SOC Analyst") AND (SIEM OR Splunk OR SOC OR CISSP) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("IT Support Engineer" OR "IT Support Specialist" OR "Helpdesk Engineer" OR "Desktop Support Engineer") AND ("Active Directory" OR "Office 365" OR ITIL OR Windows) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Network Engineer" OR "Network Administrator" OR "Network Specialist" OR "Network Security Engineer") AND (Cisco OR CCNA OR CCNP OR Fortinet) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Product Manager" OR "Product Owner" OR "Senior Product Manager" OR "Technical Product Manager") AND ("product roadmap" OR Agile OR Scrum OR "user research") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Project Manager" OR "Programme Manager" OR "Program Manager" OR "Project Lead") AND (PMP OR PRINCE2 OR "Primavera P6" OR "MS Project") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Civil Engineer" OR "Site Engineer" OR "Structural Engineer" OR "Project Engineer") AND (AutoCAD OR ETABS OR SAP2000 OR "Primavera P6") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Electrical Engineer" OR "MEP Electrical Engineer" OR "Power Engineer" OR "Electrical Design Engineer") AND (ETAP OR DIALux OR AutoCAD OR LV) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Maintenance Technician" OR Electrician OR "Electrical Technician" OR "HVAC Technician") AND (HVAC OR chillers OR BMS OR "preventive maintenance") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Medical Representative" OR "Medical Sales Representative" OR "Pharmaceutical Sales Representative" OR "Product Specialist") AND ("pharma sales" OR "medical devices" OR "hospital accounts" OR KOL) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Sales Executive" OR "Sales Representative" OR "Account Executive" OR "Sales Officer") AND ("B2B sales" OR FMCG OR CRM OR Salesforce) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Business Development Manager" OR BDM OR "Head of Business Development" OR "Partnerships Manager") AND (B2B OR "government sales" OR tenders OR SaaS) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Marketing Manager" OR "Brand Manager" OR "Head of Marketing" OR "Marketing Lead") AND ("brand management" OR "go-to-market" OR ATL OR BTL) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Digital Marketing Specialist" OR "Digital Marketing Executive" OR "Performance Marketing Manager" OR "SEO Specialist") AND ("Google Ads" OR "Meta Ads" OR SEO OR GA4) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Customer Service Representative" OR "Customer Service Agent" OR "Call Centre Agent" OR "Customer Care Executive") AND ("bilingual Arabic" OR "call centre" OR CRM OR Zendesk) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("HR Manager" OR "Human Resources Manager" OR "HR Business Partner" OR HRBP) AND (CIPD OR SHRM OR "UAE Labour Law" OR "Saudi Labour Law") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
(Recruiter OR "Talent Acquisition Specialist" OR "Talent Acquisition Partner" OR "Recruitment Consultant") AND ("full-cycle recruitment" OR sourcing OR "Boolean search" OR "LinkedIn Recruiter") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
(PRO OR "Public Relations Officer" OR "Government Relations Officer" OR Mandoub) AND ("visa processing" OR MOHRE OR ICP OR GDRFA) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Administrative Assistant" OR "Admin Assistant" OR "Office Administrator" OR "Executive Assistant") AND ("MS Office" OR "calendar management" OR "bilingual Arabic" OR "document control") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
(Receptionist OR "Front Desk Officer" OR "Front Office Executive" OR "Guest Relations Officer") AND (switchboard OR "front desk" OR "bilingual Arabic" OR "customer service") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Operations Manager" OR "Head of Operations" OR "Operations Lead" OR "General Manager Operations") AND ("P&L" OR "process improvement" OR Lean OR "Six Sigma") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Procurement Officer" OR "Procurement Specialist" OR Buyer OR "Purchasing Officer") AND (CIPS OR "SAP MM" OR Ariba OR tenders) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Logistics Coordinator" OR "Supply Chain Coordinator" OR "Logistics Officer" OR "Shipping Coordinator") AND ("freight forwarding" OR "customs clearance" OR Incoterms OR SAP) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
(Driver OR "Light Driver" OR "Heavy Driver" OR "Delivery Driver") AND ("UAE driving licence" OR "Saudi driving licence" OR "heavy vehicle licence" OR "light vehicle licence") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Guest Service Agent" OR "Front Office Agent" OR "Reservations Agent" OR "Front Office Manager") AND ("Opera PMS" OR "OPERA Cloud" OR reservations OR "guest relations") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Retail Sales Associate" OR "Sales Associate" OR "Sales Assistant" OR Cashier) AND ("luxury retail" OR POS OR "visual merchandising" OR clienteling) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Real Estate Agent" OR "Property Consultant" OR "Real Estate Broker" OR "Leasing Consultant") AND (RERA OR BRN OR REGA OR "FAL licence") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("Graphic Designer" OR "Visual Designer" OR "Creative Designer" OR "Art Director") AND ("Adobe Illustrator" OR Photoshop OR InDesign OR "After Effects") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
Example
("UX Designer" OR "UI Designer" OR "Product Designer" OR "UI/UX Designer") AND (Figma OR "user research" OR prototyping OR "design systems") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Financial Analyst" OR "FP&A Analyst" OR "Finance Analyst" OR "Financial Planning Analyst") AND ("FP&A" OR "financial modelling" OR budgeting OR forecasting) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Finance Manager" OR "Financial Controller" OR "Head of Finance" OR "Finance Lead") AND (IFRS OR consolidation OR audit OR treasury) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Internal Auditor" OR Auditor OR "Audit Senior" OR "Audit Associate") AND (CIA OR "risk-based audit" OR "internal controls" OR IFRS) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Frontend Developer" OR "Front End Engineer" OR "Frontend Engineer" OR "UI Developer") AND (React OR TypeScript OR JavaScript OR "Next.js") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Backend Developer" OR "Backend Engineer" OR "Java Developer" OR "Node.js Developer") AND (Java OR "Spring Boot" OR "Node.js" OR ".NET") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Data Analyst" OR "BI Analyst" OR "Business Intelligence Analyst" OR "Reporting Analyst") AND (SQL OR "Power BI" OR Tableau OR Python) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Data Scientist" OR "Machine Learning Engineer" OR "ML Engineer" OR "AI Engineer") AND (Python OR "machine learning" OR "deep learning" OR PyTorch) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Cyber Security Engineer" OR "Information Security Analyst" OR "Security Analyst" OR "SOC Analyst") AND (SIEM OR Splunk OR SOC OR CISSP) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("IT Support Engineer" OR "IT Support Specialist" OR "Helpdesk Engineer" OR "Desktop Support Engineer") AND ("Active Directory" OR "Office 365" OR ITIL OR Windows) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Network Engineer" OR "Network Administrator" OR "Network Specialist" OR "Network Security Engineer") AND (Cisco OR CCNA OR CCNP OR Fortinet) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Product Manager" OR "Product Owner" OR "Senior Product Manager" OR "Technical Product Manager") AND ("product roadmap" OR Agile OR Scrum OR "user research") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Project Manager" OR "Programme Manager" OR "Program Manager" OR "Project Lead") AND (PMP OR PRINCE2 OR "Primavera P6" OR "MS Project") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Civil Engineer" OR "Site Engineer" OR "Structural Engineer" OR "Project Engineer") AND (AutoCAD OR ETABS OR SAP2000 OR "Primavera P6") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Electrical Engineer" OR "MEP Electrical Engineer" OR "Power Engineer" OR "Electrical Design Engineer") AND (ETAP OR DIALux OR AutoCAD OR LV) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Maintenance Technician" OR Electrician OR "Electrical Technician" OR "HVAC Technician") AND (HVAC OR chillers OR BMS OR "preventive maintenance") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Medical Representative" OR "Medical Sales Representative" OR "Pharmaceutical Sales Representative" OR "Product Specialist") AND ("pharma sales" OR "medical devices" OR "hospital accounts" OR KOL) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Sales Executive" OR "Sales Representative" OR "Account Executive" OR "Sales Officer") AND ("B2B sales" OR FMCG OR CRM OR Salesforce) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Business Development Manager" OR BDM OR "Head of Business Development" OR "Partnerships Manager") AND (B2B OR "government sales" OR tenders OR SaaS) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Marketing Manager" OR "Brand Manager" OR "Head of Marketing" OR "Marketing Lead") AND ("brand management" OR "go-to-market" OR ATL OR BTL) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Digital Marketing Specialist" OR "Digital Marketing Executive" OR "Performance Marketing Manager" OR "SEO Specialist") AND ("Google Ads" OR "Meta Ads" OR SEO OR GA4) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Customer Service Representative" OR "Customer Service Agent" OR "Call Centre Agent" OR "Customer Care Executive") AND ("bilingual Arabic" OR "call centre" OR CRM OR Zendesk) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("HR Manager" OR "Human Resources Manager" OR "HR Business Partner" OR HRBP) AND (CIPD OR SHRM OR "UAE Labour Law" OR "Saudi Labour Law") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
(Recruiter OR "Talent Acquisition Specialist" OR "Talent Acquisition Partner" OR "Recruitment Consultant") AND ("full-cycle recruitment" OR sourcing OR "Boolean search" OR "LinkedIn Recruiter") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
(PRO OR "Public Relations Officer" OR "Government Relations Officer" OR Mandoub) AND ("visa processing" OR MOHRE OR ICP OR GDRFA) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Administrative Assistant" OR "Admin Assistant" OR "Office Administrator" OR "Executive Assistant") AND ("MS Office" OR "calendar management" OR "bilingual Arabic" OR "document control") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
(Receptionist OR "Front Desk Officer" OR "Front Office Executive" OR "Guest Relations Officer") AND (switchboard OR "front desk" OR "bilingual Arabic" OR "customer service") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Operations Manager" OR "Head of Operations" OR "Operations Lead" OR "General Manager Operations") AND ("P&L" OR "process improvement" OR Lean OR "Six Sigma") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Procurement Officer" OR "Procurement Specialist" OR Buyer OR "Purchasing Officer") AND (CIPS OR "SAP MM" OR Ariba OR tenders) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Logistics Coordinator" OR "Supply Chain Coordinator" OR "Logistics Officer" OR "Shipping Coordinator") AND ("freight forwarding" OR "customs clearance" OR Incoterms OR SAP) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
(Driver OR "Light Driver" OR "Heavy Driver" OR "Delivery Driver") AND ("UAE driving licence" OR "Saudi driving licence" OR "heavy vehicle licence" OR "light vehicle licence") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Guest Service Agent" OR "Front Office Agent" OR "Reservations Agent" OR "Front Office Manager") AND ("Opera PMS" OR "OPERA Cloud" OR reservations OR "guest relations") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Retail Sales Associate" OR "Sales Associate" OR "Sales Assistant" OR Cashier) AND ("luxury retail" OR POS OR "visual merchandising" OR clienteling) NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Real Estate Agent" OR "Property Consultant" OR "Real Estate Broker" OR "Leasing Consultant") AND (RERA OR BRN OR REGA OR "FAL licence") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("Graphic Designer" OR "Visual Designer" OR "Creative Designer" OR "Art Director") AND ("Adobe Illustrator" OR Photoshop OR InDesign OR "After Effects") NOT (intern OR student)
LinkedIn Boolean (titles AND any of the key skills)
("UX Designer" OR "UI Designer" OR "Product Designer" OR "UI/UX Designer") AND (Figma OR "user research" OR prototyping OR "design systems") NOT (intern OR student)