LinkedIn Sourcing for Recruiters: Search Techniques That Work

To source candidates on LinkedIn, start with a list of the titles people actually use for the role, combine them in a Boolean search, narrow by location, current and past company and industry, then read each profile for fit and timing before you reach out. The search finds the names. Reading profiles carefully is what turns a long list into a short one worth contacting.

How do you build the title list?

The same job goes by different titles at different companies. A controller at one firm is a director of accounting at another and a finance manager at a third. Before you search, list every title that could describe the role, plus the level below for people ready to step up. Ask the hiring manager what their best people were called before they joined.

An AI assistant is useful here. Ask it for title variations and related skills for the role, then remove anything that doesn't fit your client.

How do you use Boolean search?

LinkedIn's keyword and title fields accept Boolean operators, which let you combine titles and skills in one search:

• OR widens the search: controller OR "director of accounting"
• AND requires both terms: controller AND manufacturing
• NOT excludes a term: controller NOT "air traffic"
• Quotation marks keep a phrase together, and parentheses group terms: (controller OR "director of accounting") AND (manufacturing OR "food production")

Write the operators in capitals. Start broad, look at what comes back and tighten one term at a time.

Which filters matter most?

• Location. Search the commuting area for the role, and widen it only if the client will consider relocation or remote work.
• Current company. Use your target company list to search the firms where the right people work today.
• Past company. People who trained at a respected competitor often carry its standards with them, even after they move on.
• Industry. Useful when the role depends on industry experience, less so when the skill transfers.
• Time in role. Where it's available, use it to find people who have been in a seat long enough to be ready for a change.

Some of these filters are only available in LinkedIn's paid recruiting and sales products.

How do you read a profile for fit and timing?

Look past the title. Check the size and type of company, the scope described in each role, how long they've stayed in past positions and whether their career is moving up. Then look for timing signals: a long tenure without a promotion, a recent acquisition or leadership change at their company, or a stated interest in new challenges. Note what you see so your first message can be specific.

What should you do with the results?

Save the people worth contacting to a list for the search, along with why each one caught your eye. LinkedIn profiles often lack an email address or phone number, so you'll need another way to reach people who don't answer LinkedIn messages. identifyd's prospect search finds people by title, location and industry and unlocks their email and phone for one credit each, and each prospect record tracks your LinkedIn connection status with that person.