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SeekOut Recruit 301 | Getting Started Guide

Learn advanced Boolean, precision filters, and web tools to rank, broaden, and accelerate your sourcing.

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Written by Tirlochan Arora
Updated over 2 months ago

Welcome to SeekOut Recruit 301


You’ve mastered the basics - now sharpen your edge. This guide focuses on advanced Boolean techniques and power-user tools that help you prioritize the right profiles, capture more variations, and move faster across the web.

In Recruit 301, you’ll learn how to:

  • Use Boosting to rank results by priority keywords

  • Apply Wildcards to capture word variations without long keyword lists

  • Run Proximity searches to match flexible phrases and title patterns

  • Leverage Lesser-Known Filters (Time Zone, Years at Current Company, Company Alumni) for higher-quality pools

  • Work faster with the SeekOut Chrome Extension for LinkedIn saves, contact info, and Google X-ray enrichment

Each topic includes a short walkthrough and practical examples you can use immediately.


Boosting - Advanced Boolean

Boosting lets you tell SeekOut which keywords matter most in your search. By adding the caret symbol (^) and a number (2–99) after a term, you can prioritize that keyword so profiles containing it appear higher in your results list, without changing how many profiles match.

This is useful when you want to see certain types of candidates first (e.g., “show me candidates with Python experience before Java, but include both”).

Wildcards - Advanced Boolean

Wildcards let you search for variations of a word without listing every version.

  • Use * to replace multiple characters

    • engineer* → engineer, engineers, engineering

  • Use ? to replace one character

    • analys? → analyst, analysis

Note: Wildcards cannot be used inside quotation marks.

Use wildcards to broaden your search and capture more relevant profiles when spelling or word forms may vary.

Proximity Search - Advanced Boolean

Use a proximity search to find two terms that appear near each other in a profile, even if other words are in between.

  • Format: "term1 term2"~X

  • X = max number of words between them

  • Works in any order

Example:
"software engineer"~2 → software engineer, software development engineer, etc.

Use proximity when titles or phrases vary in wording.

Lesser-Known Filters

SeekOut includes powerful filters that are not all shown by default—but can significantly improve your search quality. You can enable and reorder filters by selecting ⋯ → Manage Filters in the search sidebar.

Here are a few useful ones to consider:

  • Time Zone – Focus on candidates who can collaborate easily with your hiring team

  • Years at Current Company – Prioritize candidates who may be more open to new roles

  • Company Alumni – Find people who previously worked at a specific organization (helpful for competitor targeting or shared background with a hiring manager)

These filters help you refine your pool with more context, beyond just skills and titles.

Chrome Extension

The SeekOut Chrome Extension makes it easy to source and save candidates while browsing the web. Use it to:

  • Get verified contact information from LinkedIn profiles

  • Add candidates directly to your SeekOut projects

  • Enhance Google X-ray searches with SeekOut profile data

To install, go to Menu → Chrome Extension in SeekOut, then select Add to Chrome.


What’s Next?

Great work completing SeekOut Recruit 301! You now have advanced tools to prioritize, broaden, and speed up your sourcing.

  • Want a refresher? Return to SeekOut Recruit 101 or 201 anytime.

  • Questions or help with a live search? Email [email protected] and we’ll jump in.

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