What
Build a Search query by using Boolean to return more bespoke responses. By using Boolean search and operators to filter the expansive data within Mercury, the process of looking for relevant Candidates is made that much easier! This article covers some troubleshooting tips for mistakes made when building Boolean queries that may return errors when trying to conduct a search, and the features of Boolean search within Mercury Search.
Where
For this article we have accessed Search via the Contacts area.
Home > Contacts > Search > Mercury Search > Boolean tab.
How
Create a search using Boolean search and operators by adding at least one search term into the Search Builder text bar. After starting a Boolean search, you can then further refine results by the terms in the left-hand side menu. To see a description of each, go to Glossary for Search Terms and Filter Terms in Search.
Troubleshooting Issues
Here are some common mistakes made when building Boolean queries that may be impacting your search results. Check your formatting and syntax carefully!
• Not using capitals for the operators - Boolean is case sensitive. Accepted format is: AND, OR, NOT. Lowercase will not work, i.e. and, or, not.
• Not using correct quotation marks around search terms - only double quotations marks are accepted (") - incorrect examples include single quote marks 'developer' or a mix of single/double quotation marks "engineer'
• Not wrapping forward slash symbols within double quotation marks - when a forward slash is used, it must be within quotation marks. For example, "senior UI/UX"
Search Builder
1. Begin typing in the search bar and click the Search button to begin to return results.
2. A Boolean string can be typed in manually, or use the Related Terms to build a search. Filter by Job Titles, Tags or both (All).
3. There are three operator options: AND, OR, NOT. These must be added between each search term. Any Related Term added to the search can be edited. Click Search to return updated results.
For example: Add AND "Specialism > Recruitment" as a tag, update to an OR operator, then redo the search.
Filter Options
After conducting an initial search using Boolean, you can then further limit results by using search terms / filter terms. Each separate term is associated with an AND function. This connective logic will ensure only Candidates who fit the input criteria are returned. For example, filter by Job Title AND Availability AND Salary. However, the relationship between the different terms within a search term / filter term can have different operators, depending on which are used. See Glossary for Search Terms and Filter Terms in Search for explanations of each filter.