If you're a Product Designer hunting for your next role on LinkedIn, chances are you've typed something like "Product Designer" into the search bar… and then spent the next hour scrolling through jobs that didn't quite fit.
Been there?
Here's the good news: there's a better way.
It's called Boolean search, and it's one of LinkedIn's most powerful (and most underrated) features.
Once you know how to use it, you can:
- Zero in on jobs that match your skills
- Skip irrelevant listings
- Find roles that don't show up with basic searches
Let's break it down — simply and clearly.
What Is Boolean Search?
Boolean search is a way to fine-tune your LinkedIn job search using simple commands like:
- AND
- OR
- NOT
- Quotation marks " "
- Parentheses ( )
These help you combine, exclude, or group keywords — so you get results that actually match what you want.
Let's Talk Examples
Here's how each operator works (with examples made for Product Designers):
AND — This narrows your search. It only shows results that include all the terms.
Example: "Product Designer" AND Figma AND Prototyping
Use this when you want roles that mention specific skills or tools.
OR — This widens your search. It includes any of the terms.
Example: ("Product Designer" OR "UX Designer" OR "UI Designer")
Great for finding roles with similar titles.
NOT — This removes results you don't want.
Example: "Product Designer" NOT "Graphic Designer"
Use this to skip unrelated roles or industries.
Quotation Marks " " — This looks for an exact phrase.
Example: "Senior Product Designer"
Without the quotes, LinkedIn will search each word separately — and that can get messy.
Parentheses ( ) — This groups parts of your search, especially when combining OR and AND.
Example: ("Product Designer" OR "UX Designer") AND ("AI" OR "GenAI")
Use this to target designers in a specific field or with a certain skillset.
Sample Boolean Search for Job Seekers
Let's say you're a Senior Product Designer looking for remote roles in AI.
Here's a Boolean string you might use:
("Senior Product Designer" OR "Lead UX Designer") AND ("AI" OR "GenAI" OR "LLMs") AND Remote NOT "Graphic Designer"
This finds roles with your title, that mention AI, that are remote — and skips irrelevant listings.
Best Practices for Designers
- Start with the basics — job title + must-have skill
- Use quotes for full job titles
- Group ORs with parentheses
- Use NOT to clean up junk
- Save your search to get alerts
Final Thoughts
Most people just scroll LinkedIn hoping the right job will show up.
But if you're a Product Designer who wants to be strategic about your job search? Boolean search is your secret weapon.
Once you get the hang of it, it'll save you time, energy, and help you find jobs that actually match your goals.
Try it out this week. Experiment with a few strings. Save your favorites.
And if you want help writing your own Boolean search string? Drop me a message — I'm happy to help.
Carl is a Talent Sourcer Building Design, Product & Engineering Teams at Meta. Carl is also a Mentor at Mento Design Academy. Before recruiting, he was a product designer working with many tech startups to design mobile apps. Carl is also the co-founder of a Meetup called Global UXD where he helps connect designers with each other and create new opportunities. Having completed Thinkful and DesignLab bootcamps before becoming a recruiter, he's an expert at helping designers land their first design roles. Find Carl on carlwheatly.com and LinkedIn.