X-ray search has become the secret weapon of top recruiters in 2025, allowing them to find candidates that others miss. While most recruiters rely on basic LinkedIn searches, those using X-ray techniques can access up to 10x more candidate profiles and bypass platform limitations entirely.
The numbers speak for themselves: recruiters using advanced boolean search techniques report 45% faster time-to-fill and access to candidate pools that are 300% larger than traditional search methods. But with recent changes to LinkedIn’s data accessibility, the game has evolved significantly.
X-ray search (also called boolean search or X-ray sourcing) is a technique that uses search engines like Google to find specific information on websites using advanced search operators. Instead of searching directly on a platform like LinkedIn, you search through Google to uncover hidden profiles and bypass platform restrictions.
Think of it as using Google as a powerful microscope to examine the inside of websites – hence the term “X-ray.”
Bypass platform limitations:
Cost-effective sourcing:
Competitive advantage:
| Operator | Function | Example | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AND | Requires ALL terms | software AND engineer AND python | Profiles containing all three terms |
| OR | Includes ANY terms | developer OR programmer OR engineer | Profiles with any of these job titles |
| NOT (-) | Excludes terms | developer -recruiter -agency | Developers excluding recruiters/agencies |
| Operator | Function | Example | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| site: | Restricts to specific website | site:linkedin.com software engineer | Only LinkedIn results for software engineers |
| ”quotes” | Exact phrase search | "full stack developer" | Profiles with this exact phrase |
| asterisk (*) | Wildcard placeholder | "head of * engineering" | ”head of software engineering,” “head of data engineering,” etc. |
| parentheses () | Groups search terms | (developer OR engineer) AND python | Groups job titles with programming languages |
| intitle: | Searches page titles | intitle:resume "data scientist" | Resume pages for data scientists |
| inurl: | Searches within URLs | inurl:resume marketing manager | URLs containing “resume” + marketing manager |
| filetype: | Specific file types | filetype:pdf "software engineer" resume | PDF resumes for software engineers |
2025 LinkedIn changes: LinkedIn has significantly reduced what public search engines can access. Key profile data now hidden includes:
What still works:
Step 1: Basic LinkedIn X-ray structure
site:linkedin.com/in/ [job title] [skills] [location] [additional criteria]Step 2: Target specific job titles
site:linkedin.com/in/ "software engineer" python "san francisco"Step 3: Use multiple skill variations
site:linkedin.com/in/ (developer OR engineer OR programmer) (python OR java OR javascript)Step 4: Add location specificity
site:linkedin.com/in/ "data scientist" "machine learning" (london OR "united kingdom")Step 5: Exclude unwanted profiles
site:linkedin.com/in/ "marketing manager" -recruiter -agency -consultantMarketing professionals:
site:linkedin.com/in/ ("marketing manager" OR "marketing director")
(SaaS OR "software as a service") "demand generation" -agencyTechnical recruiters:
site:linkedin.com/in/ ("technical recruiter" OR "talent acquisition")
("software engineering" OR "tech recruiting") -agency -consultantSales professionals:
site:linkedin.com/in/ ("sales manager" OR "account executive")
(SaaS OR enterprise) "enterprise sales" "san francisco bay area"Engineering managers:
site:linkedin.com/in/ ("engineering manager" OR "lead engineer" OR "principal engineer")
(python OR golang OR kubernetes) startup -recruiterGitHub is goldmine for technical talent, especially developers who contribute to open source projects.
Basic GitHub search:
site:github.com "data scientist" "machine learning" location:londonAdvanced GitHub targeting:
site:github.com (python OR golang OR rust) "senior developer"
followers:>100 location:"san francisco"GitHub profile examples:
site:github.com "full stack developer" javascript react node.js repositories:>10Find developers based on their technical expertise and community contributions.
Stack Overflow search:
site:stackoverflow.com/users python django "senior developer"Target active contributors:
site:stackoverflow.com/users "machine learning" reputation:>1000 location:bostonPerfect for finding startup-oriented talent.
AngelList search:
site:angel.co "product manager" "early stage" "startup experience"AngelList with skills:
site:angel.co (founder OR "co-founder") (fintech OR "financial technology") "series a"For specialized roles requiring research background.
Research profile search:
site:researchgate.net "machine learning" PhD "computer science"Academic combination:
(site:researchgate.net OR site:academia.edu) "artificial intelligence"
"natural language processing" postdocIndeed resume search:
site:indeed.com/resume "software engineer" python 5+years -recruiterMonster resume search:
site:monster.com "marketing manager" "B2B marketing" "demand generation"IEEE for engineers:
site:ieee.org "signal processing" "embedded systems" "senior engineer"ACM for computer scientists:
site:acm.org "computer vision" "machine learning" researcherStrategy: Cast wide nets across platforms
(site:linkedin.com/in/ OR site:github.com OR site:stackoverflow.com/users)
"senior software engineer" (python OR golang) "distributed systems"Strategy: Target specific geographies
site:linkedin.com/in/ "product manager" (fintech OR "financial services")
("new york" OR "san francisco" OR london) -recruiterSaaS companies:
site:linkedin.com/in/ ("customer success" OR "account management")
SaaS ("enterprise software" OR B2B) ("account expansion" OR "customer retention")Fintech roles:
site:linkedin.com/in/ ("quantitative analyst" OR "risk management")
(fintech OR "financial technology" OR trading) ("machine learning" OR statistics)Healthcare IT:
site:linkedin.com/in/ ("healthcare IT" OR "health informatics")
(HIPAA OR "electronic health records" OR telemedicine) "software engineer"E-commerce specialists:
site:linkedin.com/in/ ("e-commerce manager" OR "digital marketing")
(shopify OR magento OR "amazon marketplace") "conversion optimization"Entry level candidates:
site:linkedin.com/in/ "junior developer" OR "associate engineer" OR "entry level"
(bootcamp OR "computer science degree") (internship OR "new graduate")Senior professionals:
site:linkedin.com/in/ ("senior" OR "lead" OR "principal" OR "staff") engineer
("10+ years" OR "decade" OR "15 years") (architect OR "technical leadership")C-level executives:
site:linkedin.com/in/ (CTO OR "chief technology officer" OR "VP engineering")
(startup OR scale-up OR "series b") ("team building" OR "engineering culture")Data science skills:
site:linkedin.com/in/ "data scientist" (python OR R OR sql)
("machine learning" OR "deep learning" OR "neural networks")
(tensorflow OR pytorch OR scikit-learn)Cloud computing expertise:
site:linkedin.com/in/ ("cloud engineer" OR "devops engineer")
(AWS OR azure OR "google cloud") (kubernetes OR docker) terraformFrontend development:
site:linkedin.com/in/ ("frontend developer" OR "UI developer")
(react OR angular OR vue.js) (typescript OR javascript)
("responsive design" OR "web performance")Full Stack Developer:
site:linkedin.com/in/ ("full stack developer" OR "fullstack developer")
(react OR angular OR vue) (node.js OR python OR ruby)
("3+ years" OR "5+ years") -recruiterDevOps Engineer:
site:linkedin.com/in/ ("devops engineer" OR "site reliability engineer")
(kubernetes OR docker) (AWS OR azure OR GCP)
(terraform OR ansible OR puppet) -consultantProduct Manager:
site:linkedin.com/in/ "product manager" (SaaS OR B2B OR mobile)
("product roadmap" OR "user research" OR "product strategy")
("5+ years" OR senior) -agencyData Engineer:
site:linkedin.com/in/ "data engineer" (python OR scala OR java)
(spark OR kafka OR airflow) ("data pipeline" OR ETL)
("big data" OR "data warehouse") -recruiterMarketing Manager:
site:linkedin.com/in/ "marketing manager" (B2B OR SaaS OR enterprise)
("demand generation" OR "lead generation" OR "growth marketing")
(HubSpot OR Salesforce OR Marketo) -agencySales Director:
site:linkedin.com/in/ ("sales director" OR "VP sales")
(enterprise OR "enterprise sales") ("quota attainment" OR "sales leadership")
("team management" OR "sales strategy") -recruiterCustomer Success Manager:
site:linkedin.com/in/ "customer success manager" (SaaS OR B2B)
("customer retention" OR "account expansion" OR "customer health")
(Salesforce OR HubSpot OR Gainsight) -consultantCybersecurity Analyst:
site:linkedin.com/in/ ("cybersecurity analyst" OR "information security")
(CISSP OR CISM OR "security clearance")
("threat detection" OR "incident response") penetration -recruiterUX Designer:
site:linkedin.com/in/ ("UX designer" OR "user experience designer")
(Figma OR Sketch OR Adobe) ("user research" OR "design thinking")
portfolio ("3+ years" OR senior) -agencyFinancial Analyst:
site:linkedin.com/in/ "financial analyst" (CPA OR CFA OR "financial modeling")
(Excel OR "financial planning" OR budgeting)
("3+ years" OR "5+ years") -recruiterStart broad, then narrow:
Use synonyms and variations:
Geographic considerations:
Verify search accuracy:
Track search performance:
Maintain search string library:
Respect platform terms:
Privacy and compliance:
Professional ethics:
Increasing restrictions:
Technical adaptations:
New platforms:
Technology advances:
Diversify sourcing channels:
Invest in skill development:
Build sustainable processes:
X-ray search remains one of the most powerful techniques in a recruiter’s toolkit, even with evolving platform restrictions. The key is understanding both the technical aspects of boolean search and the strategic application of these techniques.
As the recruiting landscape evolves, many professionals are also exploring AI people search as a complement to traditional X-ray techniques.
Start with these fundamentals:
Remember the human element:
Great X-ray search skills help you find candidates, but building relationships and providing value still determine your success. Use these techniques to expand your reach, but always focus on creating genuine connections with the people you discover.
Whether you’re sourcing software engineers, marketing professionals, or specialized technical roles, X-ray search gives you access to talent pools your competitors might miss. The investment in learning these techniques pays dividends in faster fills, better candidate quality, and reduced reliance on expensive platform subscriptions.
The bottom line: X-ray search is both an art and a science. The technical skills can be learned, but the strategic application comes with practice and experience. Start simple, experiment often, and always prioritize the candidate experience in your outreach efforts.
Ready to leverage advanced sourcing techniques without the learning curve? FidForward provides candidates sourced using expert X-ray search techniques and advanced AI people search, delivering qualified talent faster than traditional recruiting.