Candidate Search AI connects skills with AND or OR and lets you group them, so you get Boolean-style logic without writing a Boolean string.
Who can do this: Anyone with Candidate Search AI · Product: Candidate Search AI · Where: All candidates → AI Search → Filters sidebar → Skills & Competencies
Can I use Boolean search?
No, Candidate Search AI doesn't take Boolean strings. Describe the role in plain words instead, for example "Senior Java developer with fintech and AWS experience, based in London." Candidate Search AI turns your sentence into skills, work experience, location and an Ideal Candidate Brief in the Filters sidebar.
For strict rules, use the filters:
Boolean | In Candidate Search AI |
AND | Keep the AND pill between skills and make the skills required |
OR | Click the AND pill to switch it to OR, or put alternatives in a group |
NOT | Exclude the skill with the crossed-circle checkbox (tooltip Exclude skill) |
Brackets | Add Group |
Must-have | Make the skill required with the shield checkbox |
Titles, industries and "someone like this" don't need Boolean either. Write them in the Ideal Candidate Brief.
How do AND and OR work between skills?
By default every skill you add is connected with AND. Click the AND pill between two skills to switch it to OR. Click again to switch back.
AND: the candidate must have each required skill in the list. Skills that aren't required help ranking but remove nobody.
OR: at least one of the skills in the list must be present. When you switch the main skill list to OR, Candidate Search AI makes every skill in the list required and shows: "All skills in the OR group have been set to required to maintain consistent group behavior". That's expected: an OR list means "must have one of these".
The note after switching to OR
Candidate Search AI tells you that every skill in the OR group is now required.
After the switch, every connector reads OR and every skill is required:
A skill list switched to OR
Every connector reads OR and every skill is marked required.
If you don't want a strict filter at all, leave the list on AND and keep the skills optional. Candidate Search AI still prefers candidates who have any of them.
How do I build a skill group?
In Skills & Competencies, click Add Group. A group gets its own skill list and its own AND / OR connector.
Add the skills to the group.
Click the connector inside the group to choose AND or OR.
For another level, click Add Sub-Group inside the group.
Click Apply Changes at the bottom of the sidebar.
To remove a group, click the x on its header.
Example: a Java developer who also knows Kotlin or Scala.
Java (required)
AND
Group (OR): Kotlin, Scala
A skill group with OR
Java is required, and the group needs Kotlin or Scala.
Another example: cloud experience on any platform, plus Terraform.
Group (OR): AWS, Azure, GCP
AND
Terraform (required)
Tips for skill groups
One level of grouping is enough for almost every search. If you're building three levels, put the nuance in the Ideal Candidate Brief instead.
Don't rebuild Boolean strings. Groups are for real alternatives: this language OR that language.
How do I check it worked?
After Apply Changes, the results re-rank. Open a few top candidates and check the evaluations on the result cards. Too few results? Check how many skills are required, and switch strict OR groups back to optional skills.
Pro tip: Before you build groups, try AND with optional skills. Candidate Search AI still prefers candidates who have any of them, without removing anyone.
Need more help?
Click the chat icon at the bottom right and we'll get back to you.