Build the string in four steps
- Step 1: list every title variant for the role in one OR group, inside parentheses.
- Step 2: add the skills that decide a fit with AND, keeping the list short at first.
- Step 3: apply location, work authorization and availability with the platform’s filters instead of keywords where possible.
- Step 4: review twenty results, then add or remove terms based on what you see.
Example strings
Replace the bracketed parts. Quote multi-word phrases.
("[Title A]" OR "[Title B]" OR "[Title C]") AND ("[Skill 1]" AND "[Skill 2]")A worked example for a DevOps role
A reasonable starting point, to be tested and adjusted on the platform.
("DevOps Engineer" OR "Site Reliability Engineer" OR "Platform Engineer" OR "Cloud Engineer") AND (Kubernetes OR Terraform) AND (AWS OR Azure)Common mistakes
- Searching a single title and missing candidates who use a synonym.
- Requiring too many skills with AND, which leaves almost no results.
- Ignoring work authorization, which wastes calls on candidates who cannot take the requirement.
- Not saving a string that works, so the next recruiter starts from scratch.
Where to go next
Each sourcing guide lists title variants and skills for one role, so you can build these strings quickly. The Boolean cheat sheet covers operators and platform differences.
Frequently asked questions
Do Dice Boolean searches support parentheses?
Boolean search tools generally support grouping with parentheses. Confirm current behavior in Dice’s help pages and test on a small result set.
Should I search Dice by title or by skill?
Use both: a title group for the role and one or two must-have skills, since titles vary between employers.