General Job Search Phrase

Modifier Strategies

 

To help you find relevant job postings to examine, each Career Summary Profile includes “Search Phrases” that can help you gauge your level of interest in this type of role. In many situations, we’ve included multiple Search Phrases because: 1) different companies use different titles for the same type of job and 2) some jobs are very similar but use different job titles.

 

These search phrases have been created using Boolean Search terms that will help you more easily find relevant job openings.  Boolean coded Search Phrases aren’t perfect: Although they will bring up some unrelated jobs in your search results, using these phrases will result in more effective and efficient searches. Simply copy one search phrase at a time (exactly as we have ‘coded’ it on the career profile) and paste it into the ‘What” box on www.Indeed.com.

 

Note: While you can look for a job using any job board, we recommend using Indeed.com to explore job postings because Indeed.com is the only job board that recognizes and understands Boolean code Job Search Phrases.

 

To help you explore each idea fully, as well as to direct your search to job opportunities that better leverage your background and/or better align with your interests, you can also strategically modify the General Job Search Phrases. 

This guide explains how to explore opportunities based on:

  • Your levels of experience
  • Your skills
  • Your education
  • Industries that appeal to you
  • Stage of employers
  • Jobs that let you travel (if that appeals to you)
  • Your foreign language skills

Here’s How to Explore Job Ideas at Different Seniority Levels

 

For job ideas that could appeal to you, we recommend investigating senior titles (so you can see what career growth looks like for that job), as well as investigating more immediate target job titles (which might be mid-level or more junior roles depending on your relevant skills, knowledge, and background). Below is information on how to do that.

 

First, one quick note: People often ask us what ‘level’ of seniority they should target.  Unfortunately, companies use different ‘seniority’ level titles for the same type of job.  For example, a small company might give its ‘marketing coordinator’ position the title of “Marketing Director” (no exaggeration - We’ve actually seen it).  That said, the ‘seniority’ titles shown below are the ones typically used by most companies.

 

To explore more senior roles, add any of these to General Job Search Phrases and Additional Search Phrases:

Title:director

Title:deputy

Title:manager

Title:officer

Title:senior

Title:sr.

Title:VP

Title:“vice president”

Title:consultant

For example:

Title:“name of appealing job from your results report” title:director

title:"employee engagement" title:director

To explore less senior roles, add any of these to any title listed in the General Job Search Phrases and Additional Search Phrases:

Title:associate

Title:assistant

Title:lead

Title:specialist

Title:analyst  <= this can be a particularly interesting title if you have you’re more “analytical” or you currently have an analytical role

For example:

Title:“name of appealing job from your Results Report” title: analyst

 title:"employee engagement" title:analyst

To explore Junior roles, add any of these to any title listed in the General Job Search Phrases and Additional Search Phrases:

Title:coordinator <= this tends to be a Jack/Jill of all trades entry-level role

Title:junior

Title:intern

Title:entry

Title:trainee

Title:in-training

For example:

Title:“name of appealing job from your Results Report” title: coordinator

title:"employee experience" title:coordinator

Here’s How to Explore Job Ideas that Leverage Your Existing Skills

It’s often easier to make a career transition when you leverage your current skills and knowledge. For potential job ideas that appeal to you, see if you can find job openings that leverage your background.

For example, if you’re an accountant and want to change to a career in Financial Planning & Analysis, you could use this search phrase to search for job titles that leverage your background:

Title:fp&a AND (accountant OR accounting)

Here are a few search phrase ‘rules’ you should know:

  • The word AND must be capitalized
  • If you want to search for two skills / qualifications at a time, put parenthesis around the two skills and put the word OR between them: AND (accountant OR accounting)
  • If a skill has two or more words in it, put quotation marks around the skill: “cost accounting”: AND (“cost accountant” OR “cost accounting”)

Here’s How to Explore Job Ideas that Leverage Your Education (that You Have or Are Willing to Get)

 

Although many job advertisements specify employers want X years of experience and Y degree, what they really care about is: 1) can you do most of the job's major responsibilities; 2) are you motivated to do the type of work you’re applying for; 3) are you manageable; and 4) will they enjoy working with you.  Because hiring managers hire the candidate who best meets these four criteria, the person who gets hired often doesn’t have X years of experience and Y degree. 

 

If you want to look for roles at companies that are VERY open to hiring a person with a different degree or work experience, you can simply add this phrase to your General Job Search phrase: AND equivalent OR “equivalent experience”.

 

For example, to search for a Customer Success role at companies that are open to hiring a candidate without the ‘required education or experience’, use this phrase:

  • Title:“name of appealing job from your results report” AND (equivalent OR “equivalent experience”)
  • Title:"employee experience" AND (equivalent OR “equivalent experience”)

On the other hand, if you want to look for jobs that DO leverage your specific education, simply combine an appealing General Job Search Phrase with your education.  For example:

  • Title:“name of appealing job from your Results Report” AND (JD OR attorney)
  • Title:“name of appealing job from your Results Report” AND MBA
  • Title:“name of appealing job from your Results Report” AND CPA
  • Title:“name of appealing job from your Results Report” AND MPA
  • Title:"employee experience" AND MBA 

Here’s How to Explore Job Ideas that Align with Appealing Industries or Your Industry Experience

 

It’s great to work in a field / industry that appeals to us. 

 

Once you find job titles that interest you, so some research to see if those titles exist in industries that appeal to you. To do this, simply combine an appealing General Job Search phrase with an appealing industry, such as:

 

Title:“name of appealing job from your Results Report” AND nonprofit

Title:“name of appealing job from your Results Report” AND (hospital OR “nursing home”)

 

Here are a few search phrase ‘rules’ you should know:

  • If you want to search for opportunities in two industries at the same time, put parenthesis around the industries and put the word OR between them: AND (hotel OR Hospitality)
  • If an industry has two or more words in it, put quotation marks around the full industry name: “nursing home”

For example:

  • Title:“name of appealing job from your Results Report” AND (hotel OR hospitality)
  • Title:“name of appealing job from your Results Report” AND “nursing home”
  • Title:"employee experience" AND (hotel OR hospitality)

In case it helps, here’s a link to many industries: https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/alphalist.php

Here’s How to Explore Job Ideas at Startups

 

If you want a job at a Startup, add this phrase to the General Job Search Phrases that appeal to you: AND startup .  For example:

Title:“name of appealing job from your Results Report" AND startup

Title:"employee experience" AND startup

Here’s How to Explore Job Ideas That Involve Travel

 

If you want a job that gives you the opportunity to travel, add this phrase to the General Job Search Phrases that appeal to you: AND (travel OR visit).  For example:

Title:“name of appealing job from your Results Report” AND (travel OR visit)

Title:"employee experience" AND (travel OR visit)

Here’s How to Explore Job Ideas that Leverage Your Foreign Language Skills

 

If you want to see if you could leverage your foreign language skills in an appealing job idea, combine a General Job Search Phrase with your foreign language, such as:

Title:“name of appealing job from your Results Report” AND “foreign language”

Title:“name of appealing job from your Results Report” AND Spanish

Title:“name of appealing job from your Results Report” AND Japanese

Title:"employee experience" AND Spanish

Here’s How to Explore Job Ideas that Would Let You Work Remotely

 

To find jobs that would let you work remotely, combine a General Job Search Phrase with these keywords:

AND remote

AND hybrid

AND “work remotely”

AND (telecommuting OR telecommute OR telework)

AND (“anywhere job” OR “Virtual job”)

AND home-based

AND (“online job” OR off-site)

AND “distributed team”

AND (“work from home” OR “work at home)  <= this is the phrase that is most often used by scammers

For example:

Title:“name of appealing job from your Results Report” AND remote

title:"employee experience" AND remote