Boolean search
Searching with AND, OR, NOT and quoted phrases to control exactly which postings — or candidates — a query returns.
Boolean is how recruiters search their ATS and LinkedIn, and it works on most job boards too. The operators are few: quotes for exact phrases, OR for synonyms, AND to require, NOT or a minus to exclude, and parentheses to group. `("product manager" OR "product owner") AND fintech NOT contract` is a complete query.
For a job seeker the highest-value use is synonyms and exclusions. Titles are inconsistent across companies — the same job is Data Analyst, Business Analyst, and Analytics Engineer depending on who wrote the req — so an OR group catches roles a single title search misses. And a couple of NOT terms removes the categories that reliably waste your time.
It's also worth knowing because it explains why you're findable or not. If a recruiter's boolean for your role uses a term your profile never states, you're invisible to it regardless of how well you'd do the job.
Job board
A site that lists openings from many employers — either posted directly by them or scraped and aggregated from their careers pages.
Keyword optimization
Using the employer's own vocabulary for skills and tools you genuinely have, so you appear in the searches a recruiter runs.
Job posting
The employer's public description of a role — part specification, part marketing, and rarely a literal list of requirements.