Boolean search string for Software Engineer
Copy-paste strings to source Software Engineer candidates, plus the title synonyms, skills and exclusions they are built from. Adapt the terms to your market before running them.
LinkedIn search
("software engineer" OR "software developer" OR "application developer" OR "programmer analyst" OR "member of technical staff" OR sde) AND python AND java AND go AND (typescript OR c# OR sql OR git OR "rest api" OR "unit testing" OR docker OR "system design" OR algorithms OR microservices OR kubernetes OR ci/cd OR aws OR "event-driven" OR "code review") NOT (recruiter OR intern OR student OR "staffing agency" OR "sales engineer")Paste into the LinkedIn people-search box. LinkedIn supports AND, OR, NOT and quoted phrases.
Google X-ray
site:linkedin.com/in ("software engineer" OR "software developer" OR "application developer" OR "programmer analyst" OR "member of technical staff" OR sde) python java go (typescript OR c# OR sql OR git OR "rest api" OR "unit testing" OR docker OR "system design" OR algorithms OR microservices OR kubernetes OR ci/cd OR aws OR "event-driven" OR "code review") -recruiter -intern -student -"staffing agency" -"sales engineer"Paste into Google. It searches public LinkedIn profiles without LinkedIn Recruiter — add a location in quotes to narrow it.
Terms behind the Software Engineer string
| Job titles | software engineer · software developer · application developer · programmer analyst · member of technical staff · sde |
|---|---|
| Core skills | python · java · go · typescript · c# · sql · git · rest api · unit testing · docker · system design · algorithms |
| Nice to have | microservices · kubernetes · ci/cd · aws · event-driven · code review |
| Excluded | recruiter · intern · student · staffing agency · sales engineer |
Sourcing notes
- Start broad, then narrow. If a string returns under ~20 profiles, drop the nice-to-have group before you drop titles.
- Exclusions cut noise but also cut real candidates — check a few excluded profiles before trusting a NOT clause.
- Titles vary by company size: what reads as senior at a startup can be mid-level at an enterprise. Read the profile, not the label.
Build a custom Boolean string → · Interview scorecard for a Software Engineer →
Frequently asked questions
What should an interview scorecard for a software engineer include?
Weighted competencies that match what the role actually does, behavioral anchors describing what a low and a high answer sound like, and one probe per competency that asks for past work rather than hypotheticals. Weights should add to 100 so scores are comparable across interviewers. Without anchors, two interviewers will use the same number to mean different things.
How many interview rounds does a software engineer hire need?
Most teams get what they need from two to four rounds: a technical conversation about past work, a practical exercise close to the real codebase, and a session on design and collaboration. Adding rounds past that usually adds calendar time rather than information. Decide which competency each round is responsible for before scheduling it.
How do you compare two software engineers who scored the same?
Go back to the evidence behind each score instead of re-arguing the totals. Compare the specific examples each candidate gave on the highest-weighted competencies, and check whether a score rests on something they personally did or something their team did. Verdict scores candidates on that kind of cited evidence, so the tie-break stays anchored to what was actually said.
When the stakes are a real hire, use evidence
These tools are quick heuristics. Verdict reads the CV against your job description and scores six dimensions with verbatim quotes as evidence — a hiring document you can defend.