In the previous post, LinkedIn-Based IQ Test, together with some folks who have posted insightful comments, we have observed that LinkedIn search attempts to interpret search terms. It recognizes the names of people and some (large?) companies if we enter them in the search box – and automatically alters the searches it performs based on that. For example, search for Morgan, get people with the first or last name – Morgan. Search for Morgan Stanley, LinkedIn decides it’s a company name. (We didn’t find this behavior helpful or intuitive).
As much as we would want LinkedIn to search for skills (vs. “just” keywords), it does not do that.
Here is your next set of searches – can you explain these? The results would be the same for a basic, job seeker, or business premium accounts:
- Java enterprise 6 results –> add a keyword, fewer results (as expected):
- java enterprise research 2 results –> add another keyword, more results (expect fewer):
- java enterprise research development 116 results –> add a keyword, fewer results (as expected):
- java enterprise research development software 2 results –> add a keyword, more results (expect fewer):
- java enterprise research development software quality 26 results
If you have one of the “professional” subscriptions – Recruiter, Lite, or Sales Navigator – you might want to look what the same searches produce there as well. You have guessed, the results will be different than in the “personal” search.
Josef Kaldec (whose hacks we loved watching at Sourcing Summit Europe) points to some interesting, related, behavior of the business network in his presentation.
David Galley and I will shed some more light on this mysterious LinkedIn search behavior in a repeat of the twice-sold-out webinar “Overcoming LinkedIn’s Limitations”– April 19, 2017.
I am also happy to report, that our new tool Social List finds many more results for some of those searches – and it costs less than Recruiter, Lite, or even Sales Navigator.
Now – who has some guesses, why do the above searches work as they do?