Comprehensive Expert Answer • Key Terms Highlighted
Direct Recruiter Takeaway • Syntax Modifiers
Production-VerifiedThe wildcard operator, represented by an asterisk (*), serves as a character or word placeholder in information retrieval. In recruitment sourcing, wildcards are used for two distinct search functions: stemming (matching variable word endings from a shared root, e.g. admin* matching administrator, administration, or admin) and phrase filling (matching unknown intermediate words within an exact phrase).
Step-by-Step Execution Guide:
1
A common misconception among recruiters is assuming that the wildcard operator functions identically across all sourcing channels:
1
LinkedIn (Free, Recruiter Lite, and LinkedIn Recruiter): LinkedIn does NOT support root-word stemming. Searching recruit* on LinkedIn will not return candidates with recruitment or recruiter; it will search for the literal asterisk symbol. On LinkedIn, sourcers must write out full synonym lists using OR: (“Recruiter” OR “Recruitment” OR “Recruiting”).
2
Google & Google X-Ray: Google supports the asterisk strictly as a full-word placeholder within quotation marks, not as a character stemmer. For example, “VP of * Engineering” will match VP of Software Engineering or VP of Cloud Engineering.
3
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS): ATS platforms built on Lucene or Elasticsearch frameworks (such as Bullhorn or Vincere) frequently support true character stemming (e.g., test* matching tester, testing, tested).
Because platform wildcard support varies, write out full synonym variants using OR whenever sourcing across multiple channels.
Copy-Paste Production Search Strings:
1 StringGoogle X-Ray Word Placeholder Query
site:linkedin.com/in ("Head of * Marketing" OR "Director of * Marketing") AND "SaaS" AND ("Bengaluru" OR "Bangalore")•Matches variable middle words such as Head of Product Marketing or Head of Growth Marketing.
Recruiter Pro Tip from the Field
Never rely on the asterisk wildcard when building Boolean strings for LinkedIn or Naukri Resdex. Write out every single word variation explicitly using OR.
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