Free Google X-Ray Search Builder for Recruiters
Describe the role and get copy-ready Google X-Ray strings for LinkedIn, GitHub, Stack Overflow, Dribbble, Behance and public resumes. AI adds the title variants and skill synonyms people actually use.
Free. No sign-up. Built for recruiters.
Last updated: October 4, 2026
Describe who you are looking for
A job title is enough to start. Skills and location make the strings far more precise.
How to use the X-Ray search builder
Enter the job title, must-have skills and location. Paste a job description if you want skills pulled from it.
Pick the sites where this kind of candidate keeps a public profile.
Review the suggested titles and synonyms, then open the precise search in Google.
Too few results? Switch to the broad string and add skills back one at a time.
Screen your shortlist with AI interviews instead of booking a call with everyone.
What is Google X-Ray search?
Google X-Ray search uses the site: operator to search inside one website through Google. Instead of LinkedIn's own search box, which limits free accounts, you ask Google for public LinkedIn profile pages that mention a title, skills and location. The same technique works for GitHub, Stack Overflow, design portfolios and resumes people have published online.
A good X-Ray string has three parts: the site to search, one OR group per requirement, and exclusions that remove noise. Getting the synonyms right is the hard part. A backend engineer may describe themselves as a backend developer, software engineer or API developer. That is the step this builder automates.
Google reads each group as a requirement and uses only the first 32 words of a query. The builder counts the words in every string and leaves out the least important terms first, such as extra synonyms. It tells you what it left out so you can swap terms in by hand.
- site: limits results to one website, such as linkedin.com/in for member profiles.
- Quotation marks match an exact phrase, such as "backend engineer".
- OR inside parentheses accepts any term in the group. OR must be uppercase.
- A minus sign removes pages with a word, such as -jobs.
- Keep the whole string under 32 words.
Example: X-Ray search on LinkedIn
site:linkedin.com/in ("Backend Engineer" OR "Backend Developer")
(Python OR Django) (PostgreSQL OR Postgres) Austin -jobs
This finds profiles with either title, Python or Django, PostgreSQL in either spelling, and Austin. It skips pages that mention jobs.Google X-Ray search operators
These are the operators the builder uses. You can edit any copied string with them.
| Operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| site: | Searches only one website | site:linkedin.com/in |
| " " | Matches an exact phrase | "product designer" |
| OR | Matches any term in the group (must be uppercase) | (Python OR Django) |
| ( ) | Groups alternatives so they act as one requirement | ("SDR" OR "BDR") |
| - | Excludes a word or operator | -jobs -intern |
| inurl: / intitle: | Matches words in the page address or title | intitle:resume |
| filetype: | Matches a document type | filetype:pdf |
Google ignores everything after the 32nd word, so long strings silently lose their last requirements.
Google X-Ray search examples for recruiters
Use these as starting points. Titles, spellings and site structures change, so test each string before you rely on it.
Backend engineer, Austin (LinkedIn)
site:linkedin.com/in ("backend engineer" OR "backend developer" OR "API developer") (Python OR Django) (PostgreSQL OR Postgres) Austin -jobs -hiringSaaS sales manager, Sydney (LinkedIn)
site:linkedin.com/in ("sales manager" OR "account manager" OR "account executive") (SaaS OR software) (Sydney OR NSW) -jobs -hiring -internChartered accountant, Dubai (public CVs)
(intitle:resume OR intitle:CV) (filetype:pdf OR filetype:docx) ("chartered accountant" OR ACCA OR CPA) (Dubai OR UAE) -template -sample -jobsReact developer, Toronto (GitHub)
site:github.com (React OR "Next.js") (TypeScript OR JavaScript) Toronto "followers" -inurl:tab -inurl:blob -intitle:"software is built"Python developer, Berlin (Stack Overflow)
site:stackoverflow.com/users (Python OR Django OR FastAPI) (Berlin OR Germany) -"Keeping a low profile"Product designer, London (Dribbble)
site:dribbble.com ("product designer" OR "UX designer" OR "UI designer") Figma London -inurl:shots -inurl:directories -inurl:designers -inurl:servicesBrand designer, Amsterdam (Behance)
site:behance.net ("brand designer" OR "visual identity" OR "graphic designer") (Amsterdam OR Netherlands) -inurl:gallery -inurl:joblistStart with the title group and one skill group. Check the first page of results before you add location or exclusions.
Which site should you X-Ray?
| Site | Best for | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Most professional roles | Public profiles only; headlines carry the job title | |
| Public resumes | Hard-to-find or regional talent | Documents can be years out of date |
| GitHub / Stack Overflow | Software engineers with public code or Q&A history | Titles are rare, so search skills and location; activity varies by language |
| Dribbble / Behance | Product, visual and brand designers | Judge the portfolio, not the keywords |
X-Ray search only finds what Google has indexed publicly. It will not show private profiles or LinkedIn Recruiter data.
How to know if your X-Ray string is good
Judge the string by the profiles it returns on the first two pages.
- Most results are profile pages, not job ads, directories or company pages.
- The profiles match the role shape: title, level and core skill.
- The word count is under 32, so Google reads every requirement.
- Each requirement sits in its own group, with alternatives joined by uppercase OR.
- Removing the last group you added makes the results broader in a way you expected.
- Exclusions target noise words such as jobs or hiring, not people.
X-Ray search finds public keyword evidence. Skill depth, interest and availability still need to be confirmed in screening.
Common X-Ray search mistakes
Searching with your internal job title
People describe their work in their own words. Include common title variants and abbreviations rather than the title on your requisition.
Adding every requirement at once
Start broad, check the first page, then add a skill group. If results disappear, the last group was too narrow.
Going past 32 words
Google ignores everything after the 32nd word, so long strings silently lose their last requirements.
Writing OR in lowercase
Google treats a lowercase or as an ordinary word. Use uppercase OR inside parentheses.
Excluding people instead of noise
Exclude words like jobs, hiring or intern that pull in job ads. Never filter on terms that act as proxies for age, gender or background.
Ignoring privacy and platform rules
Contact people through appropriate channels and store only the data you need, in line with the platform's terms and privacy laws where you hire.
This tool vs. ChatGPT vs. writing X-Ray strings manually
This X-Ray builder
AI suggests titles and synonyms, then fixed rules assemble valid strings for each site, count words and show what was left out. You still review the terms.
ChatGPT
Good at brainstorming synonyms from a detailed prompt. It may mix Google and LinkedIn syntax, use outdated site paths or go past the 32-word limit without saying so.
Manual X-Ray string
Full control for an experienced sourcer who knows each site's URL patterns. Slower to write for several sites and easy to mistype.
Use the builder for a fast, valid first draft, then edit the copied string by hand when you know the niche better than the suggestions.
When X-Ray search is the wrong tool
X-Ray search works when candidates publish public profiles that Google has indexed. It works less well when:
- The people you need keep their profiles private or rarely publish anything online.
- You need filters for years of experience, company history or career moves.
- You need saved lists your team can work from, rather than a set of Google tabs.
- You run the same searches every week for similar roles.
- You need evidence of skill, not a keyword on a page.
In those cases, AI Talent Search lets you search profiles by skills, company, experience and country with filters, then move candidates into outreach and screening.
Frequently asked questions
Explore more free tools
Sourcing is the easy part. Screening takes the time.
InterviewFlowAI runs phone or video AI interviews with the candidates you find, scores each answer against your rubric, and gives you transcripts, scorecards and a ranked shortlist to review.
For niche roles or several client mandates, see how InterviewFlowAI supports recruitment agencies