Master Google Search Operators to Find Hidden Job Opportunities

Google search operators (also called "Google dorks") are special commands that unlock hidden job listings. While most job seekers rely on job boards, you can use these operators to find opportunities directly on company websites - often days or weeks before they appear elsewhere.

Why Search Operators Matter

When a company posts a job on their ATS (like Greenhouse or Lever), it takes 3-7 days to syndicate to job boards like Indeed or LinkedIn. By using search operators, you can:

Find jobs immediately after posting
Apply before the flood of candidates
Discover opportunities never posted to job boards
Access hidden positions on company career pages

Essential Search Operators

1. site: - Search Specific Websites

Find all jobs on a specific platform:

site:greenhouse.io "software engineer" remote
site:lever.co "product manager" remote
site:linkedin.com/jobs "ux designer" remote

Why it works: Searches only the specified domain, filtering out everything else.

2. OR - Combine Multiple Terms

Search multiple platforms simultaneously:

site:greenhouse.io OR site:lever.co "data scientist" remote

Search for multiple job titles:

"software engineer" OR "software developer" OR "backend engineer" remote

3. intitle: - Search Page Titles

Find career pages with specific titles:

intitle:"careers" OR intitle:"jobs" "full stack developer" remote
intitle:"we're hiring" javascript remote

Why it works: Job listings often have job titles in the page title.

4. inurl: - Search URLs

Target career page URLs:

inurl:careers "devops engineer" remote
inurl:jobs "account manager" remote -site:linkedin.com -site:indeed.com

5. Minus (-) - Exclude Terms

Remove unwanted results:

"software engineer" remote -senior -lead -principal
"marketing manager" remote -unpaid -internship -volunteer
site:greenhouse.io "designer" -senior -staff -principal

Use cases:

Exclude seniority levels
Remove competitors
Filter out job boards
Exclude specific companies

6. Quotes ("") - Exact Match

Search for exact phrases:

"remote first company" hiring
"fully distributed team" jobs
"work from anywhere" developer

7. filetype: - Find Job Spec Documents

Discover job descriptions in PDFs and DOCs:

filetype:pdf "job description" "software engineer" remote
filetype:doc "position description" marketing remote

Why it works: Companies often share internal job docs publicly.

8. intext: - Search Page Content

Find specific text anywhere on page:

intext:"apply now" intext:"remote" "product designer"
intext:"join our team" developer remote

Advanced Combinations

Find Jobs on ATS Platforms

(site:greenhouse.io OR site:lever.co OR site:workable.com OR site:ashbyhq.com)
"frontend engineer" remote

Exclude Job Boards

"software engineer" remote inurl:careers
-site:indeed.com -site:linkedin.com -site:glassdoor.com
-site:ziprecruiter.com -site:monster.com

Find Startup Jobs

(site:ycombinator.com OR site:angel.co OR site:wellfound.com)
"engineer" remote

Target Specific Company

site:amazon.jobs "software development engineer" remote
site:careers.google.com "product manager" remote

Remote-First Companies Only

"remote first" OR "fully distributed" OR "remote only"
intitle:"careers" developer

Find Newly Posted Jobs

Use Google's time filter:

Search with your operators
Click "Tools"
Select "Past 24 hours" or "Past week"

Example:

site:greenhouse.io "backend engineer" remote
[Tools] → [Past 24 hours]

Industry-Specific Searches

Tech Jobs

(site:greenhouse.io OR site:lever.co)
("software engineer" OR "developer" OR "programmer")
(remote OR "work from home")
-senior -lead -staff

Design Jobs

(site:dribbble.com/jobs OR site:behance.net/joblist)
("ux designer" OR "product designer" OR "ui designer")
remote

Marketing Jobs

inurl:careers ("marketing manager" OR "growth marketer" OR "digital marketing")
remote -site:indeed.com -site:linkedin.com

Sales Jobs

site:greenhouse.io ("account executive" OR "sales representative")
(SaaS OR "software sales") remote

Customer Success

(site:lever.co OR site:greenhouse.io)
"customer success" remote
-site:indeed.com

Time-Saving Pro Tips

Create Custom Search Engines

Create a Google Custom Search Engine with your favorite operators pre-configured:

Go to: https://programmablesearchengine.google.com
Add your favorite job sites
Save operators as bookmarks
Search from browser address bar

Save Common Searches

Bookmark frequently used searches:

Bookmark: "ATS Jobs - Engineer - Remote"
URL: https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Agreenhouse.io+OR+site%3Alever.co+%22software+engineer%22+remote

Use URL Parameters

Google search URL parameters for automation:

q= - Your search query
tbs=qdr:d - Past 24 hours
tbs=qdr:w - Past week
tbs=qdr:m - Past month
num=100 - 100 results per page

Example URL:

https://www.google.com/search?q=site:greenhouse.io+engineer+remote&num=100&tbs=qdr:w

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Remote Software Engineer at Startups

(site:greenhouse.io OR site:lever.co OR site:ashbyhq.com)
"software engineer"
(remote OR "work from anywhere")
-senior -staff -principal -lead

Results: 200+ relevant jobs Time to apply: Days before they hit Indeed

Example 2: Design Jobs, Any Level

(site:dribbble.com/jobs OR site:behance.net/joblist OR site:authentic jobs.com)
("ux designer" OR "product designer" OR "ui designer")
remote

Results: High-quality design-focused listings

Example 3: Tech Company Jobs Only

(site:careers.google.com OR site:jobs.apple.com OR site:amazon.jobs OR
site:careers.microsoft.com OR site:facebook.com/careers)
"software" remote

Results: Big tech remote opportunities

Example 4: No Experience Required

site:greenhouse.io
("junior" OR "entry level" OR "associate")
"software engineer" remote

Results: Entry-level remote positions

Example 5: High-Paying Jobs

site:levels.fyi OR site:greenhouse.io
"senior software engineer"
("$200k" OR "$300k" OR "200000" OR "300000")
remote

Results: High-compensation roles with salary info

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Too Many Operators Bad: site:greenhouse.io inurl:jobs intitle:careers intext:remote "engineer" Good: site:greenhouse.io "engineer" remote

❌ Forgetting Quotes Bad: software engineer (searches for pages with "software" OR "engineer") Good: "software engineer" (exact phrase)

❌ Not Excluding Job Boards Bad: "software engineer" remote Good: "software engineer" remote -site:indeed.com -site:linkedin.com

❌ Too Specific Bad: site:greenhouse.io "Senior Software Engineer III" remote "React" "TypeScript" "AWS" "San Francisco" Good: site:greenhouse.io "software engineer" remote react

Automated Solutions

JobRadar Advantage

While these operators are powerful, manually running them is time-consuming. JobRadar automates this entire process:

Manual Approach:

Run 10+ searches separately
Copy URLs manually
Track which jobs you've seen
Miss new postings
Time: 1-2 hours daily

JobRadar Approach:

One search runs 50+ operators
Deduplicated results
Track applications automatically
Real-time updates
Time: 2 minutes

Set Up Google Alerts

Get new jobs delivered to your inbox:

Go to: https://www.google.com/alerts
Enter your search operator
Select "As it happens" or "Daily"
Deliver to your email

Example Alert:

site:greenhouse.io OR site:lever.co "software engineer" remote

Conclusion

Google search operators are the secret weapon of successful job seekers. By mastering these techniques, you'll:

Find jobs 3-7 days earlier
Avoid competition from job boards
Discover hidden opportunities
Apply to higher-quality positions
Spend less time searching

Start with simple operators and gradually combine them. The key is consistency - spend 15-20 minutes daily running these searches, and you'll see results.

Want to automate all these search operators? JobRadar runs 50+ advanced searches simultaneously, saving you hours of work.