Navigating Semantic Search

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Navigating Semantic Search
Presented by:
Irina Shamaeva
Partner, Brain Gain Recruiting
May 13, 2010

Agenda for Today’s Webinar:
What is Semantic Search?
Boolean vs. Semantic
Semantic Search Aspects
Word Proximity
Abbreviations
Synonyms
Keyword Clouds
Semantic Features
Web Search Engines
Social Media
Semantic Search Engines
Semantic Search Tools for Recruiters
Resources
Q&A
2

What is Semantic Search?
Semantic is meaning
In recruiting, semantic search would ideally identify the right candidates
Resume
Job Description
Resume
Resume
Resume
3

Semantic Search:Areas of Implementation
These factors affect feasibility of semantic search (keep in mind when comparing systems):
All world wide web vs. structured databases
Narrow topic vs. “everything”
A task to solve vs. exploration
4

What is Boolean?
Boolean means AND, OR, NOT
Boolean search syntax is the Boolean logic combined with operators, special characters, and options:
5

What is Boolean?
Note: Boolean syntax is different for different search engines and databases
6

Boolean “vs.” Semantic
Why compare the two?
Boolean is AND, OR, NOT
Semantic is meaning
Elements of semantic search are present in existing “Boolean” search engines
New “semantic” tools often include Boolean logic
7

Sourcing Process
8

“Boolean” Approach Example
Pick keywords from a job description and create Boolean strings
Software Engineer. You’ll help build next-generation security products, working as part of an energetic team and hacking in a Linux/Mac/open source environment The ideal candidate has: * 3+ years software development experience (Demonstrable fluency in C/C++)
* Demonstrable fluency in Ruby, or another interpreted, open source language (Python, Perl, PHP, etc.)
* A Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Mathematics or equivalent work experience
* TCP/IP experience, up and down the stack
* RDBMS familiarity, including entity design and SQL query troubleshooting
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“Boolean” Approach
"software engineer” Linux "open source" C++ Ruby TCP/IP SQL
“7,000+" results (an estimate);not right – mostly job posts
"software engineer” Linux "open source" C++ Ruby TCP/IP SQL -jobs -job
about 700+results (not bad!; many are resumes, some are not)
intitle:resume | inurl:resume "software engineer” Linux "open source" C++ Ruby TCP/IP SQL
about 75 results(good but we want more)
intitle:resume | inurl:resume "software engineer” | developer Linux | UNIX "open source" C++ Ruby | Perl | python | PHP TCP/IP SQL
about 700 results; pretty good; can play with it and look at the results
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“Semantic” Approach May…
Recognize the title, keywords, must-haves, locations
Suggest alternative terminology, abbreviations, target companies, colleges
Search for resumes that have target titles, must-have keywords in the recent experience
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Still, Any Tool Requires Human Input
Real life challenge:
“Тhey would like the functional candidates to come from similar consulting firms or recently in a consulting firm. They want to see some stability. For the technical roles – they need consulting, not out of industry. Except for the hard-to-find roles like Business objects.”
12

Semantic Search Angles
Word Proximity
Example: “managed NEAR people”
Abbreviations
PwC = Pricewaterhousecoopers; “Big 4” = “Big Four”
Synonyms
Software Engineer = Developer
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SYNONYMS
ARE ALL
THE SAME
TO ME
SYNONYMS
ARE ALL
THE SAME
TO ME

More Semantic Search Angles
Weighted words
Example: titles vs. must-haves vs. nice-to-haves in resumes
Keyword clouds
Relevant keywords may be added to search
Ranking
Semantic search may order results based on content, not on popularity
14

Semantic Features – Web Search Engines
Auto-stemming (child children)
Selected recognition of special characters:
C++, C#
Some results will be relevant but will not have your keyword
15

Google offers similar search strings
Google personalizes results, making them more relevant over time
16

Asterisk * (almost) allows for proximity search
17

Tilde ~ allows to search for synonyms
18

Semantic Features – Social Media
Structured profiles allow meaningful search (but no synonyms recognition)
19

Semantic Features – Social Media
Extra search capabilities:
Tag search: #hashtags on Twitter; tagged blog posts
Search within targeted groups and communities: LinkedIn groups
20

Need For Improved Search
The web search lacks the capacity to match our needs as recruiters. There’s no sure way to:
Find resumes among documents
Find people in the right locations
Find skills matching those in a job description
Not to miss resumes with similar terms
We need to review lots and lots of resumes trying to find the best
21

Need for Improved Search
Goal:
Spend less time searching and more time talking to the right candidates
Possible solutions for recruiters:
Parsing tools
Semantic search
22

Parsing Tools
By parsing search results we can narrow them down to those that are likely to be on target
Example: Find resumes using the keyword Microsoft, parse, and pick those where Microsoft means employer
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Semantic Search EnginesProgramming Considerations
It is easier to implement semantic search:
For a particular task (such as searching resumes in a specific industry) than as a general tool
For a limited set of structured documents (such as a resume database), than for the web
24

General Semantic Search Engines… …may be useful for research…
25

…but won’t solve recruiting problems
Screenshot from a semantic search engine
26

Semantic Search For Recruiters
27
There is no one “ideal” semantic tool recruiters, yet
New tools offer:
Elements of semantic search for the web
Implementations of semantic search for sets of resumes or profiles
Friendlier UI than the Boolean syntax

Semantic Search For Recruiters:Functionality
Help building queries
Custom search engines
String suggestions (restrictive)
Use clouds of keywords for an industry
Use lists (like “top schools”, “list of majors”, etc.)
28

Semantic Search For Recruiters:Functionality (cont.)
Allow users to give weights to keywords
Search for matches in user’s networks
Add extra semantic search capacity to existing resume databases
29

Semantic Search For Recruiters:User Interface
Boolean search strings may look cryptic but they allow control over search
A substitute UI needs to be friendly without affecting the quality of results
Look for the right tool
30

Incorporating Semantic Search Into Your Sourcing Strategy
Assess semantic search tools
Understand the technology behind it
Have the right expectations
Try it out for your purposes (industry, location, etc.) Extra points if it can “learn” or be tuned
See how it integrates with other tools you use
Check whether the UI is clear and friendly
You may want to use several sourcing tools if they complement each other
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Summary
Use semantic search capacity of search engines and Social Networks
Use general semantic search engines for research
Review new semantic search tools for recruiters – start incorporating them into your recruiting strategy
Expect increasing industry focus, adoption, and innovation in semantic recruiting in the months to come
32

Thank You & Q&A
Boolean Strings Network and Group
http://booleanstrings.ning.com/
LinkedIn group: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1176637
My Blog
http://booleanstrings.wordpress.com/
I offer:
Training DVDs and Webinars
Sourcing Help
Please email me at irina@braingainrecruiting.com
33

Navigating Semantic Search

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