Previously on the Batman Process….
What is the Batman Seven Step Process?
- Work by hand
- Write Down What You Did
- Find Patterns
- Check by Hand
- Translate to Code (Boolean)
- Run Test Cases
- Debug Failed Test Cases
Step 1. Work by Hand
What does it mean to “Work by hand? This step would happen when we first get the job requirement or intake meeting.
Step 2. Write Down What You Did.
Once you are comfortable that you understand what you’re looking for, have some profiles of people that may be currently working for your company in this role (or profiles that the hiring manager may have passed along that look like a fit), or even people that you’ve used in a similar search; it’s time to write everything down.
Step 3. Find Patterns
Start looking for what pops out that is similar on the profiles that you’ve just looked at. As you find the similar phrases, skills, software, etc. write it down.
Step 4. Check by Hand
It’s the critical thinking part of this exercise that will help you find spots to make this helpful. Once you’ve spent some time reviewing the profiles that helped you find the common traits and the patterns, you’ll be ready to apply that to a much larger set of information.
And now, the stunning conclusion….
Step 5. Translate to Code (Boolean)
Every good programmer has to be able to take the algorithms and data structures and translate that to code. It could be Java, Clojure, or maybe even GoLang. Just like any programmer with a good CS background doesn’t depend on just one language to get the job done, good recruiters shouldn’t depend on one site (or one search) to find the results.
Now that you have all the information that you need, start writing your boolean. Not just one or two search strings, but try writing several different Boolean strings to get you started. We’ll get to testing in the next step. Take the keywords that you’ve found in the ideal profiles and the patterns that you were able to find and translate that into a search string.
Try a few that are nice and broad strokes, try a few that you think will give you very few or niche results. How?
The Boolean operator AND is going to narrow your search while OR is going to expand it.
Step 6. Run Test Cases
Have your strings? Now let’s test them out. Try them in several places. Google, LinkedIn, Indeed, your internal databases, or anywhere else you might be searching for candidates.
Take note of your results.
Try the string that gives you the broad results. Then try the string that was very focused.
Step 7. Debug Failed Test Cases
After you’ve finished running your searches, take a look through the results. Were you getting the information that you needed?
Did you get the profiles that look close to what you were sourcing? What did you need to add, what did you need to take away?
This is where you get to take your ideas from the previous steps and see if your hypothesis was correct. If not, go through each string and look for what to change.
Taking a step-by-step process to get through the search may seem like a lot of work. It may seem like you’re performing multiple steps multiple times. That’s ok. Taking the time to slow down just a bit and look at your search with an analytical approach will pay off. You’re able to learn about how to build a string and not just rely on one database for answers. Keep being the best detective on your force!
Are you curious to learn more? Check out The Batman Sourcing Process – Part 1 and Part 2.