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What is advanced search?

Advanced search allows you to use Google-like searching to find and rank people records according to how close they meet your query terms. To access advanced search, click on "Projects" in the navigation bar, and then "Search" in the sub-menu.


A video covering the basics of the search function can be accessed by clicking on the video camera mark in the top-left of the search page. 


Search Concepts

When searching for people, it is possible to limit the scope of potential results using query terms, and then further filter the results once they are returned. Therefore, we recommend you cast a wide net using only a few targeted query terms, then narrow the results using the filters.

The search is Google-like, which means you do not need to be exact when building your query as we will automatically find related people that are not an exact match and then rank them according to how high they score against the query. You can easily amend the query should the initial results appear too general or use the filters to narrow the results down.

For example, specifying Mobile Telecommunications as a required industry sector will conduct a "soft" search for other closely related industries such as Telecommunications Equipment or Mobile Services. This allows your search to find all suitable people, even if their profiles do not contain the exact information you specified. However, people who are categorised specifically with Mobile Telecommunications as an industry will appear higher in the results than people who specified related industries.


If you are too specific with your initial query, you may miss people that are not an exact match if they have been incorrectly categorised or who are working in a closely related category. 

Using query terms

Query terms can be combined to generate different results using the three Must haves, Important and Do not include query types in the search bar as follows:

  • Must have query terms are required to appear in the profiles, meaning candidates who do not meet all specifications in this category will not be shown. This works like an AND logic function. However, the search engine will still return related people, such as those working in similar industries, but will not find people who work in different industries. Related people will be ranked lower than exact matches.
  • Important prerequisites are not requirements but priorities, meaning people who don't match the query term, or related categories, will still be included in the results (unlike must have) but ranked lower than those who have the exact or related category. This works like an OR logic function.
  • Do not include prerequisites will hide any candidates that meet one or more of these specifications. This works similar to a NOT logic function.


You can move query terms between query types by dragging and dropping. Although vertical order has no influence, it can be adjusted to your preference within each type. 

Categories and profile sections

You can further limit the scope of the results by searching within different sections of a profile, or specifying a category, such as industry sector or role classification. When you start typing a query term, a dropdown appears with suggested matches within each section of a profile or category name. Click on the suggestion within the required section heading.

The scope of each heading is as follows:

  • Role classification: a category search based on the pick list of standard role classifications. The search will be automatically expanded to include related categories, though these results will be ranked lower.
  • Industry sector: a category search based on the pick list of standard industry sectors. The search will be automatically expanded to include related categories, though these results will be ranked lower.
  • Company types: an exact category search based on the pick list of company types.
  • Locations: a proximity search centred on the chosen location. Profiles that specifically state the exact location, will match 100% for that query term. Profiles that state locations within the chosen query term will match 95%. Profiles with locations geographically close to the chosen location will be included in the results but will match with a percentage inversely proportional to their distance from the chosen location. Locations 20km outside the specified location will score 0% and not factor in the results.
  • Company name: An exact match on a list of company names derived from all people profiles.
  • NED classification: an exact category search based on the pick list of Non-Executive Director classifications.
  • Languages: a category search on spoken languages.
  • Tags: a category search on People Tags.
  • Notes: a free-text search on all person notes.
  • Profile: a free-text search on the complete profile, including all categories, but excluding notes and custom fields.
  • Title: a free-text search on the stated job title, which may be different to the role classification.
  • Skill: a free-text search on the skill attributes specified within each job position.
  • Achievement: a free-text search on the achievement fields specified within each job position.
  • Education: a free-text search across all education section fields.
  • Custom fields: a free-text search on the combined textual representation of all custom fields.


If you wish to do a free-text search on the entire profile, choose the 'Profile' section in the dropdown list. The profile section is created by combining most of the person's data into one searchable field. Custom fields and notes are currently not included in the general profile search.


Query term tense

You can further restrict certain query terms by specifying their tense. For example, you can restrict a category search so that only current positions are considered, while past positions are ignored. To change the tense, click on the arrow located underneath the icon representing the query term.



The categories and profiles sections that allow the tense to be specified are as follows:

  • Role classification
  • Industry sector
  • Company types
  • NED Classification
  • Company name
  • Locations
  • Title


The definition of each tense is as follows:

  • Any: ignore tense and search in the aspirational section and all current and historical job positions.
  • Aspiration: only search in the aspiration section of a people profile.
  • Current: only search in current job positions.
  • Current or past: search in all job positions.


By default, the tense of each query term is set to 'Current'.


Moving and removing query terms

To remove a query term, click on the cross to the right of the box containing the query term. All query terms can be removed at any time by clicking the "Clear search" button, located at the top-left of the search panel.


As you add more query terms, the number of matching people will decrease. The number of people that will be returned in your search can be seen above the search bar.


Once you are happy with the query terms, click on the arrow next to the search to generate the results.


Search results

Results scores

Each result shows a score, indicating how close the person matched your query terms and types. The score is shown as a percentage. A 100% match means they fit your criteria perfectly. Results are ordered from highest to lowest score. People with the same score are not ranked in any specific order within that score bracket. For example, four people with a score of 100% may appear in any order but will all appear above other results with a lower score of 99%.


Clicking on the score will give you more detailed information; a partially filled line indicates that the person doesn't match that criteria perfectly but has related experience. For example, if you searched for someone located in Germany, the location score would show 95% if the person only stated Munich as a preference, rather than willing to work anywhere in Germany.


Results can be organised in either a grid or list view. The grid layout is selected by default, but you may change this using the toggle in the top-left of the page.


Filtering results

You can filter the results by clicking the "filter results" button in the top-right of the page. This drop-down menu lets you filter by many attributes, click on the "Show more" button to see all filters. By default, it only shows your most frequently used filters.


Filters work differently from query terms as they are "strict", meaning people who do not exactly match the filter criteria will be removed from the results. For example, if your query terms included the location "Germany", the results will include people who specified only "Munich" with a score of 95%. Clicking on "Germany" in the location filter, will remove those people not willing to work anywhere in Germany.


If a filter has been activated, a star will appear next to the filter section heading so it is easy to see what filters have been applied. At any time, you can reset the filters by clicking on the reset filter button.

Searches can be saved, including the filter settings, for future use by clicking "Save search". To access saved searches, click on the arrow in the top-right of the page to extend a flu-out window, giving you access to saved searches, and a search history.


Adding people to an assignment

You can add a person to an assignment by clicking the tick in the bottom-left of their card and choosing which assignment to add them to. Multiple people can be added at the same time by clicking the tick on multiple cards. Search for the required assignment in the dropdown. You need to type at lease 2 characters before potential assignments are shown. If you need to create a new assignment, click on "create new".


Not Actively Looking profiles

What is Not Actively Looking?

Not Actively Looking (NAL) is a sister brand of Ezekia and a platform for senior executives to self-manage their data, thereby removing much of the data privacy burden, such as GDPR and CCPA, from the search firm. Search firms can deflect unsolicited write-ins to NAL, where the candidate can register, manage their own data, and share this data with selected and trusted search firms.


Identifying NAL profiles

NAL profiles are found in search results and identified with the 'NAL' icon. There are two types of NAL profiles:


  • Connected NAL executives have given you full access to their data and these results will include the candidate's name and current company amongst other data. Clicking on a connected candidate will show their full details.
  • Unconnected NAL executives have yet to connect with your search firm and share their data. These profiles will not reveal the person's name or company. Clicking on an unconnected profile will display useful, though anonymised data, to help you decide if you wish to invite them to connect and share. You will also see if they have been previously been invited to connect before, and on which assignment they were going to be added to.



To hide NAL profiles from your results, click on the filter button and deselect the "Connected" and "Not connected" checkboxes.


Inviting NAL candidates to connect

The "Send invites" button in the top-right of the page can be used to invite the top 10 or 30 executives that match your search to connect with your firm and share their data. You can also elect to add them to a specific assignment if they choose to accept your invite to connect and share their data. If you select multiple and individual unconnected NAL profiles and then add them to an assignment, they will receive an invite to connect. Unconnected profiles will not appear in a candidate list until they accept your invitation.

Interacting with NAL profiles

The moment you interact with a NAL profile, such as adding a note, adding them to an assignment, or adding a tag etc., a private copy of their NAL profile is created on your account. This allows you to edit your private copy, independently of the NAL executive, who will continue to update their self-managed data. A link is created between the NAL profile and your private copy, so you can easily switch between the two. You cannot edit, or add data to a NAL profile, only your private copy. Should a NAL executive subsequently disconnect and no longer share they data with your firm, your private copy remains in your account and the link to the NAL profile removed.



Linked profiles have a combination of the NAL icon and the chain link icon. The definition of these icons are as follows:

  • NAL + Link: you are viewing a self-managed NAL profile, which is linked to a private profile. Click on the link to see the private version.
  • Link: you are viewing a private profile, with a link to the self-managed NAL profile it was created from. Click on link to see the NAL version.
  • NAL: you are viewing a self-managed profile, which has yet to be copied. No private version exists.



You cannot interact, or add data, to unconnected NAL profiles until they accept your invite to connect, at which point a copy of their data is added as a private profile to your account.