BrightMove’s Power Search tool enables Recruiters, Hiring Managers, and Super Users to quickly locate records across Candidates, Jobs, Clients, and Managers using intuitive filters or advanced queries. This unified guide walks you through how to access, refine, customize, and maximize your use of Power Search across all entities.
For a faster start, check out these short videos that demonstrate Power Search in action for each entity:
Candidate Power Search
Job Power Search
Manager Power Search
Client/Department Power Search
1. Accessing Power Search
Power Search is available from the left-hand navigation menu under each record type:
Candidates → Power Search
Jobs → Power Search
Managers → Power Search
Clients → Power Search
Once you select Power Search, you’ll see:
A panel of filters on the left.
A results grid on the right.
A blue menu icon (often called a "hamburger" or "three-line" icon) in the upper-right corner of the results grid, which opens the Search Options Menu for settings, search management tools, and customization.
Note: Each version offers consistent features with minor exceptions (e.g., the Client Power Search does not include Toggle Refine By).
Quick Tip: Viewing All Results When you first open Power Search, the results grid may appear empty. To display all unfiltered results, simply type an asterisk (*) in the search field, this wildcard character will show every record in that entity
2. Performing a Basic Search
A) Left Refine By Filter Panel
Use checkboxes and facets (e.g., Desired Pay, Current Title) to narrow results.
Selections update the grid immediately.
B) Search Options Menu
Clear Search Filters – reset all filters to default.
Location Filter / Radius Search – enter a ZIP/postal code and pick a radius (in miles or kilometers) to limit results geographically.
Radius options allow you to quickly find candidates, jobs, or clients within commuting distance.
Works best when records have complete city/state or postal code information.
Toggle Refine By – show/hide enhanced filtering panel (not available in Client Power Search).
C) Managing Individual Filters
Edit: Click the ▼ caret on a filter chip and choose Edit Filter.
Remove: Click the ▼ caret and select Remove Filter to clear just that filter.
Filter Tips:
Combine multiple fields (e.g., Title + Department + Tags).
Use wildcards (
*) at the end of partial words to match variations (e.g.,special*finds specialist, specialty).Prefix or mid-word wildcards (e.g.,
*vieworde*eloper) are not supported.Wrap a phrase in quotation marks to search for it exactly. Without quotes, each word is searched separately. For example:
project managerreturns results containing either word, while"project manager"returns only records with that exact phrase.If the Add Filter button appears greyed out, review your existing filters. This typically happens when one or more filters have not been completed or contain invalid values. Correct or finish the incomplete filter, and the button should become available again.
To learn more about what filters BrightMove offers, check out our BrightMove Power Search: Basic Search article.
3. Managing the Search Grid
Use the Search Options Menu to personalize the display:
Grid Layout: Toggle between standard and grid formats.
Sorting: Click column headers to sort ascending/descending.
Avatars: Hide/show profile icons.
Custom Columns: Use Manage Search Fields or drag columns directly.
Search Fields Panel: Adjust which filters appear on the left.
4. Using Mass Actions
From the search results grid:
Select one or more records with the checkboxes.
Use the Actions Menu to:
Submit candidates to jobs.
Add candidates to folders.
Copy/move candidates between jobs.
Export results to Excel.
Disable Quick Actions: Prevents shortcut icons and right-click actions if you prefer a cleaner interface.
For a more detailed look at how to perform mass actions, check out our Power Search: Mass Actions article
5. Expert Mode (Advanced Search)
Enable by checking Expert Mode near the top of the filter panel.
Enter direct field:value queries.
Examples:
text:specialist— finds "specialist" anywhere.current_title:"Java Developer"— exact phrase search.text:specialist AND (rank:4 OR rank:5)— combines filters.
Common Fields:
resume_text:rank:email:current_company:recruiter_name:
Wildcards:
current_title:special*— matches specialist, specialty, specialists.resume_text:manag*— matches manager, management, managing.
For more details on Expert Mode, check out our Expert Mode Syntax article
6. Entity-Specific Examples
Each entity has unique filters and best uses:
Candidate Power Search
Where: Candidates > Power Search
Filters: Resume text, current title, tags, rank, availability.
Uses: Shortlisting by keywords, finding top-ranked applicants.
Expert Mode Example:
resume_text:Java AND rank:5.
Job Power Search
Where: Jobs > Power Search
Filters: Title, status, department, location.
Uses: Locating open positions, category-specific reporting.
Expert Mode Example:
status:"Open" AND department:"IT".
Manager Power Search
Where: Managers > Power Search
Filters: Manager name, tags, department.
Uses: Hiring manager lookup, reporting.
Expert Mode Example:
manager_name:"John Smith"orcurrent_title:"Hiring Manager".
Client/Department Power Search
Where: Clients > Power Search
Filters: Company name, tags, location.
Special Note: No Refine By toggle.
Uses: Client searches, department-level reporting.
Expert Mode Example:
client_name:"Acme Corp"ortags:"Priority Client".
7. Saving & Reusing Searches
From the Search Options Menu:
Save Search – preserve current filters and columns.
Load Saved Search – reuse a saved setup.
Manage Saved Searches – available via the bookmarks icon at the top-right of Power Search.
Saved searches are tied to your user account and can be updated or deleted at any time.
Especially helpful for recurring searches (e.g., “Top Java Developers in Florida”).
8. Searching Across Parent and Child Accounts
If you use an RPO parent account, you can search linked child accounts from Candidate Power Search using Search Child Companies. You’ll need access to those child accounts and a role that allows child-company searching. If the option isn’t visible from your parent account, contact your administrator.
Check Search Child Companies at the top of Candidate Power Search. Results include only the child accounts you have access to, and an RPO Child Company column shows which account each candidate belongs to.
While the box is checked, row selection, mass actions, and row action menus are unavailable. To work with a candidate, switch into that child account.
When you are working inside a child account you switched into from your parent account, a Search Parent Company box lets you search your parent account's candidates.
Without either box checked, Power Search returns only candidates from the account you're currently in. Switching accounts clears the box.
This applies to Candidate Power Search only. To work inside a specific child account, use the Managed Companies pane.
Client/Department records: Parent and child accounts are separate from the Clients/Departments within an account.
You can filter jobs and candidates simultaneously across different clients, saving time across large portfolios.
Power Search respects permissions and only shows records for clients assigned to your user profile.
Behaves consistently with all other Power Search features.
9. Interface Preferences & Customization
From the Search Options Menu:
Disable Quick Actions: Removes right-click and shortcut icons. (Super Users can also set defaults globally under Admin > System Settings > Power Search Preferences.)
Manage Search Fields: Choose which filters appear in the panel.
Hide Avatar: Toggle profile icons on/off.
With this guide, users of all roles can confidently navigate and master Power Search in BrightMove.