Using asterisks (*) in the Skills / Keywords field? Here’s what you need to know.
Wildcards are powerful – they let you search for variations like *engineer*. But they’re also heavy on the system.
That’s why Robin limits the number of wildcards to 5 per search. Below, we explain why that limit exists.
🧠 Why are wildcards limited?
It’s all about keeping the system fast and stable. Here are the 7 main reasons:
📈 Explosion of terms
Each wildcard generates hundreds or thousands of variations, which the server needs to process.🧩 Complex queries
Too many wildcards make searches harder to compute and slower to return results.⚙️ Index performance issues
ElasticSearch has to scan much more data, which affects speed.🧠 High memory usage
Big wildcard searches consume a lot of memory, especially with large datasets.🌐 Network load
If the server is hosted remotely, sending huge result sets can impact the network.📉 Less effective caching
Wildcards generate unique results that can’t always be reused from the cache.🚨 Risk of server overload
Too many complex queries at once can slow things down for everyone.
✅ What can you do?
Stick to 5 wildcards max per search
Combine wildcards with standard keywords
Only use wildcards where they really add value
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I add more than 5 wildcards?
You might get an error, or the search could slow down or stop working.
Can I search without wildcards?
Absolutely! Regular keywords are fast and effective too.
Why is this limitation only for the skills filter?
Because it searches the entire profile, which makes it more demanding than other filters like job title or location.