Boolean operators control how keywords combine. AND narrows a search to profiles containing every term, OR widens it to include alternatives, and NOT excludes terms. Brackets group options and quotation marks fix exact phrases. A search such as (forklift OR "reach truck") AND warehouse NOT manager finds operatives with relevant experience while leaving out managerial profiles. Most job boards and candidate databases support some version of it.
Boolean search remains a core sourcing skill because it finds people who have not applied. Its weakness is that it only matches words, so it misses people who describe the same experience differently and favours profiles written with the expected terms. Strong searches are built from the real requirements of the role, include common synonyms and alternative job titles, and are tested and refined as results come in.