LinkedIn Search Tips: Maltese Recruiters’ 2026 Guide

Picture this: You’re sitting in your office at Tigne Point, Malta’s iconic business hub, scrolling through LinkedIn, feeling like you’re drowning in a sea of profiles. You’re a recruiter, and you know the platform’s potential, but you’re not quite sure how to harness its full power. Well, it’s time to dive in and explore the hidden gems of LinkedIn’s search functionality. Let’s make 2026 your year of recruitment excellence!

Before we look LinkedIn’s advanced search features, let’s brush up on your Boolean logic. And no, we’re not talking about the Austrian logician. We’re talking about the search operators that make LinkedIn’s search bar a recruiter’s best friend: AND, OR, and NOT.

For instance, if you’re looking for a software developer with experience in Python, you’d type: software developer AND Python. If you’re open to candidates with experience in Java as well, you’d use: software developer AND (Python OR Java). And if you want to exclude candidates from a specific location, say Gozo, you’d use: software developer AND (Python OR Java) NOT Gozo.

Now that you’ve got the basics down, let’s explore LinkedIn’s Advanced People Search. Here, you can filter your search by location, industry, current company, past companies, schools, and more. But here’s a tip: don’t limit yourself to the obvious. For example, if you’re looking for a marketing specialist, consider searching for candidates with experience in content creation or social media management as well.

And here’s a local gem: LinkedIn’s search allows you to find candidates who are open to work. This means they’ve indicated that they’re actively looking for new opportunities. You can find these candidates by selecting the Open to filter and choosing Work.

LinkedIn’s saved searches and alerts feature is a breakthrough. Once you’ve crafted the perfect search, save it and set up an alert. LinkedIn will then notify you whenever a new profile matches your search criteria. No more endless scrolling, no more missed opportunities.

But here’s a pro tip: don’t just save your searches and set up alerts for your current roles. Think ahead. Save searches for roles you might need to fill in the future. It’s like having a talent pipeline ready to tap into whenever you need it.

LinkedIn’s InMail is more than just a messaging system. It’s a recruiter’s secret weapon. With InMail, you can reach out to candidates who aren’t connected to you. But here’s the catch: you’ve got to make each message count.

Personalize your messages. Show candidates that you’ve done your homework. Mention their work, their achievements, and how they fit into your team. And remember, brevity is key. You’ve got 300 characters to grab their attention.

While mastering LinkedIn’s search functionality is a powerful step, remember that recruitment in 2026 is about more than just finding the right candidates. It’s about engaging with them, building relationships, and creating a community around your brand. So, go ahead, harness the power of LinkedIn’s search, but don’t forget to use it as a tool to enhance your recruitment strategy, not replace it.

As Maltese recruiter Josephine Borg puts it, “LinkedIn is like a treasure map. It’s up to you to know how to read it and find the treasure.” So, start exploring, start searching, and start finding your recruitment treasures in 2026!