8 Recruiting Influencers Worth Following

In a world where everyone on LinkedIn is a self-proclaimed expert, thought leader, or ninja, it’s difficult to know which people are moving the needle forward in the space from who’s relying on that one blog they wrote years ago to support their claims.

To be fair, I think most people want to be experts at something, but the truth is too few of us do enough to make it a reality. Instead of pointing fingers at those who fail to live up to the hype, let’s celebrate the individuals who do. Without further ado, here they are, some of today’s most influential recruiting leaders (in alphabetical order because just like our parents I don’t have favorites).

Matt Charney @mattcharney

• Charney proclaims he is a “kick butt marketing and communications professional who specializes in creating smart compelling content and campaigns that transform brand marketing into real business results.” His resume lives up to claim. Charney has worked for powerhouses, including Warner Bros, the Walt Disney Company, and Monster. Now, he’s the executive editor for one the industry’s biggest blogs, Recruiting Daily.
• Number of Followers: 24.3K

Jackye Clayton @jackyclayton

• Clayton’s background in recruitment and talent acquisition is impressive to say the least. The RT Queen of the Recruit-osphere has done it all, including a recent pivot. Within the last 3 years, Clayton has become the digital content editor and community manager at Recruiting Daily. She is leveraging her experience to produce quality content on recruiting tools and resources.
• Number of Followers: 12.9K

Dean Da Costa @Deandacosta

• If you haven’t heard of Da Costa, he’s the tools expert. That’s right! He knows which tools offer the best value, which fail to deliver, and even the extensions you should have started using yesterday. When he’s not recruiting, he’s blogging or make video demos of some his favorite tools. You can check out some of his content at Recruiting Tools.
• Number of Followers: 47.4K

Michael Kelemen @animal

• Kelemen is probably one of the most recognizable, outspoken names on the list. Some of you may know him by his other persona. He hosts The Recruiting Animal show, a weekly podcast covering recruiting careers. Keleman also manages some of recruiting’s biggest Facebook groups, including Recruiters Online, Recruiting Stuff, and Recruiter Job Ads.
• Number of Followers: 25.8K

Tony Restell @tonyrestell

• Restell is the founder of Social Hire. Perhaps, you have heard it. It’s one of the most notable social media marketing agencies in the recruitment world. When he is not helping recruitment teams build their social media presence, you can find Restell is dropping valuable knowledge on the Social Hire blog.
• Number of Followers: 58.1K

Tim Sackett @TimSackett

• To be honest, I’m not completely sure where to start. Sackett’s Twitter bio states he is the world’s foremost expert of workplace hugging and the husband of a hall of fame wife. It’s hard to imagine he has time for anything else, but he does. He’s the president of HRU Technical Resources, an engineering and IT supplemental staffing firm, and a contributor at FistfulofTalent.com. Oh, and when he takes a break from all of that he’s dropping amazing gems like this at the Tim Sackett Project.
• Number of Followers: 35.3K

Irina Shamaeva @braingain

• Shamaeva is a partner and chief sourcer over at Brain Gain Recruiting, and she is on a mission. She wants to help her recruiting professionals master their sourcing skills, and she is well on her way to accomplishing that goal. You can often find her sharing sourcing tips through blogs posts, webinars, conference talks, and the Sourcing Certification Program.
• Number of Followers: 24.2K

Stacy Zapar @StacyZapar

• Aside from being LinkedIn’s Most Connected Woman, which is no easy feat, Zapar has started not one but two different agencies. She is the founder of Tenfold, a boutique recruitment strategy, training and consulting firm as well as The Talent Agency, a recruiting-for-recruiting search firm . When she isn’t responding to LinkedIn requests, you can find her speaking at the industry’s biggest conferences, including LinkedIn Talent Connect 2017.
• Number of Followers: 42.9K

If you didn’t see your favorite recruitment leader listed here, I want to apologize. Unlike the super humans on this list, I have to draw the line somewhere, but don’t let that stop you from telling me who I missed. Know someone who rightfully deserves a shout out? Yell at me in the comments, and I’ll do a follow up with all of your favorites.