18 Must-Follow HR Influencers on Instagram
Scrolling through Instagram can be overwhelming. We all know this.
On one hand, you log on and can see pictures of your best friend’s new baby, or yummy dishes from your favorite restaurants.
More often than not, though, it can be stress-inducing, especially when people you follow seem to be getting a new and exciting job or professional opportunity every other day.
Sometimes you might wonder, where are the motivating words on Instagram? Where are the people that will encourage your success instead of making you nervous that you haven’t done enough?
That’s where HR Instagram influencers come in.
Maybe you don’t work in HR; that’s okay! The tips these influencers have are universal. Whether you’re vying for a promotion, or looking for a new job: we think you will find some worthwhile advice within these Instagram pages.
Some of the top HR influencers on Instagram include:
- Adam Smiley Poswolsky
- Janice Bryant Howroyd
- Sharlyn Lauby
- William Tincup
- Blake Bozarth
- Cy Wakeman
- Zestful
- Meghan Biro
- Belinda Parmar
- Crafting Culture
Influencer culture is more important now than ever. Well, I don’t know if influencers had ever been thought of at all until now. Isn’t it ironic how influencers used to be made fun of by the news and probably your relatives? (Definitely mine.) But now it’s become as important as being in movies.
As we become more and more savvy with our devices, opportunities to learn from one another are increasingly accessible, especially with something as ubiquitous as Instagram.
Think back to 20 years ago. If you wanted to learn something on the fly, from someone with experience in your field but not from your workplace, you were out of luck. Now, that’s a daily reality.
In this article, we’ve compiled the most influential of HR influencers who are devoted to spreading their knowledge, or sharing about their lives, on Instagram.
We chose the professionals listed below based on:
- Post frequency
- Experience
- Popularity
Some of them host podcasts and do talks, and some of them advise world renowned CEOs. But all of them have helpful advice for anyone striving to accelerate their careers in HR.
So follow away! And hopefully the next time you’re getting a thumb workout scrolling IG, maybe you will learn something new that makes your life a little bit easier.
Here are the top 18 influencers you should be following on Instagram:
1. Liz Ryan
Handles: @humanworkplace
Website: humanworkplace.com
Book: Ten Things to Include On Your Resume
What she posts: Liz Ryan posts lots of advice and commentary on new-age workplaces. A lot of her posts are about her strong advocacy for freelancers.
What we love about her: Her colorful Instagram feed is filled with infographics and her website seeks to “reinvent work.”
Anything else: She has a virtual course on getting the job you deserve that is perfect for someone starting out in their career and needing some advice.
2. Sharlyn Lauby
Handles: @sharlyn_lauby
Website: hrbartender.com
What she posts: A blend of personal and professional content with colorful and eye catching photos sure to inspire you to improve your workplace culture.
What we love about her: So first of all… HR Bartender?! That definitely grabbed my attention. Now think of your local bartender. They always seem to have sage bits of wisdom when you need it most, and that is what Sharlyn Lauby has, but with HR advice.
Who she is: Lauby is the author of HR Bartender and the Unretirement project, and a management/leadership consultant.
3. William Tincup
Handles: @williamtincup
What he posts: Daily work inspiration from someone who lives and breathes HR.
What we love about him: Tincup has made over 1,000 podcasts, and continues to write and speak on the subject, and we love anyone who loves podcasts.
Who he is: Tincup is the president of Recruiting Daily, a blog that covers all aspects of the HR field.
4. Blake Bozarth
Handles: @blazebozarth
Website: cothryve.co
What he posts: Adorable pictures of his kids, but also important HR content from his company, CoThryve.
What we love about him: Bozarth is the co-host of the Crafting Culture podcast, one of our favorites (we might be a bit biased).
Who he is: Bozarth ist he CEO of CoThryve, a company committed to developing strong leaders through their workshops, AKA Growth Groups™.
5. Meghan Biro
Handles: @meghanmbiro
Website: talentculture.com
What she posts: Entertaining content on HR, business trends, yoga and good wine--and inspiration quotes for the business world.
What we love about her: As a podcast host, storyteller, analyst and entrepreneur, Meghan Biro has covered every corner of the business and HR world. We can’t help but love that.
Who she is: Biro is the host of the popular podcast called #WorkTrends, and her discussion on HR gives her a platform to go in-depth about her experience with the everchanging professional sphere.
6. Seth Mattison
Handles: @sethmattison
Website: sethmattison.com
Book: https://amzn.to/33JpR5G
What she posts: Mattison’s Insta feed includes snippets of his talks, quotes and records of his personal life.
What we love about him: He co-authored a book about the struggles of “hyper-connectivity and constant flux” called The World at Work in 2017, something we love knowing more about.
Who he is: Mattison is an HR researcher, writer and advisor who has worked with various Fortune 500 companies to help workers overcome technical leaps in their industry.
7. Zestful
Handles: @getzestful
Website: blog.zestful.com
What they post: Tips, inspiring quotes and activities for creating a zesty workplace culture.
What we love about them: The Zestful blog has loads of HR reading material sure to make you excited to get back to work.
Who they are: Zestful is a company that provides a platform to reward, recognize and empower your employees. With Zestful, you can customize the experience of your employees.
8. Robin Schooling
Handles: @robinschooling
Website: robinschooling.com
What she posts: Schooling fills her feed with her favorite cocktails and pics of her latest adventures, but her HR mastery provides a professional backdrop for it all.
What we love about her: She is a self-described “HR Rebel” who hosts the DriveThruHR podcast, which we love to listen to.
Who she is: Schooling is a podcast host and renowned HR speaker who is dedicated to preparing the workplace for new trends.
9. Steve Browne
Handles: @sbrownehr
Website: sbrownehr.com
Book: HR on Purpose: Developing Deliberate People Passion
What he posts: A great blend of professional and personal content sure to inspire.
What we love about him: Browne is an equal lover of the HR industry and Rock n’ Roll music, and a confessed “HR radical.” We love anyone bringing style and Rock n’ Roll to the HR world.
Who he is: Browne is an HR veteran who’s been blogging about the topic for years. He’s also the author of the book, HR on Purpose in 2018 in order to help other professionals boost their careers.
10. Crafting Culture Podcast
Handles: @craftingculturepodcast
Website: sweetfishmedia.com/crafting-culture
What they post: Almost daily posts with diverse HR knowledge, relatable content, and relevant HR quotes from some of the top thought leaders in the industry.
What we love about them: Crafting Culture’s account pulls HR insights from numerous thought leaders, including Blake Bozarth from earlier in this list. There is nothing we love more than ideas and knowledge from people from all walks of life.
Who they are: Crafting Culture is a podcast produced by Sweet Fish media dedicated to helping CEOs, People Ops, and HR teams create incredible company cultures.
11. Janice Bryant Howroyd
Handles: @jbryanthowroyd
Website: askjbh.com
Book: Acting Up: Winning in Business and Life Using Down-Home Wisdom
What she posts: A half advocacy, half HR advisory feed full of inspiring content for fellow professionals.
What we love about her: Janice Bryant Howroyd is open and honest about the struggles she faced as a woman of color in the South, and how she overcame them to stay true to her values while climbing the corporate ladder, and we love that.
Who she is: Bryant Howroyd is the founder and CEO of ActOne Group, a proficient entrepreneur, and a dedicated writer and teacher.
12. Cy Wakeman
Handles: @cywakeman
Website: realitybasedleadership.com
Book: No Ego: How Leaders Can Cut the Cost of Workplace Drama, End Entitlement, and Drive Big Results
What she posts: Consistent advice on workplace relationships. You can even send her questions directly through the link in her bio.
What we love about her: She is vocally against drama in the workplace, which we can get behind wholeheartedly.
Who she is: Wakeman is a bestselling author, keynote speaker, and president and founder of Reality-Based leadership. She hosted her own TedTalk, among other huge speaking events.
13. Adam Smiley Poswolsky
Handles: @whatsupsmiley
Website: smileyposwolsky.com
Book: The Breakthrough Speaker: How to Build a Public Speaking Career
What he posts: Pictures of his family life and snippets of his acclaimed speeches.
What we love about him: He was quoted as the “first person to ask if you want to tap into the mindset of millennials,” as he advised companies on how to employ and retain young talent, and support multigenerational workplaces in his TedTalk and public speaking events.
Who he is: Adam Smiley Poswolsky is an experienced HR speaker, author, and millennial workplace expert.
14. Belinda Parmar
Handles: @belindaparmar
Website: theempathybusiness.com
What she posts: Her feed is peppered with inspirational quotes that offer a window into her unique mindset.
What we love about her: Belinda wants to transform the corporate workplace using empathy, and in 2010 she helped found a company that advocated for women working in tech.
Who she is: Developed the first company to use an empathy index to rate big business. With written testimony from big-name CEOs, Parmar has become influential in her niche field of HR empathy training.
15. Laurie Ruettimann
Handles: @lruettimann
Website: laurieruettimann.com
What she posts: Laurie’s Instagram is chocked full of podcast clips and advice columns from her various online platforms.
What we love about her: Ruettimann is the host of the Punk Rock HR podcast...do we say more?
Who she is: Laurie is a writer, speaker, and podcaster who began her career in HR advertising after experiencing one too many dysfunctional workspaces. She helps executives and HR leaders avoid toxicity in the workplace and is authoring a book titled Betting on You, set to be released in 2021.
16. Bill Banham
Handles: @billbanham
Website: HR-gazette.com
What he posts: Bill’s Instagram is full of family life, but he also adds inspiration quotes directed to others in the HR field.
What we love about him: Bill helps listeners better understand HR strategy, talent acquisition, and company culture in his short (10-30 minute) shows.
Who he is: Banham is the host of the HRchat show, where he interviews various HR pros in the tech and business sectors of the corporate world.
17. Jazmine Wilkes
Handles: @hrjazzy
Website: linktr.ee/hrjazzy
What she posts: Consistent inspiration and a fresh millennial voice to counter all of the industry-specific jargon.
What we love about her: Jazmine Wiles is an “HR Millenial on a mission.”
Who she is: Wilkes is a speaker, who has led talks about disrupting traditional HR, and she runs a blog all about the industry from her perspective as a black woman and industry professional.
18. George Larocque
Handles: @georgelarocque
Website: hrwins.com
What he posts: Some of the most valuable resources for navigating the new world of HR technology.
What we love about him: George runs the website HR wins, which strives to “cut through the noise” and decode new trends and technologies in the industry. His website also offers advising for companies looking to make more informed decisions regarding hiring and strategy.
Who he is: George Larocque is an HR analyst who runs the website HR wins.
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The influencer market is full of valuable pros who want to help others in their industries. HR is no different. Its focus on the humanness of the workplace makes it the perfect field to connect with high level execs. And if you can’t connect personally, these Instagram pages are the best introduction to their world’s
Whether it’s podcasting, books, or TedTalks, each of these people have something to offer the HR world. Go check them out, and learn from others to be the best you can, in the field you work.
Also tune in to the Crafting Culture podcast, where hosts interview people from all walks of business on how to create the best company culture. Relevant to anyone in the professional realm, its content is catered to help others learn and succeed in their business, especially HR.