Influencers vs Influence

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This Week’s Breakdown

If you’ve been following my travels lately, you know I’ve spent the last few months bouncing from conference to conference, speaking, meeting people, recording podcasts, and talking with some of the smartest folks in recruiting.

And somewhere between one of these trips, I started thinking a lot about the word influence.

Not the influencer version of it, not the polished brand deals, not the “thought leader” posts written for engagement over honesty. I mean actual influence: the kind that changes how people think, builds trust, and earns you a seat at the table.

Because as much as I really love the attention that comes with being an influencer, what I really want is the impact that comes with influence.

Influencers chase algorithms.
People with influence change conversations.

In the last few months, I’ve turned down plenty of opportunities that would’ve looked good on paper. Sponsorships, partnerships, and “we’ll pay you to post this” offers. Real influence comes from being trusted, and that is the bigger idea I have been trying to build for myself. The best compliment I got this entire year was someone saying, “I don’t always agree with you, but I always believe you.”

But let’s make this about you and recruiting and not only me!

This is what I want you to think about inside your own company.

Because recruiters and talent teams have more potential for influence than almost anyone if we use it right.

You see what leaders ignore. You hear what employees won’t say. You understand how the company actually operates, not just what it says in town halls. But you only turn that access into influence when people trust that you’re more than a messenger.

Influence in recruiting doesn’t come from title, tenure, or volume. It comes from credibility. From telling the truth when it’s uncomfortable, backing it up with data, and showing that your goal isn’t only filling the roles a manager gives you, it’s to help the company make better decisions about people.

Whether you’re influencing 100,000 people online or one hiring manager in a meeting, the same rule applies:

Aim to be trusted and believed, that is what leads to the job security recruiters are looking for!

Recruited in the Wild

Seen on LinkedIn, overheard in Slack, or posted without shame.

I’m not going to lie to you, I’ve been actively working at keeping some peace for myself by ignoring some of the things that usually set me off on LinkedIn to fill this section.

BUT LUCKILY someone did make one of those posts that would have been way better to just never have been written.

Look, let me keep this simple here: There is no need to make a post telling candidates some ticky tacky thing they did is hurting them on the interview

That’s it, that’s the post!

Accrued Time

A weekly check-in on what I’ve got going on behind the scenes, events, projects, and life outside the req pile.

The Podcast is back in full swing after a little break for my travels with a few great recordings lined up. I also have 2 new episodes for you to check out.

Part 1 of 2 live episodes I recorded with short recruiting conversations at RecFest, as well as an amazing conversation with Erin Riska. If you’re not following Erin on LinkedIn you should be, her story is amazing and as she says, there are likely far more people in recruiting with careers that look more like hers than someone like Amy Miller!

Check out the episodes here

Cope of the Week

Because it’s either this or scream into a pillow.

One of the hardest parts of being a recruiter is doing all the work that nobody cares about. It’s slow, boring, behind the scenes, and incredibly important!

That’s the hard part, the part nobody claps for.

But that’s also the part that lasts.

Because at some point, all of us in recruiting have to decide: do we want to be loud in the short term, or trusted in the long term? What do we want people to say about us when we aren’t in the room?

Influence isn’t flashy, but it’s the credibility that keeps you not only employed, but listened to.

And yeah, sometimes it’s exhausting. But when people start seeking you out for your insight instead of your algorithm, that’s when you know you’re doing it right.

So this week, take the slower win: be the person people believe, not just the one they scroll past.

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