Let’s face it – Fearful of the spotlight and conservative to a fault, HR pros generally aren’t the best examples to look towards when it comes to professional branding. Kris Dunn (Kinetix RPO, The HR Capitalist) and Tim Sackett (HRU Technical Resources, TimSackett.com) think that needs to change. That’s why they created this series – The Top 20 Branded HR Pros(sponsored by the team at Glassdoor).
KD and Tim searched the globe for HR Pros who used the tools at their disposal (writing, speaking, social and more) to brand themselves in the HR space, but limited the results to actual practitioners in the areas of HR, Recruiting and Talent Management. No consultants, no vendors. They found out well-branded HR pros who are actual practitioners are hard to find.
Tim and KD are running the Top 20 they found here on the HR Capitalist and at TimSackett.com. No rankings, just inclusion in the list and some notes on why. There are at least 20 well-branded HR Pros in the world. These are their stories.
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I’m super excited to introduce you to Stacy Williamson! When Kris and I originally broke down the Top 20 list I personally asked to profile Stacy because I was intrigued about her working for ESPN and how cool that must be. What I found was Stacy standups on her own, with or without ESPN, which is a testament to how well she has branded herself, and, ultimately, that is what this recognition is all about!
Stacy is a Senior Technical Recruiter with ESPN where she has spent 15 years with the network in various roles within Talent Acquisition. A Virginia Tech Alum with an MBA, she clearly has the functional chops within the industry. Here is Stacy’s Player Card:
Stacy is Twitter Famous! Going by the handle @RecruiterStacy, she has over 27,000 followers and over 20,000 tweets! Stacy is a twitter machine. What does she tweet about? It’s a mix of ESPN Careers, Star Wars, sports, candidate advice and overall industry content for the masses. Her Instagram is similar in content, with a lean towards a little more family love!
Which brings me to another huge positive, and really another testament to her great decision making, Stacy married a Sparty! One of the cool things Kris and I get to do on this project is stalk peoples social profiles to learn more about them and how they’ve branded themselves, which is where I got to discover Stacy’s and I connection to Michigan State! The universe was looking out for me on this one for sure!
Stacy is what Jason Seiden coined as “Profersonal“. She lives one life. She is a mom of twin boys, a top notch recruiter in the trenches and a fan of Star Wars. She does personal branding like it’s meant to be. Here is who I am. Take me, or leave me! She does all of this in a way that makes her employer proud to have her, her family proud to claim her, all the while being the person she wants to be!
On the professional front Stacy has a great LinkedIn presence. In fact, her LinkedIn profile could be used as a model for other HR and Talent Pros trying to do a better job at branding themselves. Stacy has great links, within the profile, back to ESPN generated content of which she is a part of, that presents her in a way that highlights and brand and herself. Take note HR and Talent Pros, you need some high quality video on your profile!
As a brand ambassador, Stacy exemplifies what organizations would hope all of their employees would strive for. That is always a fine line when it comes to branding yourself and leveraging your organization’s brand together. Again, Stacy does this as good as anyone we looked at in the Top 20. This isn’t easy when you work for a strong brand, like ESPN. Many people in this position tend to ride the coat tails of the brand too much, and lose their own identity and Stacy has a great balance.
Stacy’s speaking and writing opportunities are mostly tied to brand related events and various panels, at this point, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see her getting some more opportunities on this front! Like me, I think a lot of people would love to hear her stories and behind the scenes action of working at ESPN in Talent Acquisition. Also, she has built in content on how to build your personal brand and employment brand with a huge organizational brand, which a lot of people would love to learn.
I had to ask Stacy who was the most famous athlete she has met do to her position at ESPN. She’s met a ton, but she her fondest memory is meeting Robin Roberts. Here it is in Stacy’s words:
“I’ve met many famous athletes and coaches; with each encounter serving as a reminder of how cool it to work at ESPN. However, my fondest memory is when I had the honor of meeting Robin Roberts during her time as a SportsCenter anchor. The poise and authenticity she has shown throughout her career remains an inspiration. Her courage to remain positive through her battle with breast cancer and myelodysplastic syndrome, while being a light to others in similar situations, makes her truly remarkable.”
Well said, Stacy! Congratulations as well to you on making the Top 20 Brand HR and Talent Pros!
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The Top 20 Branded HR Pros is brought to you by Glassdoor, who invites you to attend the Annual Glassdoor Employer Branding Summit on September 25th, where a stellar speaker lineup of industry experts and thought leaders exploring the intersection of employer branding and talent acquisition, the candidate experience and employee engagement.
Tickets are sold out, but wait! You can attend the livestream online featuring studio coverage with Kris Dunn and Tim Sackett by registering here (click to register). Fun and games are sure to be a part of that coverage.