Social Register LinkedIn Pros

8 LinkedIn Social Pros Who May Inspire Your Next Gig

1. Dan Smolen

Topics: #meaningfulwork 
#gigeconomy 
#futureofwork 
#remotework

A former corporate recruiter, Smolen ditched his career to explore the changing nature of work. Think: gig economy, remote work (especially now!), side hustles, career reinvention, and, above all, finding meaningful work. He hosts a weekly podcast and interviews experts, entrepreneurs, CEOs and HR folk on all of the above topics, hoping to urge people to leave soul-killing jobs behind, and also posts a ton of relevant and related content created by others in his feed. 

2. Tejal Wagadia

Topics: #recruitment 
#jobsearchtips 
#hiring 
#leadership

Wagadia bills herself as “your friendly neighborhood recruiter” and her frequent posts filled with tips back up her claim. Some of her material is common sense (like, don’t namecheck someone at the company you’re applying to unless you actually know them), but when you’re deep in a midlife job search wondering why you’re not getting answers, Wagadia gives you lots of possible reasons why, as well as tips for how to stand out to applicant tracking systems (#ATS), which just might give you the edge you’re looking for. 

3. Paul Carrick Brunson

Topics: #entrepreneurship 
#gettingaheadatwork 

#loveandmarriage 
#personalpride 

Brunson is the entire package of life and career inspiration: a LinkedIn Top Contributor, he creates a ton of content, from his own interviews with entrepreneurs and celebs (hello, Spike Lee!), to classic life-coaching inspiration articles, and even serious relationship advice, all mixed in with a smattering of serious fashion lewks. His feed is fun and a vibrant mix booming with Black pride and joy.

4. Tiffany Aliche, aka the Budgetnista

Topics: #personalfinance 
#entrepreneurship 
#sidehustle 
#inspiration 

Aliche was a Newark, NJ, school teacher for 10 years who ended up $300,000 in debt and dug her way out. Now she’s a personal finance expert who delivers seriously uplifting You Can Do It vibes backed up by strategies that work: check out her social media challenges for women, which you join to become part of a group she calls DreamCatchHERS. She’s just the cheerleader you need if unexpected unemployment, underemployment or tricky career changes are your current sitch. (Oh, and BTW she’s now earning more than $1 million a year and doing just fine, TYVM.)

5. Gary Vaynerchuk

Topics: #marketing 
#entrepreneurship 
#personalbrand 
#kickingass 
#creativity 
#passion

Gary Vanderchuk is a well-known serial entrepreneur who literally comes across like a best bud you’d share a glass of wine with. (Makes sense: turning his parents’ wine business into a mega-success was his first killer win). He also invites people to join him for a cup of tea, in his occasional video series “Tea with Gary V,” which is charmingly unpolished and almost Oprah-esque in his preaching about hard work, digging in, and doing work you love. In the most recent episode, Vanderchuck counseled an 18-year-old who is the son of Mexican immigrants, as they bonded over busting butt for a family dream (in the comments, his legions of fans were kvelling over the tough talk). Plus he jams his feed full of original tips on marketing your business, building your brand, and never settling for less. Good stuff.

6. Bonnie Marcus

Topics: #ageism 
#midlifeempowerment 
#careertransitions 
#findingyourjoy

A longtime career and leadership coach focused on helping women blast through gender bias and age stereotypes that might be holding them back from the success they deserve, Marcus is a passionate defender of all things female and 50. She posts a ton of great content about strategies to keep climbing, especially since she’s prepping for the release of her newest book: Not Done Yet! How Women Over 50 Reclaim Their Workplace Power. Another don’t-miss? Her podcast that features interviews with women at midlife from all kinds of career backgrounds. It’s called Badass Women at Any Age, and we heartily approve this message. 

7. Stephanie Summerville

Topics: #reinvention 
#entertainmentindustry 
#ageism 
#COVID 
#storytelling

Never underestimate the power of storytelling: that’s the #1 piece of advice from Summerville’s prolific LinkedIn feed, and it’s advice she lived herself, having drifted to find meaningful work in her life, and then coming alive after someone asked her to perform in the famous Moth storytelling events. She went on to storytell herself right into her dream job — a Cruise Director for Holland America Line -— and now, while grounded due to COVID, she’s posting daily inspirations for people in the entertainment industry who might be sidelined about how to repackage themselves to find work now. 

8. Elisa Camahort Page

Topics: #entrepreneurship 
#feminism 
#activism 
#socialgood 
#community 
#popculture

A former Silicon Valley COO (she is one of the three female founders of BlogHer, which pioneered helping women earn money from their online influence, before Instagram even existed), Camahort Page is very active on LinkedIn, and her feed is a really interesting mix of tech entrepreneurship, diverse representation in tech and business (she can be counted on to call tech and business conferences to the carpet for not having diverse representation), social justice and activism, and… pop culture, #makers, and being vegan! She shares a lot of her own material (“The Op-Ed Page with Elisa Camahort Page” podcast, “The Week-ish” Substack newsletter, and tidbits from her book Road Map for Revolutionaries: Resistance, Activism, and Advocacy for All) as well as posting interesting stories of the day with her commentary. Camahort Page’s feed is a perfect representation of pursuing all your passions and turning those into meaningful work you share with the world. Dive in.

Next for X, sponsored by #disruptaging

You Might Also Like: 10 Ways You Didn’t Know LinkedIn Could Find You a Job [AARP]; I’ve Pivoted in My Career So Much, I’m Pirouetting

Tell Us in the Comments

What do you think?

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.