Happy New Year!  For me, 2015 got off to a rocky start, but all in all, it was a good year.  Want to make 2016 an awesome year?  Twitter and LinkedIn are amazing resources for personal and professional development.  As a job seeker or someone who simply wants to improve themselves, the right influencers provide excellent advice, insight, best practices, inspiration and motivation to help you achieve your goals. This started out as a top ten list, but I couldn’t leave it at just ten resources.

So, I present to you:

Campus to Career’s 12 Top Career & Leadership Experts to Follow in 2016 (in alpha order):

Brittany Hodak (@BrittanyHodak) Brittany and I go way back…all the way to our humble beginnings in SmallTown, Oklahoma. Okay, that isn’t actually the name of the town (it’s Roland) but you get my point. Brittany is one of the most driven, passionate and gutsy people I know and her career success is a true reflection of her tenacity. She’s the Co-Founder of ZinePak,  blogs for Forbes, has been named to Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 list, and she even swims with sharks.

Doug Conant (@dougconant) You might recognize the name. Doug has been one of my unofficial mentors throughout my career. He’s is one of the most inspirational business professionals I’ve ever met. Oh, and he’s also the former CEO of Campbell Soup Company, leading with head, heart and hands. Read his book, TouchPoints.  I guarantee that you’ll find some excellent tips on how to be a better leader. Doug writes for LinkedIn as an Influencer regularly. Check out his posts here. He wrote a fantastic post recently on his site regarding 2016 Leadership Resolutions. Highly recommended.

Ed Han (@ed_han) Ed shares great content to help you succeed in your career. Personally, I enjoy his LinkedIn #tipoftheday. Ed contributes to Job-Hunt.org, considers himself a job seeker ally and provides good value to your Twitter stream.

Hannah Morgan (@careersherpa) She’s the guide for lifetime career navigation.  I love how Hannah shares so much of her own content, while complementing it with great articles and nuggets from other experts.  It’s the humble gesture that counts!

Jacob Share (@jacobshare) Jacob is a job search expert, professional blogger, creative thinker, and community builder with a sense of humor. He likes to help people. I like that. One of the ways he does that is by compiling incredible one-stop lists like the Top Job Search Articles of 2015 and 1500 Hot Twitter Job Search Feeds. Check ’em out.

Jeff Haden (@jeff_haden)  This guy is awesome.  As a LinkedIn Influencer, he’s providing some amazing advice in ways that we can relate to everyday life.  His posts are fun and very meaningful.  Check him out here.

Meghan Biro (@MeghanMBiro) She’s Founder & CEO of @TalentCulture, Host of #TChat (Wednesdays  7-8pm ET) and a regular contributor to Forbes.  Meghan is always sharing great information and like many on this list, she keeps social media social.  Follow her and tweet hello!

Rich Grant (@RichCareer) Rich is co-host of #CareerServChat, the popular Twitter forum for Career Services professionals.  He has some great articles on his blog and pays it forward, sharing useful content from other experts.

Sarah Landrum (@SarahLandrum) If the name sounds familiar, it may be because Sarah is a featured writer here at Campus to Career. Her articles are fantastic and bring a unique perspective to our readers. Adding her to our small team was one of the best things we did in 2015! Check out Sarah’s 6 Tips on Getting More From LinkedIn. She’s also the Founder of Punched Clocks. You can learn more about Sarah in this fun interview.

Steve Browne (@sbrownehr) Steve is a self-professed HR radical putting the human touch back into Human Resources. This guy GETS IT. Not only is he super-social (go ahead, tweet him), he’s one of the most inclusive, thoughtful people I’ve ever interacted with in my career. He also blogs at Everyday People, managing to find the extraordinary in everyone.

Steve Levy (@levyrecruits) He keeps it real, holding nothing back.  He’s a regular contributor to chats like #InternPro and #jobhuntchat.  Follow him for some of the best, frank career advice you’ve ever received.

YouTern (@YouTern)  Check out the blog, The Savvy Intern, for TONS of great articles to help you succeed.  YouTern and Campus to Career have partnered to bring you the best of both worlds. Look for more good stuff in 2016. BONUS: Follow Mark Babbitt and Dave Ellis.

Me (@kbaumann) (I know…seems selfish…we’ll call it “enlightened self-interest). I’d be honored if you followed me and liked Campus to Career on Facebook.  Research has proven that it’s silly to expect results if you don’t make the request.  So, I’m asking!  Let’s make 2016 awesome together.

There it is, folks.  Campus to Career’s 12 Top Career & Leadership Experts to Follow in 2016.  Well, technically…13. 🙂 When you follow them, take a look at who they follow and interact with.  This list wasn’t a top 100 for a reason.  You know who you want to follow and each person has unique needs and preferences.  Each person on this list is full of knowledge, shares that knowledge with the world and has a mission of helping others succeed.  That’s what we’re all about here at Campus to Career.

That being said….if you could add TWO people to the list, who would it be??  Please leave your recommendations (along with their Twitter username) in the comments below!  As always, thanks for reading.  Best wishes in 2016!

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