It's spring. Finally!

Time for barbecuing in the park, colorful tulips and fresh-starts.

A fresh-start can mean a lot of things, from finally throwing away the moldy pesto that's been hanging out in the back of your fridge, to starting a new job, to the beginning of True Blood season 4!

But for those of us interested in social recruiting, a fresh-start means rethinking social media strategy, freshening up our Facebook employer branding, and True Blood season 4! I mean it, there's a lot to be learned about branding and HR from those vampires. You try branding a group best know for their pasty skin, scary fangs, and thirst for blood. Not easy!

Well, here are a few links to help you keep your employer brand fresh and your social recruiting springy:

Do you read Copy Blogger? If not, you really ought to check it out. Even if you don't consider yourself a writer, I'm willing to bet you still spend a fair amount of time writing. Even if it's only job descriptions, contracts and emails, you're still writing. Copy Blogger is one of the best resources to make your writing more effective. And, if your emails, contracts and job descriptions are more effective, then by default, YOU are more effective at your job.

Lorelle VanFossen writes the series "Blog Exercises", featured on Copy Blogger. In the series she provides simple exercises to improve your writing. Technically, the articles are aimed at bloggers, but I've been applying them to content marketing, Twitter, and email with great success. Oh, and her writing is a delight to read, in part, due to her fantastic use of George Carlin quotes!

For those out there who prefer to learn by example, Tim Ferris recently interviewed 5 online businesses that gross over $250, 000+ per month. Tim may not be everyone's cup of coffee, but if there's one thing he knows, it's how to model success. Much of the information gleaned from his case studies is pertinent to Facebook branding and can also be applied to social recruiting.

Speaking of case studies... If you haven't checked out how Gordon Food Service is using Facebook to recruit for their family-run business, or how The Phoenix Group is creating a strong Facebook Employer Brand for the entire province of Saskatchewan, get on it! Both case studies provide great advice and examples of successful social recruiting and employer branding.

LinkedIn is a crucial part of social recruiting success. One of our very favorite bloggers, and social media guru extraordinaire, Stacy Donovan Zapar shares 6 tips to help you spring clean your LinkedIn profile.

If you really want to stay fresh, not just at work, but in life, apparently all you really need is sleep. Encouraging employees and employers to get proper sleep raises productivity, slashes healthcare costs, and boosts moral. What's not to love?!

We saved the best for last! A hot tip from yours truly, exciting huh?

Update your profile pic

With the magic of smart phones, there's no excuse not to have a stunning picture with which to represent yourself. Stand in front of a white wall, where there's natural light and have a friend snap your picture. If you want to get fancy, use a filter app (I like Instagram's "Rise" filter, as it hides how pale I am). Your profile pic is your online introduction. Make it work for you, not against you.

If that didn't convince you to show your lovely face then maybe this article will!

Happy Link Love Wednesday everyone :)