2011 Game Changer: Tiffani Murray

When Glacéau beverages became part of Coca-Cola Co. after its $4.1 billion acquisition of Energy Brands Inc., glacéau still collected hard copies of résumés. So in 2008, Coca-Cola sent Tiffani Murray to the New York offices of glacéau, best known for its Vitaminwater.

She implemented glacéau’s first applicant tracking system, which helped transform the human resources department. Now she’s taking her technology know-how to help clients advance their human resources strategies through social media.

“A lot of people either have the HR experience but not necessarily the technical background, and some have the technical background but not the real-life experience as it relates to being an HR generalist or partner,” says Mardel Nesby, HR director at Coca-Cola, who recommended Murray for a Game Changers award. “She has both.”

Before its acquisition, glacéau relied on staffing agencies to fill 95 percent of its vacancies, Nesby estimates. Within six months, glacéau virtually stopped using them because its in-house staff had the applicant tracking system. It saved money, helped fill positions faster and made the department less transactional and more strategic, he says.

Murray, 34, left Coca-Cola at the end of 2010 to become an independent consultant who helps what she describes as “HR-centric clients” tap social media and technology. Murray provides the social media “voice” of Red Zone Resources, a recruiter based in Garner, North Carolina.

“Human resources in the last couple of years have seen the benefit of doing employee branding through social media, and recruiters are really tapping into social media to have dialogues with employees to find out what they are looking for,” Murray says. “It’s moving from: ‘Let’s have the social media police’ to ‘Let’s talk about the positive benefits of social media to engage employees.’ “

Murray also has written the books Stuck on Stupid: A Guide for Today’s Single Woman Stuck in Yesterday’s Stupid Relationships and Stuck on Stupid: A Guide for Today’s Professional Stuck in a Rut.