Hey Everyone! My name is Melanie Simpson and I am a social media strategist at Like A Voss Social Media.
I am the youngest and only girl in my family. For my two brothers, post secondary school was never really up their alley. This meant that when it came my time to attend university or college – there was a lot of pressure to be the first to graduate.
I was never that kid who would pick up a book for pleasure. Despite this, I always found I excelled in English in school. When I had to declare my major, I chose something I was good at, but not passionate about. Assuming the passion would develop later, I dove head first into English Language and Literature. Spoiler alert: the passion never came. I powered through four years and earned a Bachelor’s degree (with honours) from Queen’s University.
During my time at Queen’s, I also minored in Religious Studies – because the courses were super interesting and allowed me to learn about the numerous cultures and religions that makeup our world (seriously, I took a course on the apocalypse – with a section about Obama as the antichrist – for real).
After university, I attended St. Lawrence College for a graduate program in Interactive Marketing Communications. College was an entirely different experience than university, in an awesome way.
I loved working with actual clients, and moving away from ONLY learning theory (not actual skills). Part of my program included a 6-week placement in a marketing position at a company of your choice. I knew I wanted to stay in Kingston for my placement – so I began doing interviews locally. I landed a placement on my first interview, but it ended up being revoked as the company actually went under. I began lining up 3 interviews the following week, and was left in the hard position of actually having 3 placement offers.
I decided to go with Like A Voss Social Media, because I felt like I would be learning a ton with a smaller company – and I got an awesome vibe from the owner – Amanda. The rest is history! My internship ended and I was offered a paid position at the company, which I jumped on.
My favorite part about working at Like A Voss Social Media is not only the people I work with, but the freedom that being able to work remotely brings.
When I’m not working (or even when I am #remotework), you’ll probably find me cooking, walking the dog, and spending time with my family and boyfriend. I’m a total foodie, and love to try new and different things. I have also developed some pretty legit skills in cake decorating – and do the occasional commissioned cake for special people and occasions.
My other favourite thing to do is travel. Whether it is to my family cottage on weekends, or to Florida and Bermuda whenever I can fit it in – I love getting out of Kingston and Toronto. This is another reason I totally love my job – because I can travel and work from anywhere.
Growing up, my favourite movie was Dumb and Dumber (What? I have older brothers… leave me alone). But now, usually anything with Amy Schumer or Melissa McCarthy is right up my alley. I love to laugh and appreciate blunt and vulgar comedy.
My advice for managing your online presence is: think before you post. I know it sounds cliché and all, but for real, the Internet is forever. This applies to personal pages and business accounts – if you wouldn’t feel comfortable with your mom reading or seeing it, think twice about posting it on social.
I hope this helped you get to know me a little better! If you want an even better idea about what I do with my time, follow me on Instagram (@melaniesimp) for my marketing/ food/ dog/ wine/ and travel adventures!
