It’s time for a new monthly Employee in the Spotlight! Last month we interviewed our Mobile Developer Kees van Welsenis. This time we introduce the lady behind the many blogs and articles of Mopinion. We’d like to shine a light on Erin Gilliam, our always smiling American colleague.
Meet Erin. Erin started working for Mopinion as a Content Marketer three years ago and quickly learned her way around. There’s never a dull moment with Erin and when she’s not typing full speed, she’s reading up on the latest trends in digital marketing so as to keep up her content fresh and relevant. In her free time you’ll find this power woman in the Crossfit gym, reading a book or out exploring the world.
Interviewing Erin was a piece of cake, she knows how to tell a good story…
What does your position at Mopinion entail?
Erin is a Content Marketer here at Mopinion which means she’s usually busy writing blogs and whitepapers as well as distributing content to expand our digital footprint (in several languages) and educate prospects about customer feedback as well as other digital topics.
‘While my job entails writing and publishing blogs, there’s a lot more to it than that. I actually do a lot of research beforehand, by following major trends and doing a lot of research on particular keywords. Additionally, I help the team in keeping up with our social channels like Instagram and LinkedIn (yes, all those pictures of our office dog Bobby were my doing) and publishing engaging content there for our readers as well as setting up partnerships with other companies in our field and writing guest posts for them (and vice versa).’
What initially drew you to Mopinion?
‘Well I wanted to get into digital marketing. I studied International Business and that was a bit generic, so I wanted to narrow it down. Digital is very “up and coming” so that’s what appealed to me. I chose Mopinion in particular because I came from a rather large company with a rather strict culture and I wanted something with more freedom and flexibility.’
What does a typical work day look like for you?
‘First I grab some coffee, catch up with colleagues and then run through which articles I need to work on that day. I also regularly check our website traffic and monitor the latest blog performance. Then it’s really just a lot of writing or research depending on what’s on at that moment. Not to mention, throughout the day we get a huge amount of emails regarding guest post requests etc so I’m always running through those to see what kinds of opportunities there are… ‘
What is your favorite part about working at Mopinion?
‘The atmosphere, definitely! Everyone is approachable and laid back. I don’t feel any negative pressure.’
Strong Viking 2019
What are the biggest challenges you face in your job?
‘I think it’s when I have a new topic and when I really have to dive into it. Some blog posts are easier to write than others, so if we write something more along the lines of a thought piece, you have to do a lot of research even just for your own understanding. It’s hard, but also my favourite because you really get the opportunity to learn something new and it feels rewarding when you finally publish.’
What is your proudest moment at Mopinion?
‘Probably when I wrote my first white paper. It cost a lot of time and research, about two months to be exact, and when it was finally published, I felt really proud.’
And now for some fun questions…
As an Expat what do you like the most about the Netherlands and miss most about the US?
‘Well I’ve been living in the Netherlands for nearly 7 years now so I’ve gotten quite used to it. For one, I love the directness of people here. In the beginning I can’t say I loved it, but now I’ve realised that it’s great to know where you stand with people and what they think, so in the end it’s quite refreshing.
The thing I miss the most from the US is seeing my family and friends. It was really hard in the beginning and I wanted to have the best of both worlds – my friends & family nearby but still be living in the Netherlands with my husband. But after a few years, I finally got used to it and I love the life we live here.’
What are your pet peeves?
‘I’m a stickler for grammar so I hate when people can’t tell the difference between your and you’re, or their, there and they’re. Drives me nuts.’
Pepi and Ruby are always together
What is the one thing you can’t live without?
‘Probably my cats – I have two called Pepi and Ruby’
What is your guilty pleasure?
‘All things pumpkin spice, in fact a lot of American candies are my guilty pleasure. And you probably don’t know what they are but I also love Cheezits. I buy a box every time I go back to the States’, she laughs.
What is your favorite movie?
‘Either The Holiday or Titanic (maybe that should also be under guilty pleasure) – I’m a big fan of Leonardo di Caprio actually. I like almost all of his films.’
Photocredits: Moviefone.com
What is your favorite quote?
‘I have no idea, I would have to Google it.’
What is something that not many people know about you?
‘My first car was a white 94 Chrysler LHS that my grandpa gave me. It was a total ‘grandpa car’, so I named it after him, Ed Ray.’
Stay tuned for more!
We hope you enjoyed this month’s Employee in the Spotlight! Stay tuned for our last Spotlight in 2019…
