What does the future of HR look like?

FreshGigs.ca Team

Some of Vancouver’s brightest and most progressive thinkers in the Talent and People space recently gathered for the second DisruptHR. FreshGigs.ca had the opportunity to catch up with each of the speakers who are rethinking our HR landscape.

Thank you Learnkit and DisruptHR for the opportunity to participate! If you have trouble viewing the embedded video, Click here to watch it.

Disrupt is a night of short focused talks from professionals who want to share their ideas on how to move talent thinking forward. Each exchange is designed to energize, inform and empower people in the HR field. For more information, visit Disrupt HR.

Comments? Questions? Please feel free to leave them below.

From full-time to freelance: easing the transition into a whole new (working) world

Guest Author

Image of stylish girl using computer from shutterstock.

The transition from full-time employment to freelancing can be pretty terrifying. Moonlighting with a job like writing or web design while holding down a 9-5 is challenging enough. But sometimes, life makes your decisions for you – and in an instant, you find yourself without permanent employ.

I recently became a freelance writer after my full-time career came to an end.

Fortunately, my departure from the technology consulting company I was working for was amicable; I’ve already collaborated with them on writing projects, and I hope to continue with it. The old adage about not burning your bridges rings true in my case…I’d already been writing part-time while I was employed, so I just hit the ground running when I “decided” to pursue a full-time writing career.

It’s not that easy for everyone, though. Continue reading →

Digital Marketing Confidential with Yelp Vancouver’s Ayla Collins: fun on the job

Joanne M. Brathwaite

Back for another year, the 2016 Canadian Internet Marketing Conference (CIMC) will feature a powerhouse line-up of more than 30 of the world’s top minds and movers of the digital marketing industry. FreshGigs.ca got the awesome opportunity to have a pre-conference brain-picking sesh with each of the keynote speakers and panelists. Today’s Q & A is with Ayla Collins, Community Manager of Yelp Vancouver.

What lessons have your favourite brands taught you about marketing in the hospitality industry?

No matter how many times I see brands pushing hard at their marketing, it’s the ones with the personal touch that impress me. I love what Modo is doing with their blog – getting fun local businesses like Bao Bei and Bestie on board and not focusing simply on the hard sell. The key to good marketing is connection; make me feel like I’m part of your team and I will instantly want to know more about you!

Many local breweries are also great at this: Brassneck, for example, regularly posts pictures of their brewery dogs! It’s not about pushing your product all the time, it’s about providing a relatable human experience. Continue reading →

The Art of Leadership for Women Conference – Toronto

FreshGigs.ca Team

Join Fresh Gigs at Canada’s leading leadership for women event – June 15th, 2016.
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The Art of Leadership for Women is a one-day conference that brings world-renowned leaders and best-selling authors for a full day of cutting edge thinking and real world experience on today’s most critical leadership strategies.

June 15th, 2016 8:00AM – 5:00PM
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
North Building – John Bassett Theatre
255 Front Street West |Toronto

Connect with over 1,200 of Canada’s most influential women and gain insights from: Continue reading →

Digital Marketing Confidential with Walmart Canada’s Drew Cashmore: re-writing the rules of (customer) engagement

Joanne M. Brathwaite

Back for another year, the 2016 Canadian Internet Marketing Conference (CIMC) will feature a powerhouse line-up of more than 30 of the world’s top minds and movers of the digital marketing industry. FreshGigs.ca got the awesome opportunity to have a pre-conference brain-picking sesh with each of the keynote speakers and panelists. Today’s Q & A is with Drew Cashmore, Head of Walmart Media Group at Walmart Canada.

What marketing innovations have your favourite retailers used that you find useful or impressive?

One of the most powerful marketing innovations I have seen recently in retail is from our own company in the U.S. Our @WalmartLabs team in San Bruno is developing tools that allow us to optimize our digital marketing initiatives for both online and in-store conversion across all connected touch points. We then in-turn are offering these solutions back to our suppliers to drive overall efficiency in the marketing ecosystem.

In the world of retail marketing, how can you best use digital marketing to increase the public’s engagement?

The most successful retailers are using digital to tell linear stories across multiple touch points. Think about a soon-to-be-parent and the steps they would take learn about pregnancy, setting up a baby’s room or buying diapers for the first time. Continue reading →

The Insider Look: everyone has a say at Vander Brand

Crystal Henrickson

The prevailing agency attitude has long been one of senior level creatives working on the most valuable (and the most fun) projects. Not so at Vander Brand — a full-service, creative agency based in Toronto — that’s busy blazing its own trail, fostering learning and idea sharing across all levels of the organization.

Founder/Creative Director Julie Vander Herberg has maintained a linear work style since the beginning. Her approach ensures that ideas, contributions and interactions with clients are never diluted and voices from the most junior to the most senior carry weight.

“It’s a very entrepreneurial environment. You can take on a project and make it your own. One of our junior designers was able to come to us and say, ‘I think this could be better,’ without us shutting her down. Continue reading →

Digital Marketing Confidential with BRANDLIVE’s Katie Schaeffers: telling a story through marketing

Joanne M. Brathwaite

Your social media slogan is “Make more moves and less announcements.” In your industry, how do you think a person can best engage in the art of telling stories without making excessive noise?

Edit. Edit. Edit. If you think you need to use 10 words, use five instead. Spend more time doing the work rather than talking about the work. The judges are always watching, there’s no need to take a bow.

As a yoga enthusiast, what sort of tactics have your practice taught you that you can transfer to your career?

I’ve actually put my yoga practice on the back burner of late for a more active pursuit of cycling. I love getting on my bike at spin class, sweating out the day, and getting lost in the music. I find it almost more meditative than yoga now, because I’m so connected to what my physical body is doing that my brain can just take a breather for an hour. Continue reading →

Second annual Canadian Internet Marketing Conference returns to Squamish

FreshGigs.ca Team

April 14-15
8:30am – 5:30pm

West Coast Railway Heritage Park
39645 Government Road
Squamish, BC

For a second year in a row, Squamish is set to host to some of the biggest names in digital marketing with the Canadian Internet Marketing Conference (CIMC).

Some of the brightest minds from renowned brands like Google, Twittter, eBay, Disney Parks Canada and Etsy will be sharing current and future digital marketing strategies and discussing some of the most pressing issues facing marketers today. Continue reading →

The Art of Marketing | Toronto’s #1 Marketing Conference returns June 14, 2016

FreshGigs.ca Team

Don’t miss the opportunity to attend Toronto’s #1 Marketing Conference on June 14!

The Art of Marketing is a forum that explores the power shift in brand-consumer relationships. It puts the spotlight on how business models are being disrupted and, as a result, how marketers need to rethink how to achieve their goals.

It’s an opportunity to learn from thought-provoking industry leaders, best-selling authors and visionaries about how new ideas and approaches need to be embraced to keep brands relevant and consumers engaged.

The Art of Marketing Toronto

Continue reading →

Digital Marketing Confidential with Jelly Marketing’s Sarah Clark : the digital truth

Joanne M. Brathwaite

Back for another year, the 2016 Canadian Internet Marketing Conference (CIMC) will feature a powerhouse line-up of more than 30 of the world’s top minds and movers of the digital marketing industry. FreshGigs.ca got the awesome opportunity to have a pre-conference brain-picking sesh with each of the keynote speakers and panelists. Today’s Q & A is with Sarah Clark, Project Manager for Jelly Marketing.

What exactly does reporting digital marketing entail? Why should the public be interested in it?

Reporting digital marketing is incredible – it’s broad and measurable, which to me, is what is most exciting. Numbers don’t lie and I think above all, what the attendees at CIMC (and every business owner) should take away from the idea of digital marketing is the fact that unlike other traditional forms of marketing, with the right tools, you’re able to link your marketing dollars to your real time results, and therefore, calculate an accurate ROI.

Gone are the days of the “spray and pray” concept; today, digital marketing is refreshingly accountable. Continue reading →