DREAM JOB: $70K to use Twitter and Facebook

A county in Oregon is looking to pay $60K-$70K for a job that requires using Twitter and Facebook.

The “Multnomah County Social Media Co-ordinator” will receive benefits that include health care, a flexible work schedule, free bus passes and more. The job listing itself, on the Government Jobs website, is currently down for “maintenance”, but we pulled the following from Google’s cache and the press reports:

Do you tweet and use Facebook? Are you experienced with building social communities? Can you crank out news releases, editorials, and web content on tight deadlines? Have you been a one-person video crew?…

Multnomah County is seeking a motivated and experienced communicator, with a passion for writing, blogging, and social media in a fast-paced environment. The successful candidate will have PR and media experience, the ability to jump between creative and analytical skills, solid verbal and written communication expertise, and a marketing perspective. If you think strategically and are skilled at 21st century media technology, this might be the position for you.

Portland news channel KGW reports that not all residents are happy about the position:

Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler [Twitter account] is taking criticism for a new county job that’s just been posted…On Friday, he posted a position to hire someone to do what he does, but for the county - officially - to keep citizens informed of county business by via blogging, Twitter and other social media…Inside the backspace internet café, the idea was well received as you’d probably expect. “Can I get that job?” asked 18-year-old Daniel Lurvey, who says he’s on Twitter all the time….

Outside and away from the computer screens, folks were a little more critical of the cost. “I don’t know if we’re ready for that price tag because of what’s going on right now,” said Taylor Gilbreath.

KGW interviewed County Chair Wheeler via Facebook, who explained that the job is a senior level communications position….”It’s much more than a kid sitting in a dark room sending off tweets,” Wheeler writes. “It is top-level strategy and content.”…Wheeler writes that it’s time for the county to adapt, to progress with technology: “I am taking a lot of heat for this, but so did the poor guys who claimed that someday those crazy flying machines would replace the railroads.”

He may be right: if the job were called “Marketing Co-ordinator”, few would dispute that the County should spend money to promote itself nationally and even internationally. It’s the newness of Twitter and Facebook - and their strong association with socializing, rather than professional life - that raises eyebrows. The same was once said about blogging, and yet now corporations and government agencies are considered behind the times if they don’t communicate with communities online.

If you’re looking for an even higher paying Twitter job, you can receive $10K per month Tweeting for a California winery, but a public auditions process makes it somewhat of a publicity stunt. Meanwhile, our recent post HOW TO: Find a Job on Twitter offers tips and guidance on using Twitter for your job search.