There are many people getting paid to use Facebook, twitter and other social sites. It seems like friends, followers and your influence on social sites are starting to become synonymous with job qualifications. Recent example is that of Best Buy where job applicants had to have at least 250 followers on Twitter. Another one that I can recall is a job posting for The Phnom Penh Post (Cambodian Nespaper) where the applicant qualifications had to include at least 150 followers on twitter, 200 friends on Facebook, adminstrator or creator of at least one Facebook group and a blog with pagerank 2 or higher. It just goes to show that the job search landscape is increasingly being shaped by social media. Recruiters and employers want candidates that are social media savvy.

This year there has been quite a few jobs directly related to social media that was talk of the web for a while. After all getting paid thousands of dollars to twitter and facebook (which we do for ourselves, for free) certainly isn’t something that we would have seen a couple years ago. Here are 5 social media jobs that made us drool this year and we are sure there are more coming.

1. Orlando Tourism Bureau

Job : Experience every attraction that Orlando has to offer. Share your experience and adventure on social media platforms such as twitter, facebook, blogs, etc. Be able to use video camera, still camera and upload pictures of attraction and create awareness of all the fun that Orlando offers.

Perks :

• Furnished 2 bedroom apartment in downtown Orlando for 67 days
• Free rental car
• Free admission to all Orlando attractions

Pay : $25,000 for 67 days which you can send back to family since everything else is covered by the Tourism Bureau.

Work day : 67 eight hours day (the number of hours and days it would take to experience all the attractions in Orlando as calculated by Tourism officials.)

Job length : 67 days (Aug 26th – Nov. 2)

The submission period for this dream social media job is over. Currently they are reviewing the submissions and the lucky candidate is expected to start Aug. 26th.

2. A Really Goode Job : Murphy Goode Winery

Job : Learn about the wine making process, interact with local wine makers and file reports of your experience via social sites such as Facebook and Twitter. So basically this job requires you to drink wine,have a good time and update Facebook, Twitter and write blog posts highlighting your experience at Murphy Goode.

Perks :

• Rent free deluxe private home
• Return airfare once the contract is over
• Free transportation
• Travel insurance
• Computer, internet, PDA, digital and still camera.

Pay : $10,000 each month for a six month contract.

Workday : Every day you tweet, facebook, drink wine and have fun

Job length : 6 months

The submission date for this job has passed as well. As of now they have chosen the top 10 candidates and the final candidate is expected to start on Aug. 15th 2009.

3. Multnomah County (Oregon) Social Media Co-ordinator

Job : Someone who is experienced in using Facebook, Twitter and can crank out posts on tight deadlines and can act as a one man video crew.

Perks :

• Health insurance
• Flexible work schedule
• Free bus passes, etc.

Pay : $70,000 per year

Workday : Flexible

Job length : Permanent (or until you stop tweeting, facebooking and writing blog posts)

This job was a government job for Multnomah County in Oregon. Due to the job title (Multnomah County Social Media Co-ordinator) many argued that such a position wasn’t required, expecially in this economy. The job was later taken down. However, it certainly was a job anyone would have drooled over considering it required tweeting, facebooking and blogging for the most part.

4. Best Job In The World (Tourism Queensland)

Job : Known as “the best job in the world,” it required the candidate to be the Queensland’s island caretaker. That doesn’t mean picking up shrubs and  guarding the island, what it really means is having fun while you are there. Stroll the white sands, snorkel the reef and take care of other few minor tasks. The biggest part of the job is to enjoy, have fun and update about experience to global audience through blog posts, twitter, facebook, video updates etc.

Perks :

• 3 bedroom beach home overlooking the Great Barrier Reef

Pay : $150,000 for a six month contract

Workday : Have fun and update a weekly blog. That’s right, not daily but weekly

Job length : 6 months

Ben Southwall became the lucky person to land “the best job in the world.” He started his work on July 2nd 2009. You can read his first blog post here.

5. $500,000 To Stay At Home

Job : Be an ambassador and stop coming to the office. Greet every new user that signs up and be the first friend on everyones profile. Update your status every once in a while.

Perks :

• No work.

Pay : $500,000 per year

Workday : None.

Job length : 2 year

The reason you never heard about this job is because it wasn’t a job opening. We are talking about MySpace founder Tom who was recently fired as the CEO by News Corp. It is said that Tom had to take a $7 million paycut but hey, if you get paid $500,000 to do nothing, it absolutely is a job to die for.

We are sure as the days go by we will come across a lot more “social media dream jobs.” If you know of any please feel free to drop a link in the comments section.

Related Posts

1. 67 Days of Work (Fun) = $25,000. The New Social Media Dream Job
2. A Lesson From a Social Media Noob To Social Media Gurus
3. Social Media and Job Search : Get Your Priorities Straight
4. The 5 “Social Media Types” Who Ended Up Losing Their Job
5. The Ultimate Social Media Checklist For Job Hunters