\u201cIT is my mission in life to get this job,\u201d\u009d said Amanda Casgar, who is better known to executives at Murphy-Goode Winery in Sonoma County as applicant No. 505.<\/p>\n
Three weeks ago Murphy-Goode began a search for a \u201csocial media whiz,\u201d\u009d a wine enthusiast interested in moving to Healdsburg, Calif., for six months to promote the vineyard\u2019s malbec and chardonnay on blogs, Facebook and Twitter. The job \u201d\u201d which comes with the official title \u201clifestyle correspondent\u201d\u009d \u201d\u201d pays $10,000 a month, plus free accommodations at a private home within walking distance of the tasting room. Ms. Casgar, a former magazine marketing executive, has been endorsing herself as enthusiastically as she would a bottle of petit verdot.<\/p>\n
Already an occasional Twitterer, she increased the number of tweets she posts; they are mostly about wine. She created a Web site, \u201cGoode Times With Amanda Casgar,\u201d\u009d to chronicle her job quest. Like about a half-dozen other eager applicants, she has started a fan group on Facebook, buying ads for 50 cents a click to generate traffic.<\/p>\n
And last week Ms. Casgar spent two days filming her video r\u00c3\u00a9sum\u00c3\u00a9, rejecting the idea to sing a rap song (\u201cI want to demonstrate my personality without being too cheesy or a loser,\u201d\u009d she explained) in favor of a sketch dubbed \u201crandom acts of wineness.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Talk about investing in the future. The position of social media specialist, introduced by companies like Comcast, General Motors and JetBlue Airways, has become the hottest new corporate job among the Twitterati.<\/p>\n