A tour on the information superhighway could be a hopeful island caretaker’s ticket to the “best job in the world.”
Linda Hoang has taken her plight to the farthest reaching corners of the web, and just one week after posting her application video to Tourism Queensland’s website, the 19-year-old journalism student is at the head of the pack.
“A lot of videos I saw were just people sitting in front of their webcams — I knew I could do better than that,” she said.
After a little creative shooting and editing, Hoang’s video application for the “best job in the world” has been seen by more than 7,500 pairs of eyes.
The relatively new medium of social networking is Hoang’s ace in the hole, she said, having drummed up a following of thousands via Facebook, Twitter, forums, blogging, and her own personal website.
“They’re trying to attract tourists, and the fact that I’m already online and have a following, for lack of a better word, would be great for Tourism Queensland.”
Hoang joins thousands of Canadians vying for a shot at the six-month caretaker’s position on the Great Barrier Reef. If the budding journalist doesn’t nail the gig, she plans to continue writing and working at her family’s Vietnamese restaurant before entering the broadcast journalism program at NAIT.
Ten full-time Tourism Queensland staffers are reviewing applications round the clock, and have received more than 18,000 in less than a month, said CEO Anthony Hayes, who added no applications will be accepted after Feb. 22.
