10 Reasons Why I’m the Best One For the Best Job in the World on Hamilton Island, AUS

1. Get the basic things right

“It sounds pretty mundane but make sure you send the video in the right format,” says Corinne Mills, HR adviser for monster.co.uk. She says there’s a small but growing trend for applications to be submitted by video. “They are going to be absolutely inundated, and if they can’t see what you send them your application will go straight in the bin.”

I’ve been telling stories and writing my whole life, doing TV since high school, and making videos on my laptop since last August–I’m confident I can produce a video that will be correctly formatted and reasonably engaging!!

2. Make the video as strong as possible

If you don’t already have a camcorder you will need to invest in one, rehearse like crazy, memorise a script – don’t read from one! – and make sure the finished product is perfect. “If it’s too dark you can look a bit sinister,” says Mills. “So make sure there is lots of bright light. Look directly at the camera and hold imaginary eye contact. The eyes have to be absolutely focused. “Relax, don’t fidget, speak slowly, make sure you are very focused and have good arguments. The great thing about video is you can keep doing it until it’s absolutely right.”

Again, I have lots of public speaking experience in TV, radio, video, teaching,  and hosting events–-usually live so no do-overs!

3. Demonstrate a spirit of adventure

You are going to be sent to one of the most idyllic corners of the world. Few people will be able to call on first-hand knowledge of the region so it’s a question of being enthusiastic about where you have been and what you have done. A thirst for the outdoors is clearly important, but what have you done that can give your application a unique flavour?

Very few people in the world have backpacked the 2600 mile  length of the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. Completing that hike says a lot about my spirit for adventure! In addition to non-technical climbs like Mt Whitney in California and many of the 14,000′ peaks in Colorada where I taught mountaineering for three summers, I’ve completed many of the best technical climbs in the US like the Grand Teton, Pingora, and Wolfs Head in Wyoming. I’ve also hiked portions of the Inca Trail in Peru! (And no, that’s not me in the photo–but it could have been! We went as light weight as we could since it was mid-September and we’d already been snowed delayed once!)

4. Mention all your relevant experience

To get yourself onto the shortlist of 11 candidates – all of whom get flown out to Hamilton Island for the final interview – you will need to demonstrate more than strong presenting skills. “If you have any scuba-diving qualifications, mention them. Think hard about what you have done in the past and how they might help you,” says Mills. “A geography background, any experience of wildlife management, a role as a forest warden, some kind of outdoor role involved in monitoring and observing – that’s going to put you ahead of 75% of the other applicants.”

In addition to a graduate and an undergraduate degrees in writing,  I have a degree in environmental studies and completed graduate work in conservation biology, ecology, and geography. I’ve worked for the Peregrine Fund hack site attendant, for the US Forest Service as a wildlife biologist hooting for spotted owls, plus I’ve done a goshawk nesting survey as well as other volunteer ornithological projects. And they do have birds there on the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef–not just fish–lots of wonderful birds like the famous kookaburra pictured by Judd Niemann!

I am an excellent swimmer who loves the water: I was on swim team for a few years, I body surf and boogie board, and took a water safety instructor course. Instead of life guarding or teaching swimming over the summers around home, I taught mountaineering in the Colorado Rockies.

My husband is an avid and experienced diver, and diving is a skill I’m excited to learn and share the process of learning with the on-line audience! In fact, this may be an advantage–to show how fun, easy, and accessible diving is for any one to experience and enjoy! Or I can get my certification locally beforehand. (I mean–just look at that picture! In its technicolor glory, it seems unreal!)

The balcony where I could be having my breakfast every morning!!

5. Know your marine wildlife
With 2,900 individual reefs comprising the world’s largest coral reef system, and 900 islands, the area is a haven wildlife. If you are not an expert on the myriad of species you will feast your eyes on in coastal Queensland, then it’s worth getting a working knowledge – spend some time at the library or learning about it on Wikipedia.

Then you can tell your prospective employer how keen you are to see the possums, migrating whales and anything else you’ve learnt about during your studies.

My grandpa was the diver on the first underwater scientific expedition in the Galapagos! He was so wonderful and valuable at describing what was underwater to the scientists above water that they put his name on the papers they published! Later in life he raised tropical fish commercially; at one time we had 17 fish tanks in our house! (Plus a guinea pig named Nibbles, three cats and a dog!) I’ve studied marine mammals and birds in college, and have lived most of my life along coastal California. Getting to know the specific species in the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef will be exciting, especially since when we are there is when the minke and humpback whales will be passing through the area! Seeing possums however, which migrate nightly through our backyard, is less exciting…

6. Show your genuine love of animals and the outdoors

Instead of getting a friend to film you in a dreary indoor room with a blank wall behind you, adopt a more creative approach. “Go to your local park or local wildlife centre, they will want to see your style,” explains Mills.

I’ve already filmed two of my poems at the beach near my house and I certainly have ideas on how to make this aspect creative! My love of the outdoors shines through in almost everything I do–I’ve spent my life backpacking, camping, rock climbing, sailing, cycling, taking courses–and leading and working with environmental advocacy groups.

7. Enhance your application
You only have 60 seconds to impress and you might find that’s not nearly enough time. If you have experience of writing and blogging – or professional photography – mention a website where your material has been published.

“If you are a performer or a TV presenter there will already be videos of you out there,” adds Mills. “Then you can add: ‘If you want to see more of me in action, go to this website.’ “

I’ve been blogging almost daily since November 2007 about an eclectic range of topics inlcuding environmental ones, and have produced 7 videos on my YouTube channel; I have more in production!

Scuba-diving and snorkelling are some of the few skills required

8. Balance the “fun factor” with a more serious side
“Remember you need to speak in a business-appropriate way,” says Mills. “You can certainly make it fun, and they will be looking for enthusiasm.

“But remember the serious side. Are you someone they can trust? You need to be seen to be reliable and a safe pair of hands. You need to balance a lively communication style with coming across as really responsible.”

For the better part of twenty years, I’ve been teaching “English” to college students–and helping them find their voice and find a love for writing as well as getting them more active in saving our planet. I can come across a little wild, and wildly passionate and enthusiastic, but I can be trusted to ge tthe job done and done well.

9. Don’t waste money on a course

There are plenty of one and two-day courses out there which cover most aspects of the writing, blogging and video side of this role. But they aren’t cheap and Mills says you might be wasting your time anyway. “Bear in mind that with this particular job, with the huge competition and the deadline factor [applications close on 22 February], you would probably not have time to get yourself on a course,” she says. “But if you see a role for yourself in this sort of field in the future, then by all means do some training and get yourself some experience.”

I won’t!

10. Are you sure you’re the right person?

It sounds ideal, but is it really for you? The job starts on 1 July and lasts until the end of the year, with no days off to fly home for your parents’ silver wedding anniversary. Hamilton Island has an airport and a population of 5,000 but you may still get homesick, particularly if you are on your own. You will get a three-bedroom home to live in rent free, so the temptation to bring along family members or a partner is there – but they must be flown out at your expense. And besides, the start date coincides with the beginning of the British summer… and the start of the Australian winter.

But spring follows winter, and during winter and spring, it doesn’t rain there much! In fact the visibility for diving is best during the spring. Plus it’s the tropics–so it’s still going to be warm with water temperatures ranging form a low of 70- to a high of 85!  And coastal summers around here are often as cold and certainly foggier than our winters!

And I am bringing my family, no doubt! My son and my husband bring huge assests to this job–he’s such a fun, enthusiast, water loving guy! And the boy’s a little rock climbing, adventurous fish with smarts, personality, charm, and charisma–plus he’s the cutest red headed boy you’ve ever seen!

To learn more about the Great Barrier Reef, the small boy and I enjoyed this intereactive site from National Geographic.and then with our new knowledge, will watch finding Nemo for the millionth time on this rainy weekend.