History Main / UnusualHiringPractices

* ''[[Literature/SherlockHolmes "The Red-Headed League"]]'': The titular League seems to exclusively employ red-headed men for meaningless tasks like copying out the entire [[Doorstopper/EncyclopediasAndDictionaries ''Encyclopedia Britannica'']]... [[spoiler:because it's actually a front for some bank robbers to tunnel into the bank next door]].

* ''Series/FraggleRock'': In "All Work and All Play", Cotterpin got her job as the Architect's apprentice because she, unlike the other Doozers, did ''not'' like to build constructions -- she even ran away from the ceremony of taking the helmet and becoming a builder. [[spoiler:This reminded the Architect that he, too, in his youth, had also refused to take the helmet, preferring, like Cotterpin, to draw. This, in turn, inspired him to invite her, when she returned home that evening, to become his apprentice.]]

There is a typical method of getting a job. You fill out an application and/or send a resume, they ask you to come for an interview, and if they like you better than other would-be employees then you are hired. However, some jobs hire people in rather unexpected ways. Sometimes, a company hires applicants based on how well they do performing skills outside those that would normally be associated with the job. Maybe an accounting firm requires you to be able to run a marathon, or a bakery wants you to prove your skill as a mason first. After being hired, the new employee may find themselves using the standard skill set for that job anyway, and the odd hiring quirks may or may not be relevant to the job. This can be a one-time deal, or might actually be how they test all the new applicants. Of course, the employer could just be eccentric, if not an out-and-out {{Cloudcuckoolander}}.

* In Creator/JohannWolfgangVonGoethe's ''The Sorcerer's Apprentice'', the sorcerer hires the boy because he can't read -- doesn't help him much though.

* ''Film/OfPupsAndPuzzles'': This 1941 short film purports to be a documentary (it's actually a scripted {{Mockumentary}}) showing the new tests that job applicants are being given as they apply for work in the expanding war industry. The film shows some very elaborate and frankly impractical and excessively time-consuming job application tests, like flipping poker chips to test manual dexterity, firing a gun (!!!) to see how the applicants respond to a sudden surprise, or staging a puzzle in which applicants have to use two wooden planks to cross a pool.

* During early maritime travel, not all ships had a doctor, and those that did, required a male-only staff, logically, but still surprising to modern views, this staff was usually comprised of cooks and butchers, able to clean wounds and sterilize cloth and utensils and keep everything under control especially when they had to deal with gruesome wounds or amputations -- this unusual practice born out of necessity lasted way past the UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar into the UsefulNotes/WorldWarI and is the origin of the saying: "they butchered him" with regards to surgical procedures with questionable results.

[[AC:Anime & Manga]]

[[AC:Films -- Live Action]]

[[AC:Jokes]]
* Everybody can build a bridge that can stand, only ''engineers'' can build a bridge that can ''barely'' stand.
[[labelnote:Explanation:]]Any ''generalists'' can do something but only ''[[BunnyEarsLawyer specialists]]'' can do something right, within budget, resources, and time available[[/labelnote]]

[[AC: Literature]]

[[AC:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/{{Monk}}'': In the episode "[[Recap/MonkS7E16MrMonkFightsCityHall Mr. Monk Fights City Hall]]", Monk finds out that Eileen Hill hired her secretary Maria Schechter by leaving flyers for the job at a Lamaze class (where they would be seen by pregnant women), and having the candidate who showed up give a urine sample, claiming it was for a drug test. [[spoiler:It turns out the real purpose was to get a positive pregnancy test to show the man she was having an affair with, in order to convince him to leave his wife; instead, [[ADeadlyAffair the man murdered her]].]]

[[AC:Newspaper Comics]]

-->'''Interviewer''': You afraid of hard work?
-->'''Andy''': Petrified.
-->'''Interviewer''': A clockwatcher?
-->'''Andy''': Can't keep me eyes off it.
-->'''Interviewer''': Come in, you're the first honest lad we've had all week.

[[AC:Pro Wrestling]]

[[AC:Puppet Shows]]
* ''Series/FraggleRock'': In "All Work and All Play", Cotterpin got her job as the Architect's apprentice because she, unlike the other Doozers, did ''not'' like to build constructions—she even ran away from the ceremony of taking the helmet and becoming a builder. [[spoiler:This reminded the Architect that he, too, in his youth, had also refused to take the helmet, preferring, like Cotterpin, to draw. This, in turn, inspired him to invite her, when she returned home that evening, to become his apprentice.]]

[[AC:Tabletop Games]]
* In ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'', an infantry soldier or vehicle crewmember who managed to capture an enemy Battlemech intact (or at least in a fixable position) will often be offered the option of becoming the mech's next pilot.
%%[[/folder]]

[[AC:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'': Margaret hired the underaged Diona for her Cat's Tail Inn just because Diona's cat-like features were just too cute to not go with the cat-themed tavern.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild:'' Bolson's construction company only hires people whose names end in "-son." This also applies to people who don't even do construction, such as the members of each race that you need to populate Tarrey Town with in the "From The Ground Up" sidequest.

[[AC:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'': Elliot's interview with Mr. Tensaided for a position at a video rental store goes poorly. Susan namedrops that Elliot [[FriendOfMaskedSelf knows Cheerleadra]], and gets hired ''[[https://www.egscomics.com/comic/2012-05-11 instantly.]]''
* ''Webcomic/ManlyGuysDoingManlyThings'': seems to hire people for, among other things, their pectoral girth. The only person who has avoided this so far is Jared, by virtue of the Commander's interest in his story and making {{Franchise/Pokemon}} battles interesting to watch.
* ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'': Tai [[https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=691 hires]] Marten on the spot for a job in the college library because he [[SecretTestOfCharacter notices]] that the application form is written in iambic pentameter.

[[AC:Web Original]]
* ''Film/NoobLaCroiseeDesDestins'': Gaea is a StarvingStudent living off a scholarship that she's trying to stretch as long as she can according to AllThereInTheManual. In the {{MMORPG}} that she's playing, she manages to put a whole in-game faction in debt to her via earning in-game currency as a [[ConMan Con Woman]] with a thing for {{Blackmail}}, saving it for years, spending it all in creating a shortage of basic materials in a time of high demand and reselling it all at inflated prices. This impresses a minor character enough to offer to hire her into [[spoiler:a high-level job in a notoriously corrupt bank]].

[[AC:Western Animation]]

[[AC:Real Life]]

* UsefulNotes/ThomasEdison gave any potential employees a [[https://www.thomasedison.org/thomas-edison-hiring-test 146-question form]] to fill out, full of general-knowledge trivia questions — anyone who couldn't answer at least 90% of them correctly would be shown the door, regardless of their other qualifications. His reasoning for this was that, while he didn't much care if someone he was hiring knew these random facts, he wanted to test their memory to make sure they wouldn't forget any knowledge critical to the job.
* Creator/{{Atari}} recruited its first assembly line workers directly from unemployment lines.

* ''Series/FraggleRock'': In "All Work and All Play", Cotterpin got her job as the Architect's apprentice because she, unlike the other Doozers, did ''not'' like to build constructions—she even ran away from the ceremony of taking the helmet and becoming a builder. [[spoiler:This reminded the Architect that he, too, in his youth, had also refused to take the helmet, preferring, like Cotterpin, to draw. This inspired him to invite her, when she returned home that evening, to become his apprentice.]]

* ''Film/TheHappiestMillionaire'': John gets hired as a butler just for showing up, without any need for even an interview. Even the aunt who was visiting him decided to treat him as the de facto butler before John had ever met any of the family that actually lived in the house.

* ''Film/FightClub'': PlayedWith. In order to join "Project Mayhem", candidates have to pass a test where they are left standing on the front porch of the Paper Street House for 3 days without food or shelter, enduring constant criticism and told to leave. If they last this long, they are allowed to stay at the house and train becoming the "Space Monkeys". Other requirements are articles of black clothing and enough money for possible burial.

* ''Film/TheHappiestMillionaire'': John gets hired as a butler just for showing up, without any need for even an interview. Even the aunt that was visiting him decided to treat him as the de facto butler before John had ever met any of the family that actually lived in the house.

* ''Film/MenInBlack'': Agent K invites J to the M.I.B.'s training facility, for a try out, after witnessing him track an alien on foot. J ends up competing with marksmen and top military officers in various tests of skill and mental acumen. During the written portion of the exam, the others tried using their chairs to write on, while J was the only one with sense enough to make use of the table. However, it was during the marksman exam, that J also demonstrated that he was not only keenly observant, but could think outside the box. The others simply fired at whatever looked like a monster, while sparing the civilian targets, as one would expect. J fires a single shot and kills "Little Tiffany". When Zedd asks why, J explains:

[[labelnote:Explanation:]]Any ''generalists'' can do something but only ''[[BunnyEarsLawyer specialists]]'' can do something right, within budget, resources and time available[[/labelnote]]

* The Imperial Examination gets parodied in ''Literature/InterestingTimes'' with the Examination for the Post of Assistant Night-Soil Operative, which tests the candidates on poetry, literary criticism and music.

* In Creator/JohannWolfgangVonGoethe's ''The Sorcerer's Apprentice'' , the sorcerer hires the boy because he can't read -- doesn't help him much though.

* Wrestling/JohnLaurinaitis became infamous for the real life practice of hiring women for Wrestling/{{WWE}} who modelled in magazines, and not those that showed actual talent or inclination for the business.

* In ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'', an infantry soldier or vehicle crewmember who managed to capture an enemy Battlemech intact (or at least in a fixable position) will often be offered the option to becoming the mech's next pilot.

* ''Film/NoobLaCroiseeDesDestins'': Gaea is a StarvingStudent living off a scholarship that she's trying to stretch as long as she can according to AllThereInTheManual. In the {{MMORPG}} that she's playing, she manages to put a whole in-game faction in debt to her via earning in-game currency as a [[ConMan Con Woman]] with a thing for {{Blackmail}}, saving it for years, spending it all in creating a shortage of basic materials in a time of high demand, and reselling it all at inflated prices. This impresses a minor character enough to offer to hire her into [[spoiler:a high-level job in a notoriously corrupt bank]].
%%[[/folder]]

* The Pony Express would only hire orphans, as they deem the job too dangerous for those that would have families that would miss the riders should they die.

* In some Greek taverns or inns, especially those across the islands, owners will offer discounts, free services or even supplemental income to those clients that take care of themselves, not requiring room service. Bonus for those particular travailing tourists who offer to cook foreign dishes. This is, of course, a lifehack that serve many couch surfers as establishments that employ such techniques are not looking to make a profit but rather make it a progress forward in busy seasons.
* During early maritime travel, not all ships had a doctor, and those that did, required a male only staff, logically, but still surprising to modern views, this staff was usually comprised out of cooks and butchers, able to clean wounds and sterilize cloth and utensils and keep everything under control especially when they had to deal with gruesome wounds or amputations -- this unusual practice born out of necessity lasted way past the UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar into the UsefulNotes/WorldWarI and is the origin of the saying: "they butchered him" with regards to surgical procedures with questionable results.
* Corporations around the world look for team counselors, middle management and client relations fulfilling positions from people in educational systems. Argument for this is that if they can deal with kids, the younger the better, they surely can deal with the most obnoxious, evolved form, among them: the client.
* Penalty and correctional systems around the world have work details comprised out of inmates, mostly engaged into construction, digging, making roadways and laying concrete foundations -- mindset being "If they've ''hit rock bottom'', might as well ''construct'' a career out of it". This is actually the reason most construction companies don't hold a criminal record accountability towards their workers.

* ''Series/FraggleRock'': In "All Work and All Play", Cotterpin got her job as the Architect's apprentice because she, unlike the other Doozers, did ''not'' like to build constructions—she even ran away from the ceremony of taking the helmet and becoming a builder. [[spoiler: This reminded the Architect that he, too, in his youth, had also refused to take the helmet, preferring, like Cotterpin, to draw. This inspired him to invite her, when she returned home that evening, to become his apprentice.]]

[[quoteright:894:[[Webcomic/QuestionableContent https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/questionable_content_491_end.png]]]]
%%[[caption-width-right:894:some caption text]]

* ''Series/FraggleRock'': Cotterpin got her job as the Architect's apprentice because she, unlike the other Doozers, did ''not'' like to build constructions—she even ran away from the ceremony of taking the helmet and becoming a builder. This reminded the Architect that he, too, in his youth, had also refused to take the helmet, preferring, like Cotterpin, to draw. This inspired him to invite her, when she returned home that evening, to become his apprentice.

-->'''James Edwards:''' Well, first I was gonna pop this guy hanging from the street light, and I realized, y'know, he's just working out. I mean, how would I feel if somebody come runnin' in the gym and bust me in my ass while I'm on the treadmill? Then I saw this snarling beast guy, and I noticed he had a tissue in his hand, and I'm realizing, y'know, he's not snarling, he's sneezing. Y'know, ain't no real threat there. Then I saw little Tiffany. I'm thinking, y'know, eight-year-old white girl, middle of the ghetto, bunch of monsters, this time of night with quantum physics books? She about to start some shit, Zed. She's about eight years old, those books are WAY too advanced for her. If you ask me, I'd say she's up to something. And to be honest, I'd appreciate it if you eased up off my back about it. ''(beat)'' Or do I owe her an apology?

* ''Literature/BloodOfADragon'': When the protagonist is trying to be taken on as a magician's apprentice, most branches of magic do a practical test of his aptitude in one way or another -- except sorcery, where he's just asked "a variety of peculiar questions, mostly dealing with numbers and unlikely hypothetical situations."

* ''Series/FraggleRock'': In "All Work and All Play", Cotterpin got her job as the Architect's apprentice because she, unlike the other Doozers, did ''not'' like to build constructions—she even ran away from the ceremony of taking the helmet and becoming a builder. When she returned home, the Architect, remembering Cotterpin's love of drawing, invited her to become his apprentice.

There is a typical method of getting a job. You fill out an application and/or send a resume, they ask you to come for an interview, and if they like you better than other would-be employees then you are hired. However, some jobs hire people in rather unexpected ways. Sometimes, a company hires applicants based on how well they do performing skills outside those that would normally be associated with the job. Maybe an accounting firm requires you to be able to run a marathon, or a bakery wants you to prove your skill as a mason first. After being hired, the new employee may find themselves using the standard skill set for that job anyway, and the odd hiring quirks may or may not be relevant to the job. This can be a one time deal, or might actually be how they test all the new applicants. Of course, the employer could just be eccentric, if not an out and out {{Cloudcuckoolander}}.

--> '''James Edwards:''' Well, first I was gonna pop this guy hanging from the street light, and I realized, y'know, he's just working out. I mean, how would I feel if somebody come runnin' in the gym and bust me in my ass while I'm on the treadmill? Then I saw this snarling beast guy, and I noticed he had a tissue in his hand, and I'm realizing, y'know, he's not snarling, he's sneezing. Y'know, ain't no real threat there. Then I saw little Tiffany. I'm thinking, y'know, eight-year-old white girl, middle of the ghetto, bunch of monsters, this time of night with quantum physics books? She about to start some shit, Zed. She's about eight years old, those books are WAY too advanced for her. If you ask me, I'd say she's up to something. And to be honest, I'd appreciate it if you eased up off my back about it. ''(beat)'' Or do I owe her an apology?

--> Rincewind turned the paper over a couple of times. There didn't seem to be any mention, anywhere, of words like "compost" or "bucket" or "wheelbarrow". But presumably all this produced a better class of person than the Ankh-Morpork system, which asked just one question: "Got your own shovel, have you?".

* In Sommerset Maugham's story ''Literature/AFriendInNeed'', a businessman tells the narrator/ AuthorAvatar of his meeting with a RemittanceMan type guy who wanted a job in his firm. The businessman says that he will extend a position if the guy can swim a stretch of water which he himself did in his youth, but which will be difficult for the RemittanceMan on account of his wild lifestyle. [[spoiler:The guy drowned, and the businessman casually remarks that he didn't actually have a position open -- he basically caused someone's death ForTheEvulz.]]

* ''[[Literature/SherlockHolmes "The Red-Headed League"]]'': The titular League seems to exclusively employ red-headed men for meaningless tasks like copying out the entire ''Literature/EncyclopediaBritannica''... [[spoiler:because it's actually a front for some bank robbers to tunnel into the bank next door]].
* In ''Literature/TheSorcerersApprentice'', the sorcerer hires the boy because he can't read.

* ''Webcomic/ManlyGuysDoingManlyThings'': seems to hire people for, among other things, their pectoral girth. The only person who has avoided this so far is Jared, by virtue of the Commander's interest in his story and making {{Pokemon}} battles interesting to watch.

* ''Series/{{Monk}}'': In the episode "[[Recap/MonkS7E16MrMonkFightsCityHall Mr. Monk Fights City Hall]]", Monk finds out that Eileen Hill hired her secretary Maria Schechter by leaving flyers for the job at a Lamaze class (where they would be seen by pregnant women), and having the candidate who showed up give a urine sample, claiming it was for a drug test. [[spoiler:It turns out the real purpose was to get a positive pregnancy test to show the man she was having an affair with, in order to convince him to leave his wife; in stead, [[ADeadlyAffair the man murdered her]].]]

[[AC:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'': Tai [[https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=691 hires]] Marten on the spot for a job in the college library because he [[SecretTestOfCharacter notices]] that the application form is written in iambic pentameter.

Index: OccupationTropes, RecruitmentIndex