Have you ever interviewed for a weird job?

[BarryHom]

I have!

Many years ago, I was looking through the want ads and found an ad for a "Responsible Person." I called them up and they told me to come in. It turns out the job was a Mulch Salesman! I was thinking, "Are you kidding?" What's so special about mulch? They only come in brown. Are there different colors or flavors of mulch? It's like if I want mulch, I'm buying a bag. Who cares if it smells like perfume as long as it gets the job done?

The interviewer was interested in me and she said that she would call back, but she never did. Good thing because I wouldn't have taken the job. I couldn't get past this thought...

If I took the job and went to my high school reunion, my classmates would ask, "Well, Barry, what are you into these days?" I'd say, "I'm a Mulch Salesman!" I'd rather say I invented Post-Its.

Oddly enough, the company seemed to do quite well, considering that the owners bought the employees lunch everyday.


So do you have a weird job story?

 

[Ronan]

I sell mulch and many other yard care products

It has been a good living for me and those I work with.

Please do not put down jobs because they "are not for you".

 

[mum4jenn]

Well...several years ago when I was unemployed and desperate for a job I interviewed with Blockbuster Video for a management position. When I asked about benefits the manager and the head employee looked at each other kind of strange like and said "Well, you get to rent 10 videos for free each week"!!! I knew I was in trouble then but I got the job (I HAD to take it since it was through the state unemployment office). With the hours you had to work I just never could figure out when you were supposed to watch those ten movies per week. I had to be at work at something like 9 am and then work until around 1 am!! Then their "training was really bad coz they had me on a register all day and I never had a chance to look at the training manual. My training manager was going to quit so she was taking all of her leave time and vacation time!!!! When I finally saw the district manager he made the mistake of asking about the training and boy I really told him the truth!! I was very nice about it but I dont think they appreciated the fact that I did not kiss his rump.!!!! Shortly after that I went to work for someone else and when I turned in my 2 week notice they let me go the next day.

 

[dandave]

I was a hostess at a Waffle House for a while in college. It was as strange as it sounds. I mean, seriously, it was a Waffle House.
They only needed me for a few hours each morning on the weekends.
I mostly stood at the door and said "Hi" or "Bye". Sometimes I'd get to say, "There's a nice table right there".
The best part of the job was that I got to order anything I wanted to eat at the end of my shift. Waffles anyone?

 

[goofygirl]

Please do not put down jobs because they "are not for you".

Do mulch salespeople have a sense of humor or what?



I had a one day "job" of being a tester for chewing gum. I sampled 2 kinds of gum and I answered long questionaires about the gum, and got paid for it. I'd love to have a career as a "test person!"

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

My very first full time job out of high school was as an office assistant ( a Girl Friday they called me then) for a small company.

I should have known it was going to be weird since the major interview question was whether or not I liked dogs. The owners daughter was the office manager and she brought her 2 dogs into work with her. I can picture these dogs to this day but can't think of what they are called. Very big, prissy dogs. She had them in the office all day and they wore diapers. Which she changed! Thank goodness that wasn't in my job description!

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

When I was laid off last year I did the last thing I wanted to do ... job hopping. I couldn't find something that I thought was a good fit for me.

One of the jobs I took was for pre-need burial sales for a local cemetary. As you can imagine, I got quite a few jokes from several people, including my own wife! Heck, I even told a few myself. Thankfully I didn't last long at that job as I found a sales job for a local flooring showroom. That was much more in my comfort zone, since I had previously worked as a sales and service rep for a carpet manufacturer for almost 7 years. Of course, after being there for two months, the mill called me and asked if I'd be interested in having my old job back, and I jumped on that immediately!

 

[Rebd40]

Here' my experience interviewing for the weirdest job (it was also the weirdest interview for a job).

A very long time ago when I was about 20 years old I lived in Tokyo and answered an ad to teach English to some children at the home of Japanese executive. During the interview with the executive, he proposed that I would be better of working for his company, had a job for me he said I'd be great at and suggested we discuss it over dinner. (This should have been the first warning sign). Anyway, I thought this was cool, the possibility of working in this big company.

So I eagerly show up that night for my interview for this unknown job "that I'd be great at." Our table is in this traditional Japanese restaurant, is in a private room where you remove your shoes and you sit on the floor. So it's just the two of us. (Another warning sign). The excutive has obviously tipped back a couple of gallons of sakes already and before I can chew my sushi, he is trying to play toe hockey with me on the tamami mat. While I'm trying to untangle myself, he offer me a gob of money and gushes he wants me to be his very, very personal assistant. (That wasn't the actual job title he used. It started with a W and rhymes with bore.) Well, anyway, I was completed offended and told him where he could stick his chopsticks. Except I think that he must have thought I said "Oh Yes, when can I start?" because he was all over me like white on rice. I managed to get away and wasn't hurt or anything (except maybe my pride). It really was like a bad B movie!