Craziest thing a potential employer has asked you to do

Pee test wasn't enough. Had to have a complete physical exam. It turned out to be no big deal, but I was surprised they required it.

 

Yes

 

Once when I interviewed for an NFL beat job, the interview was scheduled during the team's mini-camp. They told me to have two or three feature ideas ready. Each of the two full days I was there, I was sent out to mini-camp to write a story. They didn't publish them -- they never intended to -- but they wanted to see what kind of ideas I could come up with and how I could execute them.

 

Interviewed at Kansas City during the early part of the glory years. Part of the interview process was hanging out with most of the sports staff out at a bar. I guess to see if I was a good fit with their culture. Fannin was there holding court, but something about Vermeil was breaking (hired?) so he called it a night early. He took a to-go cup for his booze.

I kept saying, "Guys, I've got to take it easy, get some rest, I've got a big interview tomorrow!"

I remember one guy said, "Don't worry about it -- if you have to excuse yourself to throw up in the middle of the interview, that might be the best thing to happen for you."

I left thinking this was a genius outfit I wanted to be a part of. But years later, when I hear crazy stories, I don't blink, either.

 

Pay for lunch because he had no cash on him in a cash-only place. I didn't take that job in FLA.

 

I've had quite a few interviews, and by far the weirdest was at the LaSalle-Peru Tribune in north-central Illinois.

It was for a news position, and besides the usual spelling and write-an-accident-story test, they told me I had to take an "intelligence" test.

They gave me a huge test booklet, some scratch paper for the math problems, and told me I had a half-hour. There also were sets of reading comprehension questions, and "pattern" questions where there is a relationship between two words, then they give a third word and ask you to fill in the word which would come next.

In short, there was no way I was going to finish this test in a half-hour, and I was starting to freak out about it as time ran down. There were still quite a few pages I hadn't even looked at yet.

When the news editor came in after 30 minutes, she said, "Wow, that's farther than most people get."

Despite that, I was not offered the job.

 

Sounds like the old Knight-Ridder test.

 

Made it through the prelims of an interview, when I was taken to meet the boss, who was a woman.

She asked me if I smoked, drank or took drugs and what religion I was.

Then she said, "Turn around. Let me get a good look at you."

My, how times change.

 

Pics or GTFO.

 

I interviewed at one place where a few members of the staff (4-5 writers), who I immediately hit it off with, took me out for drinks and as soon as the SE left, said, "You do not under any circumstances want to work here..." We're all trying to leave, the SE is a dick and will tell you anything you want to hire you..."

I didn't take the job and I remain friends with those guys to this day.

 

Had that happen a couple of times. In this business you realize that many people are unhappy. Very few places I've found where the worker bees are happy with management.

 

My first "real" job out of college (2-month first job experience in small town Minnesota counts only on paper), they offered me the job over the phone when I interviewed. Didn't take it, but said "I'd like to come look at the place." Was introduced by the EIC around office as the new sports reporter. Gave up correcting about the third time.

Also sent out on assignment that night, but that I didn't mind. Got the job, then left Roswell a year later.