Joke: Young Man Applies for a Job as a Signalman for the Local Railroad

Recruitment officers need to ask a lot of questions before determining eligibility for a job, but the true test is when the newly employed person has to actually do it.

Tom is applying for a job as a signalman for the local railroad and he is told to meet the inspector at the signal box. The inspector decides to give Tom a pop quiz before hiring him, asking,

"What would you do if you realized that two trains were heading towards each other on the same track?"

Tom quickly says, "I would switch one train to another track."

"What if the lever broke?" asks the inspector.

"I'd run down to the tracks and use the manual lever," answers Tom.

"What if that had been struck by lightning and also doesn't work?" challenges the inspector.

"Then," Tom continues, "I'd run back up here and use the phone to call the next signal box."

"What if the phone was busy?"

"In that case," Tom argues, "I'd run to the street level and use the public phone near the station."

"What if that had been vandalized?"

"Oh, well," says Tom, "in that case I'd run into town and get my Uncle Leo."

So far the interview had been going exceptionally well. The young man showed great problem-solving skills that were hugely beneficial to the job.

But his last answer puzzles the inspector, so he asks, "Why would you do that?" to which Tom replies:

"Because he's never seen a train crash before!"

Well, that escalated quickly! Share this funny interview with your friends and see what they say about Tom's likelihood of landing the job.

An unemployed father who lost his opportunity to get a job as a janitor then ended up a millionaire instead. Here's how he did it:

The man applied to a big organization for the position of a janitor to provide for his wife and three children; he passed the entrance test without any difficulty and was employed.

The human resources officer offered the man $5.35 per hour and asked for his email address so they could send him the proper forms to fill out.

The man told them that he had no email or computer, but instead of offering a resolution, the HR officer told him they had no place for someone like him in their organization.

With only $10 in his pocket, the man walked home. Passing a farmers market, he bought a crate of fresh tomatoes and sold them at a busy street corner.

Returning to the market every time he sold out, at the end of the day he had $100 in his pocket. He continued doing this every day, soon acquiring first carts and then later, trucks.

Soon, he began growing his own tomatoes and his three children worked on the farm and ran the warehouses and a fleet of delivery vehicles.

After 5 years, the man was employing people and turning millions in profit. He decided to take out an insurance policy and visited a broker.

When the broker asked him for his email address, he was puzzled to hear that the man had none. Asking why a man such as himself had no email address, the now-millionaire:

"If I had an email five years ago, I would still be a janitor at a big organization making $5.35 per hour."