History Main / FantasticRecruitmentDrive

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** Some witches in Lancre will periodically line up the local girls and choose one with talent to be an apprentice. (Or so we're told; of the main character witches, Granny doesn't have the patience, Nanny doesn't have the interest, and Magrat doesn't have the confidence.) In the Tiffany Aching subseries, Miss Tick has the job of doing this by stealth in areas where BurnTheWitch is in effect.

* AG-I, the superhuman agency in ''WebComic/SkinHorse'' do this. Apparently it goes better with kids with laser vision than with teen precogs who always see the "right" course of action, and who tell you in no uncertain terms they ''really'' aren't interested.

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* [[Literature/WhateleyUniverse Whateley Academy]] sometimes engages in this when a newly-emerged mutant makes the headlines and they can get people there quickly enough, while others get pointed at the school by former alumni or simply people who have heard of it. It's strongly implied that at least some "mutant schools" in other parts of the world are more straightforward examples of the MutantDraftBoard trope instead, but attendance at Whateley is technically entirely voluntary -- simply usually presented as a very good idea considering the likely alternatives.
** At the school itself, some organizations such as intelligence and law enforcement agencies, various national militaries (via the school's UN-sponsored JROTC program), corporations (primarily technology companies looking for talented {{Gadgeteer Genius}}es), TheSyndicate, and even superhero teams do their best to recruit graduating students. While ''active'' recruiting on campus outside of organized school events is frowned upon, this doesn't stop recruiters from the CIA and other agencies sneaking onto school grounds looking to accost prospective recruits with their pitch, with some frequent fliers being well-known to Campus Security. Keep in mind that this is a ''high school''.
** Also, several students come to Whateley having ''already'' been recruited by such groups, who act as the students' sponsors; this includes [[PowerCopying Mimeo]] (sponsored by the Syndicate, as one of the first students to attend, in part to test the enforcement of [[TruceZone The Accords]]), [[SelfFulfillingProphecy Sahar]] (who had signed on with the CIA as a way out of her hellish circumstances in Beirut), [[{{Teleportation}} Tether]] (who agreed to be sponsored with the expectation she would learn enough that she could pay off her debt to a supervillain), and [[MagnetismManipulation Lodestone]] (who made a similar deal with the same (now retired) supervillain as a way to prepare for her [[AvengingTheVillain planned revenge for her father's death]]).
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* In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' the Seanchan have both a MutantDraftBoard and a FantasticRecruitmentDrive at the same time. Girls who can instinctively channel are forcibly collared and become [[MadeASlave Damane]] while those who can learn to channel are recruited as Sul'dam (a highly respected position).

* MarvelUniverse ''ComicBook/XMen''. Professor X used the Cerebro computer to locate mutants so he could recruit them into his school.

** The wizards in Unseen University are also on the look-out for boys with innate magical talent, so they can be provided with training in their abilities (or in the words of the UU founder Alberto Malich "We'd better keep the bright buggers where we can see 'em"). Simon in ''Discworld/EqualRites'' has just been discovered by such a recruiter when we first meet him.

* The Creator/AlfredBester novel ''Literature/TheDemolishedMan'' contains a great scene where the Espers (telepathic people) are trying to find undiscovered Espers. There is a line of people moving through an area, and an Esper is broadcasting something along the lines of, "If you can hear this, please go through the door on your left." IIRC, only one or two people per day actually go through the door.

** Toph went on a similar recruitment drive for metalbenders in the sequel comics, much more successfully.

* In the ''StarWarsExpandedUniverse'', Luke does a lot of this, trying to find hidden Jedi, their descendents, and those with raw talent.

* ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'': Ami initially travels to underworld cities looking for minions (finding Tserk, Brugli, and many of her watlocks that way). Later, on the lightworlder side of things it is revealed the Fairies' have their children tested for Oracle potential.

* ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'': The Fairies' have their children tested for Oracle potential.

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* In ''Film/MysteryMen'', the Blue Raja, Mr. Furious and the Shoveler realize that their superpowers are too weak to rescue Captain Amazing on their own, so they go on a drive to recruit other superheroes. A TerribleIntervieweesMontage ensues, though they do manage to find a few.

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* In ''Film/MysteryMen'', the Blue Raja, Mr. Furious and the Shoveler realize that their superpowers are too weak to rescue Captain Amazing on their own, so they go on a drive to recruit other superheroes. A TerribleIntervieweesMontage ensues, though they do manage to find a few.

* In the ''Literature/WheelOfTime'' the Seanchan have both a MutantDraftBoard and a FantasticRecruitmentDrive at the same time. Girls who can instinctively channel are forcibly collared and become [[MadeASlave Damane]] while those who can learn to channel are recruited as Sul'dam (a highly respected position).

Regardless, ''everyone'' accepts. Most characters accept immediately, recognizing that riding a dragon while incinerating your enemies with telekinesis is a lot cooler than [[StarWars moisture-farming on Tatooine]] or whatever. If not, no matter. Just don't make plans [[DoomedHometown to settle down]].

* ''{{Traveller}}''. The Zhodani Consulate extensively uses psionic abilities in its government and military. They test children for psionic aptitude and train those with a significant level of power.

* [[WhateleyUniverse Whateley Academy]] sometimes engages in this when a newly-emerged mutant makes the headlines and they can get people there quickly enough, while others get pointed at the school by former alumni or simply people who have heard of it. It's strongly implied that at least some "mutant schools" in other parts of the world are more straightforward examples of the MutantDraftBoard trope instead, but attendance at Whateley is technically entirely voluntary -- simply usually presented as a very good idea considering the likely alternatives.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'', the boarding school Hogwarts selects students at birth. A magic quill takes down the names of wizard children the moment they are born.

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* This ad from ''VideoGame/StarCraftII''.
--> ''"What goes bump in the night? It might be your GIFTED child. Register your child with Psi Ops today. It's the law. It's your duty!"''

* ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'': When the dragonriders go on "Search," they seek young men and women with latent telepathic abilities, able to bond with dragons.

Key to this trope is the fact that ''they'' come looking for ''you''. Those extra-normal folk leave their ivory tower or basement lab and go out among the rest of us. The scene may subtly juxtapose the mundane with the fantastic (e.g. [[ComicBook/{{X-Men}} Prof X]] sitting in your living room, drinking Mom's tea like a college recruiter), or it may be as grandiose and dazzling as a WWII recruitment drive.

* MarvelUniverse ''ComicBook/{{X-Men}}''. Professor X used the Cerebro computer to locate mutants so he could recruit them into his school.

* ''TheSharingKnife'': It's known that Lakewalkers are descended from the sorcerer-lords of ancient times. Dag theorizes that they became a separate caste through selective breeding--singling out those who had groundsense, and adding them to the gene pool.