History Main / JobsOnlyVolunteer

* In ''Literature/FeetOfClay'', [[Characters/DiscworldCityWatch Cheery Littlebottom]] joins the watch as an alchemist to do crime scene investigations. Vimes accepts them due to being the only applicant.

* In ''WebVideo/HellsingUltimateAbridged'', Alucard is unimpressed by the fact that [[HiredGuns the Wild Geese]] are French. Sir Integra was forced to post [[RedshirtArmy the mortality rates]] for the position and they were the only mercenary group who would apply.

* ''Film/CoolRunnings'': After Irv shows the room full of would-be Jamaican bobsledders a graphic presentation detailing the injuries they risk facing if they get into an accident on the track, the camera [[GilliganCut cuts back]] to show that there are only two people still in the room -- one of them, Junior, the guy whose accident during a qualifying sprint race dashed Derice's hopes of representing Jamaica at the Summer Olympics, and the other, Yul, a guy who was also tripped up in that accident and is still angry at Junior for it. Between them and Derice, that leaves only three men for a four-man bobsled team, so they recruit Sanka, Derice's pushcart driver friend who shows up at the meeting after Irv's presentation.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'': After discovering that Lord Farqaad has deported a bunch of magical creatures to his swamp, Shrek decides to have a chat with him and asks said bunch if anyone can show him the way to Farqaad's castle. Since Shrek is an ogre, everyone except Donkey is too scared to volunteer. Shrek, annoyed by Donkey's personality makes at least two more calls before resigning and accepting Donkey as his sidekick.

-->--''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets''

** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'', when discussing new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Gilderoy Lockhart and his displays of incompetence with Hagrid, Hermione defends him by saying Dumbledore wouldn't have hired Lockhart out of all the applicants if he felt Lockhart was unqualified. Hagrid informs her that Lockhart was the only applicant.

* ''Series/GoodLuckCharlie'': In one episode, Teddy is forced to try out for [[LoserSchoolMascot the school's mascot]] to appease her mother, who did the mascot job when she was in high school. Teddy intentionally throws the audition but is still given the role, as she was the only one who tried out.

* ''Film/CoolRunnings'': After Irv shows the room full of would-be Jamaican bobsledders a graphic presentation detailing the injuries they risk facing if they get into an accident on the track, the camera [[GilliganCut cuts back]] to show that there are only two people still in the room -- one of them, Junior, the guy whose accident during a qualifying sprint race dashed Derice's hopes of representing Jamaica at the Summer Olympics, and the other, Yul, a guy who was also tripped up in that accident. Between them and Derice, that leaves only three men for a four-man bobsled team, so they recruit Sanka, Derick's pushcart driver friend who shows up at the meeting after Irv's presentation.

* During the 2020 National Football League season, the Denver Broncos ended up with a situation where they had no quarterbacks available for their game against the New Orleans Saints - one of them had tested positive for COVID, and the other three they had under contract were deemed ineligible because they had been in a meeting with him and consequently had to quarantine. With no time to sign a replacement, the Broncos turned to a wide receiver who had played quarterback as a freshman in college and had not even practiced as a quarterback in two years. Predictably, he threw two interceptions on the nine pass attempts he made and they were steamrolled 31-3.

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* In ''WebVideo/HellsingUltimateAbridged'', Alucard is unimpressed by the fact that [[HiredGuns the Wild Geese]] are French. Sir Integra was forced to post [[RedshirtArmy thr mortality rates]] for the position and they were the only mercenary group who would apply.

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* In ''WebAnimation/HellsingUltimateAbridged'', Alucard is unimpressed by the fact that [[HiredGuns the Wild Geese]] are French. Sir Integra was forced to post [[RedshirtArmy thr mortality rates]] for the position and they were the only mercenary group who would apply.

''Show them you're not captain\\

-->'''Riley:''' ''There's only one more year in your hands''
''Show them you're not captain''
''Just 'cause no one else ran''
''No, you'll make things happen''
''Trust you've got a game plan''
''So we're not the worst team ever''

* Some elections (and not in a PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny) only have one candidate.

** In ''Literature/FeetOfClay'', [[Characters/DiscworldCityWatch Cheery Littlebottom]] joins the watch as an alchemist to do crime scene investigations. Vimes accepts them due to being the only applicant.

There's a job that needs to get done, whether it be a dangerous mission that needs to be completed to save the world, or the boss simply needs an intern to fetch coffee. The boss puts out a call for applicants to step forward and show why they're the best fit.

The time for the selection process arrives and the boss is dismayed to find only one person has shown interest and they are not well- qualified. However, because the role needs to be filled immediately, they have no choice but to give this person the job.

Contrast with GotVolunteered where the person selected is forced to do the job against their will. Often overlaps with IgnoredRaisedHand, with the recruiter initially dismissing the lone volunteer in hopes for a better option before eventually acknowledging them. See also ClosestThingWeGot, EasilyElected (where a candidate might run unopposed), and LoweredRecruitingStandards.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Minions}}'': At the beginning of the film, when the titular creatures are depressed at their town in the ice caverns, Kevin decides to adventure out of the caves in order to look for a master for all of them. He needs other Minions to come with him. Only two of them volunteer: Stewart and Bob. Kevin agrees to let Stewart come with him, but turns Bob down since he doesn't think that he's ready. Eventually, Kevin gives in and lets Bob come, since nobody else wanted to.

* ''Series/GoodLuckCharlie'': In one episode, Teddy is forced to try out for [[LoserSchoolMascot the school's mascot]] to appease her mother, who did the mascot job when she was in highschool. Teddy intentionally throws the audition, but is still given the role, as she was the only one who tried out.

* ''Series/NightCourt'': Subverted when Harry explains how he became a judge. A judge position has just opened up and had to be filled immediately. The official in charge had a list of judge candidates and started calling up people on the list. However, this happened on the weekend and almost everyone on the list could not be reached by phone. Harry was at the bottom of the list but was the first candidate who was home and able to pick up the phone, so he was offered the job. Harry than points out to everyone that he might have been at the bottom of the list and gotten the job through weird luck but he was still on the list, thus he was vetted and considered competent enough to be a judge.

* ''Theatre/WeAreTheTigers'': Discussed. Riley became the captain of the Tigers because no one else wanted the job. She's determined to be the best cheer captain ever, but is well aware that no one takes her or her ambitious for the squad seriously, and that the Tigers are widely considered to be the worst cheer squad in the area. Riley is far from the least competent of the team, but the Tigers are such a mess of infighting, drug abuse, insecurity, and sabotage that it reflects poorly on her abilities as a leader.

* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'': In the episode "[[Recap/KingOfTheHillS1E2SquarePeg Square Peg]]," Peggy is chosen to be the sex-ed teacher at Bobby's school because [[HarassingPhoneCall the previous teacher was scared away by some "harmless lunatic,"]] according to Hank, who knew it was Dale (sex-ed is a ''very'' controversial topic in the U.S., particularly in more conservative states like Texas, where the show takes place). The day of the lesson, Hank pulls Bobby out of school, but comes to his senses and take Bobby back to school so he can learn about "Human Relations." When Peggy asks the class for the permission slips to take the class, every other kid is sent to the library until the class is over, except Bobby who gets to hear [[TheTalk Peggy's lesson]].
* ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'': Mordecai and Rigby frequently get in trouble with their boss Benson for not doing their work or causing trouble and [[RunningGag he repeatedly threatens to fire them]]. In ''[[Recap/RegularShowS03Ep22Replaced Replaced]]'', he opens up two spaces for new employee applicants, obviously intending to replace the duo, and by the end, he almost succeeds in hiring a [[SuperiorSuccessor more competent pair]] while firing Mordecai and Rigby... [[StatusQuoIsGod except]] the applicants reject it because the shenanigans they endured throughout the episode isn't worth the pay and they sarcastically wish Benson good luck on finding anyone who's up for it.

* During the 2020 National Football League season, the Denver Broncos ended up with a situation where they had no quarterbacks available for their game against the New Orleans Saints - one of them had tested positive for COVID and the other three they had under contract were deemed ineligible because they had been in a meeting with him and consequently had to quarantine. With no time to sign a replacement, the Broncos turned to a wide receiver who had played quarterback as a freshman in college and had not even practiced as a quarterback in two years. Predictably, he threw two interceptions on the nine pass attempts he made and they were steamrolled 31-3.

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