Unusual Career Categories in India: Which Odd Jobs Are Real
By Influish Editorial Team · Published · Last updated
Short answer
Why do unusual jobs exist at all?
Most unusual jobs are ordinary business needs with an eye-catching title. A mattress brand needs people to try its product and talk about sleep; an influencer agency needs early warning of trends; a platform needs humans to judge borderline content. Giving the role a strange name — “sleep intern”, “doomscroller” — is also marketing: the post itself becomes news. That is why these openings are often few in number, short, and heavily oversubscribed, and why the story usually travels far further than the vacancy.
Which unusual categories are real, and what do the fakes look like?
Paid product testers and ‘brand internships’
- Real version
- Short, heavily publicised programmes where a brand pays selected people to use its product and share feedback — Wakefit’s sleep internship is the best-documented Indian example.
- Scam twin
- ‘Product tester’ offers that ask you to buy the product first, pay a deposit, or share card details for a ‘refund’.
- Quick check
- Is the programme announced on the brand’s own site and channels? Is there a selection process and published terms?
Trend scouts and ‘doomscrollers’
- Real version
- Research roles at creator agencies and brands, paid for spotting and reporting trends. Two Indian examples are verifiable: Monk Entertainment (2025) and Influish (2026).
- Scam twin
- ‘Like and earn’ or ‘watch and earn’ tasks paid per click, moving into Telegram groups and deposits.
- Quick check
- Are you paid for reports, or per like? Is the employer traceable? Any request for money ends it.
Content moderators and raters
- Real version
- Reviewing posts or rating results against long written guidelines, for platforms or specialist vendors, with training and audits.
- Scam twin
- ‘Rate hotels / movies / map locations from home’ offers that pay per rating with no employer or guidelines.
- Quick check
- Is there a qualification test, written guidelines and a contract? Who is the employer of record?
Creator-economy roles
- Real version
- Talent managers, community managers, meme-page editors, scriptwriters and editors for creators and agencies.
- Scam twin
- ‘Become a brand ambassador — pay for your starter kit’ or ‘pay to join our influencer network’.
- Quick check
- Does the agency have a real client list and website? Is pay coming to you, not from you?
Taste, sensory and experience jobs
- Real version
- Sensory panels and testers used by food, fragrance and consumer companies, usually recruited through the company or research firms.
- Scam twin
- Social posts promising large pay for ‘eating’ or ‘travelling’ with a registration fee or a link to a form asking for bank details.
- Quick check
- Does the post trace to the company’s own channel? Is personal data requested only after selection?
Mystery shopping and reviewing
- Real version
- Market research firms do commission store and service visits with written reports.
- Scam twin
- ‘Evaluate a money-transfer service’ — you’re sent money and asked to forward it, or asked to write fake reviews for pay.
- Quick check
- Never move money on someone else’s behalf. Paid fake reviews are not a job.
What does a well-documented unusual job look like?
The Wakefit sleep internship is a useful benchmark. When it launched, BestMediaInfo reported (28 November 2019) that selected interns would sleep nine hours a night for 100 nights at home for a ₹1 lakh stipend. It returned in later seasons; Business Today reported a third-season winner in September 2024, attributing applicant and payout totals to the company. What makes it checkable: the brand announced it itself, the terms were public, there was a selection process, and multiple outlets reported it over several years. The seasons we could verify are in the past, so our case file stamps it historic.
The doomscroller roles are a newer example. Monk Entertainment’s 2025 posting, as reported by Storyboard18 and Gulf News, spelled out its requirements and application route; Influish’s 2026 post left most details undisclosed. See them side by side in doomscroller posts compared.
What do the scam twins have in common?
- Money flows the wrong way — a fee, deposit, product purchase or “tax” before you’re paid.
- Payment per click — likes, follows, ratings, reviews — rather than for a deliverable.
- Private channels — WhatsApp numbers and Telegram groups instead of the company’s site.
- No selection — everyone is “selected” instantly.
The government’s Cyber Dost handle has warned that offers paying for watching videos, rating movies, reviewing hotels or following Instagram accounts are often fraudulent (reported by Asianet Newsable, September 2023), and in December 2023 the Ministry of Home Affairs said more than 100 websites linked to task-based part-time job fraud had been blocked (IANS via The News Minute).
How should I approach an unusual opening I want to apply for?
- Find the employer’s own announcement and its date — the verification method walks you through it.
- Expect competition. Viral roles draw thousands of applicants for very few places.
- Prepare evidence of the actual skill: a trend log for a trend role, writing samples for a creator role.
- Share personal details only after checking the job safety checklist.
Sources
- Wakefit.co comes up with ‘Sleep Internship’ initiative
- Bengaluru woman wins Rs 9 lakh just by sleeping, here’s how she did it
- Ranveer Allahbadia's company is hiring ‘doomscrollers’ with six-hour Instagram and YouTube habits
- Doomscrolling as a job? Earn while scrolling social media all day
- ‘Get paid to watch YouTube video’; Government issues warning regarding online financial scams
- Govt blocks 100 websites involved in job scams, illegal investments