Audio By Carbonatix
A 26-year-old Anna Cherdantseva, from the city of Ufa, in Russia’s Bashkortostan Republic is a full-time sofa tester, spending up to 10 hours every day trying out new sofas for comfort and safety.
Last month, Russian furniture giant MZ5 Group announced that it was taking application for a new position – full-time sofa tester. Although all new products are tested in a specialized laboratory, management decided that in order to better meet the needs of consumers it needed some feedback on real-life use of its sofas. In just a few days, MZ5 received over 5,000 job applications from people eager to spend most of their time sitting and lying on sofas.
“We were selected candidates in several stages,” MZ5 Group spokesperson Anastasia Russkih said. “Initially we checked their CVS, and then we let them tell us why they wanted the job.” Eventually, the furniture company shortlisted just 7 candidates, out of which Anna Cherdantseva, a 26-year-old marketing expert, proved to be the most suitable for the job.

“I felt extreme competition, it was a real fight for my dream job,” Anna said after getting selected. “I have a lot of ideas for improving the sofas, but I would prefer not to talk about them for now. I believe it will all work out between me and the sofas.
Despite describing herself as an active person, Cherdantseva says that spending about 10 hours a day sitting on sofas doesn’t sound bad at all. “Of course I will spend a lot of time on new sofas, the more time I spend on them the better it will be for my work,” she told reporters.

Anna Cherdantseva is currently on a three-month probation at MZ5, but the company claims that as long as she proves to be up to the task, they plan on offering her a permanent position as sofa tester. The young woman will receive a monthly salary of 56,000 rubles ($1,000) for the first three months. It’s not so bad for literally sitting on the job.
Latest Stories
-
Deloitte Partner urges clear, consistent policies to govern mining license renewals, local content
1 minute -
Xenophobic attacks: Ghana must pursue justice for victims beyond evacuation – Bosome Freho MP
6 minutes -
BOPP positions sustainable agribusiness as investment frontier
8 minutes -
Ga Mantse demands action against chiefs selling lands on waterways
10 minutes -
South African Tourism condemns anti-immigrant attacks, reassures African travellers
12 minutes -
APSU 2002 Year Group announces key leadership appointments for 97th anniversary hosting & BOLT Steering Committee
51 minutes -
Government backs hybrid model for Ghana’s extractive sector, rejects move to shut out foreign investors
53 minutes -
LMWG commends Heath Goldfields on 5-year community development plan for Prestea
1 hour -
Eswatini champions SiSwati stories in digital age at World Book Day 2026
1 hour -
Only weak men forgive cheating partner – Yul Edochie
1 hour -
Meta repeatedly snubs EU body over Facebook and Instagram user bans
1 hour -
Family wealth should be viewed as asset class for building transgenerational enterprises – Alex Dadey
1 hour -
Evacuation of Ghanaians from SA: ‘Ghana’s response was not necessary’ – Julius Malema
1 hour -
Childhood kidney care strained by shortage of specialists, limited equipment—Paediatric Nephrologist
1 hour -
Over 3m Ghanaians live with mild mental health conditions—GloMeF
1 hour