To think job application forms have become nuts?

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Why does everyone have an online form lately?

20+ criteria boxes to write in at length? It seems counter intuitive. Surely with cover letters and CVs you can judge much better the candidates literacy, ability to write at length and capabilities using computers? Particularly if they’ll be writing reports in the job.

Drop down menus for employment history, an hour or more of slow clicking instead of a few minutes typing up an employment record.

I’m looking at a shortage area too, with real recruitment issues. Disproportionately low pay too. Yet they give themselves another hoop with a 15/16 section form with fiddly drop downs.

The process with applying for someone jobs has become so lengthy it puts candidates off. I’ve just applied to two jobs with reasonable forms and ignored three with stupid forms. One of these contacted me to ask me to reply, I was eager, but I’m busy. I don’t have a life where I can or want to waste 6-8 hours on forms which could be potentially skim read and ignored.

Even a preliminary stage of CVS would be useful, before expecting candidates to wade through hoops.

Before my current role I withdrew from a job I wanted because they had a form, then test, then more online forms, then more tests (all with massive time delays too) for a 28k position!

I used to recruit, like of CVS and cover letters. Easy to read, simple and spoke volumes. I wouldn’t as a recruiter either want to deal with the fuss of online forms sectioned into many pages on my
screen.

@PontinsBeach thank you, I’ll ask her to try some local restaurants, she’s not 18 until April.

That's pretty ageist!

Exactly! I binned off the form yesterday and applied for two other jobs. I liked job a bit they paid similar and I’m pragmatic, b and c probably have a better culture. I may get none, but applying for two raises my chances. I have back ups too, so why waste my time?

In 15 years of teaching I didn’t fill out a form or have a formal interview until I became an interim head and the LA/ diocese got involved (funnily they actually disagreed with my appointment but the Governors ignored them!)

To be honest right now I do want any old job. I don’t care about policies or company branding etc. But I’ll turn up on time and do the job well, be a capable employee. I just want part time money, no stress and I have a life to fit round.
My work history will show I’m capable and frankly I’m not a bad employee. I don’t though care much as to who offers me a job much. I’m offering skill and experience for a pretty low salary frankly.

Hard disagree there.

A decent candidate is likely to be busy, probably already has a job and other commitments. They don't have hours to be trawling through an application form, answering questions which all too often have little relevance to their capabilities to do the job.

There are many ND candidates who would likely be excellent, but would struggle with a massive application form.

Or people like me, degree educated, strong career history....but can absolutely freeze when it comes to answering questions like 'tell me a time when'

They're awful and unnecessary.

In this job, a recruiter found me, gave my CV to HR and my boss, we had a quick teams call to see if we gelled, then a f2f interview, where I had to give a presentation.

One of the questions was literally "tell me about yourself"

I answered with "i hate these questions, I know plenty about me, but forget it all when asked this"

Because seriously,I do. As humans, they saw the humour and we had a laugh about it, an application form can't do that. They can't see the person, they can't make allowances.

Someone's ability to concentrate for 8hours filling these forms in, is in no way a marker of how good or otherwise they would be at the position.

I feel the pain!

I had one of those online with drop down boxes. I had to put the school, month, year start and month year end and grade for every qualification I had. University etc fair enough but I have O levels and A levels. Six drop down boxes for every sodding one. Nobody needs to know all that detail.

Then the online interviews. I had an interview, then the inevitable auto rejection. I asked for feedback and they told me they lost the connection and didn't hear some of my answers!
Public sector too. Was appalled at that.

OP sounds like you've had a long teaching career, but now you just want any job? What happened?

I hate the add a job ones.

Because some of us have had lots and lots of jobs. Some self employment at the same time as a job. And you have to do that for all jobs you've ever had.

Special needs child happened.

I need to be around when my husband is working realistically. It’s just impossible. However a flexible/ part time job- maybe evening or weekend ideally would help cash flow.

tbh I’m past wanting a career. Been there. I just want a little more money

Don’t take that the wrong way, I happy with life and children. I just don’t need a career right now with everything else

I feel your pain

i am in IT and part of my job is designing and testing web forms 😂 It’s a mission impossible as all the sensible best practice suggestions get overruled by the manager and the MD who think they know everything better and force us to create great big massive forms with loads text to read and massive idiotic drop down menus …

so I am looking for another job

but I can’t face the forms 🙃

What absolutely hacks me off is when you fill in the epic war and peace application form, then send your cv and covering letter at their insistence, then have a meeting with their recruiter, then have three seperate interviews with three different teams, and then.... Nothing. They ghost you. not even a thanks but no thanks. Happened to me more than once.

One company had the nerve to come back to me six months later and say 'your details are still in our applicant database, would you be interested in applying for his role, it's just an application form and an up to date copy of your cv and covering letter.' I told them no and explained exactly why. Probably won't get to apply to them again, but eh, who cares.

I told one company similar- I wrote to withdraw my permission for holding my data. Months and months past the deadline they asked me to apply for what was basically the same role reworded to have a little more to do