To think that job applications are sometimes so off-putting they make people give up halfway through?

[ByNattyFinch]

I’ve definitely started applications with good intentions then stopped because of endless questions, duplicate forms, long-winded portals, or just the sheer emotional effort of tailoring everything again.

AIBU to think some employers shoot themselves in the foot with the way they structure applications? And out of curiosity, what’s made you give up on applying?

but there are lots of ways to do this at the initial stage that don't involve getting someone to manually re-enter their CV into a shitty web form.

God this! I actually gave up yesterday and abandoned yet another application that requires you to do this. It’s so soul destroying to keep filling out these bloody applications or answering questions, person specifications to then not even get a thank you no thank you email, or if you’re lucky an unsuccessful against the application on the job site.

It seems employers want you to spend ridiculous amounts of time proving yourself to them, but can’t even be decent enough to spare their time to notify you of the outcome of your application.

My employer has an application and CV upload.

99% of the box are information that's on most CVs.

They send us is copies of both for interview selection.

I've told HR so many times that it's unnecessary repetition but they haven't changed it.

For what it's worth, the people we have typically ended up hiring are those who just fill in the basics ob the application form and write - see CV for more comprehensive details.

I know other companies are different. HR won't budge on their preference even those it adds no additional value.

That may well be the thinking, but I’m in a field where attracting the right candidates can sometimes be difficult. I know my own value and I’m not desperately looking for a new role, but I could possibly be attracted if the package was right. So it’s in their interests to put the effort in to attract me.

When did applying for a job require a bloody diploma in form filling?! I agree,it's bloody ridiculous.

I’m stealing the password! 🤣

I’m not a time waster but after having spent hours sometimes on this to not even get an acknowledgement takes the piss.

I've just submitted an application with 31 essential criteria. I'm hoping loads of people have given up cos I really want the job!

tell you what else gets on my tits. (I'm not in UK so it may vary)

"What is your salary expectation"

Get. To. Fuck.

I think some countries (maybe even the EU) are trying to make firms put a salary range on the job ads. So i don't end up applying for something that pays peanuts and doesn't deserve (or, to be fair, want) my 35 years experience.

I agree. I recently did one where I had to copy and paste every single qualification into a different line and click ‘add’ for the next. I accidentally then clicked add once more at the end and it wouldn’t let me go to the next page without filling it in! So I ended up splitting up all my GCSE results. Took ages and then didn’t even get an interview

YANBU. I bailed out on an application yesterday as it asked me “Your favourite song of 2025.” I don’t follow the charts so I don’t have one. Dickish.

This is the part I hate, but the rest isn't too bad. I'd be careful of the password thing, I've administered some systems where I have had access to passwords!

I agree with this too. The sheer number of people who are not suitable that apply are in the 100's, so I can see how it has come to this. Like everything else, the few have ruined it for the many!

I agree, I also don't understand when they don't post the salary or working hours. People get to the interview and find this information out and turn down the job. If they posted them in the first place the applicant and the employers time wouldn't be wasted!

I hate the forms where they ask you to input details of references, and when I see that i just stop and leave it.

I do have great references for you, but im not going to sit and have a think which two would be best, and then give you their details, when I havent even got to interview stage yet. Piss off.

Agree, it's just collating information that they won't use or need at that stage. It doenst naked me wonder why some do that and if its to rule out people later who get to a Pont and who then can't provide references or at least legitimate ones

Totally, and also, its almost a bit intrusive? You SAY you won't contact them until later, but how do i know that? So there's a chance you're just going to randomly call someone I used to work with, and i won't have had time to actually ask them if thats okay?

I hate the ones advertised as "Salary Negotiable" or "Dependent on experience"

Translation: fill out this unnecessarily long form, attach a CV, upload a picture, attend one maybe two rounds of interviews and if you are lucky enough to be our preferred candidate, we will still lowball you.

Years ago there was a job I liked the look of but the salary was marked as "prefer not to say". I was tempted to submit a CV:

Name: prefer not to say
Experience: prefer not to.say
Qualification; prefer not to say
Hobbies: prefer not to say

In fairness this could be a very light hearted screening question to sift out the bots.

Similar to control questions that say "Please pick somewhat agree" to make sure you are reading the questions.

It makes me laugh how the government want people struggling with their mental health to come off disability and into work. This shitty process makes you fucking depressed even when you started it feeling positive so how a mentally ill person is going to stick with it is anyone's guess.

I was doing one the other day and after completing most of it, I uploaded my CV and it overwrote most of what I had put in with stuff from my CV. Some was OK but most not. If it's going to do that, then why not make uploading the CV the first thing you have to do FFS.

Then it asked for a reference with an email, phone number AND mobile number (with a red star). Funnily enough not everyone has a mobile number for their boss! Especially in my last organisation which has a policy that all references must come from HR. Luckily it took a landline number in the mobile slot or that would have been that. All for a part time job paying minimum wage.

I just hope your company has the decency to e-mail candidates who won't be passed forward to the next stage. Its a double kick in th teath when you spend a couple of hours on an application, and never hear about it again.

i would love them to see it. I literally don't care if they do, if they are going to see my passwords i would be having words with them about IT security.

Some of them are ridiculously complicated.

surely companies these days are aware that anyone on Jobseekers is pretty much expected to treat job hunting like a job itself, and must apply for billions of jobs.

So why don't they adapt their systems accordingly to help us all: they will get applications and we get to apply for jobs without being annoyed at them.

But for me the biggest bugbear of all is not giving the salary, level or hours expected.

Yes they do. I agree applying is soul destroying.
I've always told my DC that your application is really important as it tells them how interested you are, your attention to detail etc etc but the process is very tedious