Filling out applications

[Reyneth]

My job's hours have been cut severely and it doesn't seem like they'll be increased anytime soon, despite everyone getting frantic regarding money. I was barely edging by before hours were cut, so I'm on the job search. Was hoping to get out of retail but really haven't had much luck so far. So this afternoon I went out and applied at several stores, hoping to just "fill in the gaps" as it were.

I only have one question:

Why do they make the spaces so fricking small? Ok, they want to keep the aplication short in terms of paper length - but do they really need 4-5 past job information plus 4-5 refrences etc etc, all of which must be filled out in writing so tiny it's hard to read? My hand hurts!

[powerboy]

I always wondered that also.

[AirHostess]

Urgh I know. I have been looking at a change of career and thankfully it's all online applications so I just copy and paste!

[draftermatt]

When I was looking for a 2nd job I went to a place that wanted your employment history from the last 10 years! And if the 5 spots they gave you weren't enough then add more paper.

Explain to me why my 2 months at a car wash when I was 14 make a difference now. Or my two months at Burger King when I was 15.

[air914]

Anyone ever fill out the application for UPS? They want blood on that thing man! They have you sit in a little room w/ phone books and stuff so that you can look up the address & phone number of every school you've ever attended... including 1st grade! HOW does THAT matter?? I didn't get a job there but man that was annoying!

I also had an application once where you had to write essay questions. And go through an interview where you had to answer like 50 questions and had 30 seconds to answer each - and then I still didn't get the job - i was mad about that....

The one thing I don't understand being on the receiving end of some applications (as I have been in the past) is how people can't 1) write legibly, 2) know thier address, 3) know their phone #.

I just recently tried to call an application for my boss and 1) the area code was wrong for the phone number 2) the phone number was wrong 3) when the person finally called back to check on their application, I tried to return the phone call and their voice mail box was full........ I said "I don't think this person is intelligent enough to work here....."

[DrFaroohk]

I love the ones that look like this:


Name:_____________________________________________ ______
Mailing Address:___City and State:__Zip Code______________________

[myswtghst]

I recently was asked to (read: was handed the app and told it had to be filled out) fill out an application for federal clearance handling backup calls for our USPS customer service division. That thing was literally 20+ pages long, asking for personal references, school references, work references, every job I've ever held, every address I've ever lived at and more. In addition, I got to take 2 drug tests and have three meetings with the coordinator before it was all filed, on time and together. This was a few weeks ago that it was finally finished, and they still haven't let me know when I'll start training.

[powerboy]

Anyone ever fill out the application for UPS? They want blood on that thing man! They have you sit in a little room w/ phone books and stuff so that you can look up the address & phone number of every school you've ever attended... including 1st grade! HOW does THAT matter?? I didn't get a job there but man that was annoying!

Yeah they do want your blood on them. I filled out one once for them, and I never heard anything from them. When I called them up, they said that I never turned one in.

[upsidedown_orchid]

I always have people fill out an application even if they have a resume with them so I can collect a bit of info that we like to ask that people usually don't put on their resumes, like 'are you bondable?', 'where did you find out about the open position?' , etc.
For anything on the application that's on their resume already, like previous work experience, they just need tp write "see resume". I tell this to all applicants.

The ones who fill it everything out anyway get their application tossed in the "only if we are really, really, really desperate for a body without a brain". There will also be a note on the application "Fails to follow simple instructions".

[Jester]

Why do they make the spaces so fricking small? Ok, they want to keep the aplication short in terms of paper length - but do they really need 4-5 past job information plus 4-5 refrences etc etc, all of which must be filled out in writing so tiny it's hard to read? My hand hurts!

Myself, I do fill out all the spaces, but I also hand in my resume with the application (unless, as previously mentioned, they tell me to NOT fill in the spaces covered by my resume). That combined with the fact that I go jobhunting in a shirt and tie in a town where people will show up in flipflops and jeans for an interview means I tend to stand out in management's mind. Last time I went jobhunting, I landed a job within two hours of hitting the pavement.

By the way, if you don't have that much work history, don't sweat about the unfilled spaces....you can't provide history you don't have, and management generally understands that.

[protege]

They have you sit in a little room w/ phone books and stuff so that you can look up the address & phone number of every school you've ever attended... including 1st grade! HOW does THAT matter?? I didn't get a job there but man that was annoying!

I don't see why that's important either. For me, it was over 20 years ago, and I'm sure that most, if not all, of my grade-school records have been destroyed by now. College, and possibly one's SAT scores (which I don't even remember getting them, since that was nearly 15 years ago, never worried about since I don't need them to puff up my ego) I can understand...but back to first grade?

Dad ran into something similar when applying for one of his past jobs. His prospective employer wanted the address for his old high school. Problem is, it's not there anymore--part of it was knocked down for a parking lot..and the rest was sold to other businesses. After seeing that, he was surprised that they didn't want the (now forgotten, and possibly gone) address where he went to school in East Cleveland...

[OfficeSlug]

Anyone ever fill out the application for UPS?

Well, the USPS.

They want an accounting of EVERY PLACE AND JOB YOU HAD since you got your Social Security Number. I had to REALLY think back to High School and all those 2 month summer job stints that I had!!



As to why they make the spaces so small - I think the wanna see how creative you can get with a Bic Mechanical Pencil!!