Sick of filling out online job applications...

[blueamy66]

Why doesn't a cover letter and resume suffice? Is it an HR thing??? Must have app on file?

And if one more interviewer asks me what my greatest strengths and weaknesses are or "tell me about a time when you had to deal with adversity in the workplace" I am going to scream!!!

On edit: 4th interview in 3 days.....it seems to be harder than working!!!!

[drm604]

1. Tell me about it.

Why do I have to spend time filling out a job history that's already covered in the resume that they asked me to attach? All I'm doing is cutting and pasting from the resume. I'm spending 20 minutes filling out an application that has about a one in a thousand chance of leading to anything, and the information is already there in the damned resume!

And don't get me started on the damned interview questions. It's HR people blindly reading from a list of questions and eliminating anyone who hesitates in thinking of an answer. Technical questions about my job skills are fine, but that's not what they're doing. All they're doing is screening for people who are good at giving canned answers to canned questions. It's just an arbitrary way to cut down the number of applicants.

Then there's the jobs I "almost got". After the interview the recruiter strings you along for a week or two saying things like "they love you", "you're exactly what they're looking for", "they just have to finish the paperwork", and then a week later telling you "upper management says that they are not hiring anyone for any reason at this time". Yes, that really happened to me.

[blueamy66]

3. You took the words right outta my mouth!

To make it worse, I am applying for both myself and my fiancé. He's in the restaurant mgt business, so there are a lot of companies that want an online app filled out. I'm in admin, so I have been pretty lucky with just sending a résumé in, with a nice cover letter.

Maybe someone in HR can shed some light on all of this business...

[midwest irish]

2. It's def. for HR

I recently applied, interviewed and received a job. However, I had not filled out the application form in HR. So in my first week of employment I needed to fill out an application form. How silly is that.

[blueamy66]

4. Very silly.

And some of the apps that are to be filled out in office are so antiquated and so obviously copied 8 million times....makes the company look stupid.

[yewberry]

5. I can tell you why my agency requires them.

The place I work had a reputation of favoritism & nepotism in hiring for a long time-- that era is over, but as a result every recruitment is required to use identical criteria in making hiring decisions. Also, we get sued for not hiring people about once a year, and we have to be able to produce all of the materials we used for any given hire and justify every decision.

Pain in the behind, but that's what we have to do.

And yeah, those interview questions suuuuuuck.

[kentauros]

6. I can understand needing forms and such for possible future lawsuits,

but what exactly do those question fulfill? The answers are arbitrary, and at least one of them can't be answered in a way that would get you the job (i.e., "Where do you see yourself in five years?&quot

The best interviews I ever had, whether I got the job or not, were from the people that would be my bosses. The worst interviews were from HR personnel, and all too often they not only didn't know what the position entailed, but had no idea what questions to ask (I do drafting and expect either engineering or surveyor questions, not BS HR questions.)

[blueamy66]

9. Nothing like being given a spelling test by a HR person.

Talk about stupid.

[kentauros]

11. I've had tests like that,

from recruiters that were just beginning to branch out into tech fields. Their tests were still directed towards the admin-assistant or clerical personnel and had nothing to do with the tech fields. Made me wonder how many applicants blew them off after going through that...

[RebelOne]

17. On my last job interview in which I was hired,

I was asked, "Where do you see yourself in five years?" I answered, "Making more money." I was hired. I worked there for 13 years until the company went downhill, and I was laid off. And I was not making a lot more money.

[kentauros]

18. I remember a thread around here some time back,

where it was all about these idiotic questions from HR. The analysis of that question was that if you answer with "I expect to still be doing my job" that you lack ambition and won't be hired. Whereas, if you answer with "I expect to be in a management position (or whatever is higher than what you're applying for)" then you are seen as having too much ambition and won't be hired.

The implication was that no answer was satisfactory, which begs the further question, "Why is it asked at all?"

[Boomerproud]

7. It's extremely stressful being unemployed.

I am almost at the crack-up point. I'm also 50+. Enough said. I can't even get even get a face to face interview at McDonald's, and I have 34 years office/admin. experience.

[bif]

8. Here's what I really hate

You spend about a half hour filling out an online form, you get near the end and there's an error. You know if you hit the "back" button, everything will be lost!

[kentauros]

10. And there's no "save" button!

Especially when they have page after page for just the application form, all based on Flash or Java, because, you know, it has to be edgy to get the right candidates!

I wonder how often they get letters from people that know their stuff in web-development telling them what a POS their online application site is...

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

12. all job seekers would be served by reading

the book from this website- What color is your parachute?
http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/

[snagglepuss]

15. thanks

[alarimer]

13. They have the computer screen you first.

It looks for key words that you must have otherwise you won't screen through.

[GoCubsGo]

14. I hear you.

At least you are getting interviews. I haven't even been able to find any jobs to which I can apply for the past few weeks, let alone get an interview.

You know what irritates me WAY more than those questions you mentioned? When they ask you to tell them about your experience. It's all on the fucking resume/application.

[blueamy66]

16. I'm sorry that you haven't been getting any interviews.

We are both getting interviews, but no serious job offers.

I always think that I do/did so well, but don't get the darn job!

We just have to keep plugging along.