Paper Job Applications

[Soft Cars]

These days most job applications are done online, but there's still some small businesses that still want you to fill out a paper application.

How do you guys manage to write all that information into those small little boxes?
Do you have to alter your style of writing, or use a special pen that's specific for writing small print?

Ideally, a typewriter is the best way to fit all that information into small boxes, but then you stand a chance of the employer thinking you can't write. I have a habit of writing very large print and it doesn't jive with paper applications.

 

[Jetronic]

aren't you listing stuff that's too old? They will be interested in recent happenings mostly

 

[captainbeandip]

Did you really say a typewriter is the best way?

It might actually be, but I haven't heard of anyone using one for about 30 years or so.

I don't know the answer, but I'd be willing to bet that's probably not the way most people are filling them out.

 

[fisher83]

I haven't filled out a paper application in as long as I can remember. I only go back about 15 years which for me entails 2 jobs so it isn't a huge amount of info.

 

[Jdeere562]

I'll take a paper application, over an online. They always want you to make an account and password. My memory banks are full.

 

[Passport1]

When I enlisted the first time the paper application only had boxes to check. No big deal, I was young and not a real bright bulb back then. There were a few questions that surprised me. Won't mention their nature as the subject is verboten on this forum.

Must have checked all the boxes correctly.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

Most employers are interested in your jobs, etc., going back no more than about 7–10 years. They don't need you to write a book that includes your high-school work mowing yards. That should help.

Also you should be able to simplify a lot of entries in boxes on the form. No one at a prospective employer is reading every word of every application, and the more detail you give in a box, the less likely anyone will take time to read it.

The main exception to all of this is high-security jobs that require serious vetting including extensive background checks, such as government jobs with a security clearance. But those jobs don't use paper applications.

 

[Soft Cars]

Did you really say a typewriter is the best way?

It might actually be, but I haven't heard of anyone using one for about 30 years or so.

I don't know the answer, but I'd be willing to bet that's probably not the way most people are filling them out.

I actually did that back in 1995 when applying to the Home Depot.
They said out of a whole stack of applications, mine was the easiest to find.

 

[bunnspecial]

Most employers are interested in your jobs, etc., going back no more than about 7–10 years. They don't need you to write a book that includes your high-school work mowing yards. That should help.

A few years back, at a previous job(at a big university) I'd often hire student workers for the semester. They could be a big help, and if they were on work-study they didn't cost us(the department) anything although their working hours were limited.

I had one who was rather insistent on wanting to work for us. Although I'd never give student workers truly dangerous stuff to do, I'd still spend a decent bit of time vetting them(outside the interview) and required having completed and passed certain classes(namely gen chem I and II) in the posting. A lot of the vetting was because they would be in a chemical stockroom, and with access(even under supervision) to some pretty nasty stuff.

As a college student, I never expected them to have much of a resume. Heck, no prior work experience wasn't necessarily a deterrent-everyone has to start somewhere.

This one particular student, who applied repeatedly and at one point was bugging the snot out of me, gave me a 14 page resume. They were a bit older than traditional college age(23-24 at the time judging by their high school graduation year), but had listed every single job they'd held. Most were restaurant/server positions. There's nothing wrong with that-it's hard work and someone successful at it often has a strong work ethic-but far from being impressive the 14 pages just showed a lot of job hopping and nothing where they'd stayed more than about 3 months. They had listed jobs that they'd held for 2-3s, and there were multiple examples of those.

Not only was it just too much to read through, but that many jobs also raised a lot of alarm bells for me. Heck, I doubt some of the senior faculty in our department had CVs(which in US academic jobs are supposed to list basically everything you've done in your academic career) that were 14 pages long.