Benefits of applying for jobs:
1) You focus so hard on selling yourself that you start to convince even yourself of all your amazing qualities.
2) You spend so much time reading employers' bigged-up descriptions of the roles they offer that you are reminded of all teh things that attracted you to this career in the first place.
3) Your glorified descriptions of your own talents and strengths also serve as a reminder of all the reasons you wwere attracted to, and are suited to, this career.
4) you are reminded of how exciting it was to first enter into this career, and how excited and inspired you were in your first weeks in your last job. You have hope that you can feel that way again.
Disadvantages of applying for jobs:
1) When you are 41 years old, it takes FOREVER to list every single detail of your life for the last twenty years. Why do they insist on knowing so MUCH about you?
2) Every form is in a sligtly different format, so copy-and-paste won't do and you get really really bored of filling forms in.
3) Every application has to be tailored to the specific employer and workplace, then edited for space. This is stressful and time-consuming.
4) The formatting. Oh, the formatting.
I was so pleased with myself when I first started filling application forms in electronically. Finally, I could just copy and paste all those tedious names, addresses, dates and other details. I wouldn't have to spend hours writing cramped details in pen. But I'm pretty sure I spend longer filling the bloody things in on the computer than I would with pen and paper. No two application forms are alike. They have all been designed in Word using tables which won't stretch properly to fit what you want. The fonts are never right. You have to keep jiggling and juggling and rearranging and watching out for bits of bold, italic and other stuff which sneaks in when you're not looking. You have to keep repaginating so that info doesn't weirdly cross page boundaries. I have spent ALL DAY today on one sodding form! It's ridiculous!
[mucho sighing]
Still, I have now successfully completed and printed one job application. I'd hoped to get more done, but it's the job I want most of all out of the four I'm planning to apply for.
They're interviewing on Thursday next week! The closing date is Monday. I'm going to have to deliver it by hand. Wish me luck. [eek]
London Festival of Writing 2023
10 hours ago
6 comments:
Break a leg!
Will be thinking of you much: I HATE application forms with a passion and dread the inevitable day I have to start doing them again (since I can't believe I will be lucky enough to remain in this job even if I want to stay here till doomsday)
I can't stand applying for jobs. It's such a mountain of effort and I always have teh feeling that they take one look at my date of birth and put me aside in favour of a 25-year-old.
Everything crossed for you here!
Oh good luck!
Over here most applications are totally online, but that doesn't help at all as you still have to go through at least four pages of filling-inningness, all of which is going to replicate the cv they will insist you paste into their teeny-tiny window, a window which strips off all your useful formatting and replaces it with the secret language of the netherworld. I am convinced it's all just run through their Very Impressive Sorting machine (probably an ENIAC) and blorted out the other end with 'do not hire! Formatting indicates psychopathic individual' no matter what you input.
Your way sounds at least a bit more human.
Looby - if it's an application form for most reputable places they will detach the bit with any personal details before shortlisting. (Application forms for my place don't even ask for your dob!) If it's a CV I've been told many times by different people there's no need to put it at all....
I sometimes suspect that they make application forms deliberately horrendous these days to reduce the number of applications/make it easier to weed people out for 'poor presentation' now there are far more people unemployed :(
You might be right B!
Post a Comment