Chats with Smart People Featuring Maury Hanigan with SparcStart

The dreaded application form process.

Do you remember a time in which you applied for a job? Do you remember how much time it took to fill out a paper application or electronic one? I do, it mentally time consuming it is also a waste.

Problems with application forms

1. Time, depending on the job position it can take up to 2hrs to complete application form when your resume has all the information on it.
2. Highest level of education posted first then scroll to the bottom of the page to find another question. Did you graduate from High School/GED?
3. Upload resume then type up all the information in a 10 font box or type on a line that does not lineup.
4. GPA & Transcripts -Why?
5. What college did you attend? Did you get a degree?
6. Federal Gov. applications can take up to 2 to 4 hrs. to fill out. (I mean don't they already have information on people)

These are just a few problems there are more.

Why are we still living in the past? Did you know that newspapers still advertised for jobs; people still read those.

Candidates don’t get the recruiting process at all. Why is it taking so long for this company to email me for the next step? It’s been 2 hours with no word. I’ll tell you why I am reading your life’s story that’s why? By the way it's the companies fault on this one. Hey companies the law enforcement are too busy to address the issue of the application form! You will not get arrested or go to jail.

Problems recruiters run into

1. Application forms too tiny to read.
2. Reading through unrelated information such as college, degree, and reviewing transcripts that don't align with the job position.
3. Aligning resume with application form
4. Horrible non negotiable hiring managers (this should be #1) (Compliance)
5. TIME
6. Application forms are from the past
7. No personality quiz questions ( this is not a dating site)

Ideas in place of the application form

1. Resume
2. Candidates video with four questions RELATED to the position, and of course a bonus question about hobbies, etc.

Remove the paper application process from companies and mom & pop shops save the trees, the forest critters will be quite happy and so will recruiters.

P.S. Fix the problems and people could do small things and these things can get done.