The Land of Make Believe
The other day, during my daily job hunt, I found a job listing on a Publisher's website and clicked the link to fill out the online application, (the only way to apply). There's nothing unusual anymore about being required to fill out an online job application; it's common practice now. In theory it seems like a more expeditious and simpler-to-review way of submitting one's various application components; online applications are supposed to streamline the process for both the employer and the applicant. Online forms and upload capabilities are supposed to make the process concise, organized, and time-saving. (Right? I think?) However, the truth is that they are often: 1. needlessly tedious and unreasonably time consuming (often due not only to their pointless redundancies and poor organization, but also as a result of inevitably occasional internet/website issues, etc.), as well as 2. --in this case-- just plain bizarre. All of this contributes to a job seeker feeling additionally and increasingly aggravated and discouraged, which is not conducive to the necessary continuation of the process of applying to jobs. In some cases I've had to spend up to two hours just filling out one of these applications, and therefore, applying to multiple jobs each day can truly feel like a (apparently dead-end) full time job without pay. And when one doesn’t hear back from any of these jobs it’s difficult to reason with oneself that one should continue to apply to anything at all, (but obviously, since one needs to, one will). I don’t always agree with this adage, but the whole “Insanity is doing the same action over and over again expecting different results” thing, well, one simply can’t afford to believe that to be true if one is to motivate oneself to continue applying to jobs, while one continuously yields no results doing so. Eventually one of these jobs might call back, and that’s why one has to continue to try. It’s pretty pathetic.
Anyway, back to this particular online application. The first step, as it often is, was filling out a “Profile”, which contains fields in which to type answers to basic employment-relevant questions, such as: “Are you at least 18 years of age?” and “Are you a U.S. citizen?” etc. However, in addition to this, another question was posed, a question I had thus far never seen on an online job application: “Would you like to import your profile from your LinkedIn or Facebook account?” LinkedIn I understand; it’s a “professional” networking site, meaning that its intended purpose is to facilitate networking in terms of jobs and professional endeavors. Facebook on the other hand, well, I’ve certainly never thought of it as professional, at least not in terms of its intended purpose being in any way similar to that of LinkedIn for example. Perhaps some people create separate professional-only Facebook profiles in addition to their personal ones, but it’s not something I’m familiar with. I do have Facebook pages associated with various projects and personal small businesses of mine, but not an entire profile dedicated to my professional persona. Well, I guess it must be becoming the norm, or this company at least believes it is. I had just never come across this before. Personally, I would really like for my usage of Facebook to remain very separate from my career-related online interactions. This is a personal choice. At least, I hope it’s still a choice. I think if it does not remain a choice I really must jump ship on a matter of principal. I’m really ready to jump ship on a lot of things, but that’s a whole other blog…Anyway, I digress, again. Back to this online application, again.
Here is another major complaint of mine about these online applications, regarding a needless redundancy eating my time: Why must I fill out prior employment information three separate times? First I upload my resume, which includes my employment history. Then the online system "automatically extracts the information from [my] resume and puts it into a form", and guess what? It's all filled out wrong, of course. So then I have to fix everything on the form. Then later on in the application they have yet another form that I have to fill out with my employment history. Three times! Why? But these are the typical, baffling, and frustrating details. Now on to the fun stuff...The stuff that requires the suspension of disbelief usually only necessitated by fantasy-themed forms of entertainment...
At the end of the application was a standard letter, asking that the applicant confirm that he/she has read and agrees to certain things regarding the processing of the application. In person, with actual paper and pen, these letters are signed and dated to show confirmation. However, this is an online application, so signing one's signature is not possible, unless a drawing function is available, which it was not. So how is one to sign? Well, in this case, there were two blank text fields. One said: "Please print name" and the other said "Please sign name". As if my TYPING MY NAME into these boxes is either a signature or a printed name. What is this, the land of make believe? Let's just pretend I'm actually printing and signing my name! Weeeee! This is fun! Come on. What is the purpose/need for such a transparently absurd construct? A formality? As if linking to my Facebook profile is a "formal" way of applying for a job? But I guess now it is (?)…
(Obviously what is standard or normal is being redefined all the time; this is the direction things have been moving in. At least people a generation or two before me can reflect on memories of a time in which people actually conducted business face to face, or in writing (very well written writing at that), but I have no memories of such a time, just my imagination and disappointment at its incapacity for fulfillment. Yes, I know there were a lot of things not good about the way things were a generation or two or more back, but some things were better in my opinion. You are free, of course, to disagree, these are just my personal feelings. This is a much larger discussion, which I won't delve into right at this moment. I just wanted to air my grievances regarding this totally bizarre and frustrating online job application process. But, as always, I am ever determined to allow laughter to triumph and reign -- albeit somewhat insane, hysterical laughter that verges on crying.)
