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Ask Slashdot: Why Are Online Job Applications So Badly Designed?

Posted by timothy on from the no-one-asked-jakob-nielsen dept.

First time accepted submitter GreyViking (3606993) writes Over the past few years, I've witnessed a variety of my intelligent but largely non-technical nearest-and-dearest struggling to complete online job applications. The majority of these online forms are multiple screens long, and because they're invariably HTTPS, they'll time out after a finite time which isn't always made known to the user. Some sites actively disable back/forward buttons but many don't, and text that's sometime taken a lot of effort to compile, cut and paste can be lost. And did I mention text input boxes that are too small? Sometimes it seems that the biggest obstacle to getting a job can be being able to conquer the online application, and really, there has to be a better way: but what is it?

5 of 278 comments (clear)

  1. Pete and Repeat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What annoys me the most is they ask you to upload your resume... and then ask you to fill out a million fields with the exact same information that's already on your resume.

    1. Re:Pete and Repeat by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I further hate it when they insist on "plain text" for the resume too..... At least accept PDF or XPS versions of any document that's formatted like a Resume.

      You seem to be confused. Your resume is being read by a Perl script, not a human. If your resume does not include certain keywords, a human will never see it.

  2. Because they don't use them to get employees. by gurps_npc · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Instead, they use them to show that they are willing to accept anyone - black, white, male, female, etc.

    Real jobs don't come from HR. They come from business contacts.

    --
    excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
  3. Human Resources by globaljustin · · Score: 4, Insightful

    the problem is HR

    the *concept* of an online job application is fairly simple from a coding perspective...making some kind of form requires some choices but this is basic stuff

    the systemic issue is with the people who define the parameters for the information...the HR people

    HR is usually full of people making decisions that affect whole systems they have no understanding of and have no way of receiving feedback systemically to improve, part of the general problem in US biz structure

    applying for a job is excruciating in the US today...it's just layers and layers of bad management

    --
    Thank you Dave Raggett
  4. Re:Contact Us by killkillkill · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If they won't mail it, assume the company tries to force every employee into a rigid structure where you will not be free to operate in the manner that best suites you. Your day-to-day work life will be subject to procedures as frustrating as the online form and endless TPS reports.