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[indefatigable]

I recently applied for a job by sending in the items requested in the job ad (application letter, vita, unofficial transcripts) by email to the search committee chairperson.  Then, a few weeks later, I had a phone interview.

Now, I've been told that my application cannot go ahead until I fill out the HR department's official application form, which is available online and 8 pages long.

This form, in addition to asking for all the information about employment and education that is more clearly shown on my vita, also asks such riveting questions as how many words per minute I type.

Have you had any odd questions asked on forms like this?  I find them annoying, but I do understand the search committee wants to tick the box, so to speak.

What's been your weird official application form experience?

[anthrogeek]

 not exactly a form, but still a hoop one must jump through...

upcoming phone interview with a cc in late spring. the phone interview is the short list interview, as they had no money to fly me there. They ask for a teaching demo, on DVD, in their hands in exactly one week.

I'm anthropology, so they want ten minutes on kinship, meaning I'd have to get a video camera, find an empty classroom or impress on one of my colleagues to let me borrow their students for a while. Either way seemed silly to me. The search froze the following day.

[barred_owl]

Similar questions have cropped up in other threads about the job market, but the standard fora wisdom is that the online applications are usually a one-size-fits-all application form for the university.  Anyone who applies for any position--faculty, staff, administration--is required to complete the same form.  So, the question about typing speed, while not relevant to your app for a faculty position, might be very informative when reviewing the app for someone going for an admin assistant position, for instance. 

The online apps can be a pain, but they're relatively painless compared to some of the online apps I've seen for hourly wage jobs.  For example, looking for a tide-over position, I filled out an online application for a simple sales clerk position at a large national bookstore chain.  Thirty-five pages of "psych" questions with Likert scale answers:  "I respond well to instructions," "I smile a lot," "When a coworker is rude to a customer, I feel I must inform management," etc., etc., ad nauseum.  I was pretty grouchy by the time I finished that one.

[alleyoxenfree]

Yes, I know what chain you're referring to.  Today, I filled out one form that asked if I'd graduated from high school and which one.

It also had the longest disclaimer section I've ever seen, where you check a box that basically allows them to interview your first-grade teacher and piece together and read your Stasi file without your suing them.

[london1]

Yes, I know what chain you're referring to.  Today, I filled out one form that asked if I'd graduated from high school and which one.

It also had the longest disclaimer section I've ever seen, where you check a box that basically allows them to interview your first-grade teacher and piece together and read your Stasi file without your suing them.

Alleyoxenfree was a sweet, dependable student who regularly stayed after school to help me clean the blackboards and erasers.  I recommend alley for this position without reservation.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Campbell

[alto_stratus]

^ That's a good one.  I have a feeling mine would involve the phrase "does not follow directions."

Yes, those applications are annoying, and stunningly long.  It's just one of those bureaucratic boxes to check.  I agree it's not very motivating, especially when you spent a few hours getting your materials together and are under the misimpression that you are finally done! Not.

[mythbuster]

I personally love how they ask for phone numbers for all your employers. Yeah, I have the number of my supervisor for that internship I did the summer after freshman year. Sure thing.

[laurel_knx]

I personally love how they ask for phone numbers for all your employers. Yeah, I have the number of my supervisor for that internship I did the summer after freshman year. Sure thing.

My experience, too. Ten years of work history probably includes that summer I packed boxes for the Textile Engineering department, but I think I'm just going to omit that one...

[alleyoxenfree]

Yes, I know what chain you're referring to.  Today, I filled out one form that asked if I'd graduated from high school and which one.

It also had the longest disclaimer section I've ever seen, where you check a box that basically allows them to interview your first-grade teacher and piece together and read your Stasi file without your suing them.

Alleyoxenfree was a sweet, dependable student who regularly stayed after school to help me clean the blackboards and erasers.  I recommend alley for this position without reservation.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Campbell

Mrs. Campbell!  So good to hear from you again!  Yes, I'm afraid I peaked in first grade and cleaning blackboards may be my future job as well!  Thanks for the rec.

[prephd]

I leave irrelevant boxes empty. WPM, High school gpa and clubs, etc. Who TF cares?

[alleyoxenfree]

With an attitude like that, we're not going to hire you to shelve at Borders.  You must not be a team player.

[madhatter]

What prephd said. Assuming you are attaching your cv & cover letter, most of the online form is irrelevant. HR is happy that you've submitted one for their files; the search committee won't care if it's complete or not.

I usually fill out my contact information completely (good for them to have in multiple places) and leave most optional fields empty. It becomes annoying if they've made most fields mandatory, so that you can't submit the form without filling in something for "desired salary" and "phone number of your supervisor at third-from-most-recent job."

One caveat -- there are a few rogue, crazy schools out there that have an online app system with no provision for attaching a document. You can only submit whatever you enter in those little boxes. And the system may be set up so that you can't even go back and edit your application, should you not discover this until the submit button has been pressed. But I won't embarrass these schools by naming names, CalTech.

Oopsie. Tee hee.

[alleyoxenfree]

I think they changed their system this week.

But there are others than don't allow both a CV and cover letter, so must know this beforehand and paste them together.  Otherwise, too bad. 

[karmann]

The address of every place I've lived for the past ten years.  For me, ten years went back to freshmen year in college and included seven different addresses.  There were only like four blanks, but since this was the Official Background Check Form Without Which We Won't Look At Your Application, I wedged all seven in there.  That was the longest application of the 50+ schools I applied to last year.  I got the job, probably because I was the only person to actually fill out the whole application. 

[der_gadfly]

High school attended, graduation date, class rank, and average
name of a HS teacher who will provide a recommendation
 
SAT scores
GRE scores