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Application Blanks Finding a Job Equal Employment

I sent my resume electronically to a company, and they invited me in for an interview. When I arrived, I was asked to complete an application blank. Isn't that out of date? If a company still uses them, maybe they are behind the times in other areas. What do you think?

Although it sounds like you reacted with a blank stare when faced with an application blank, the truth is that application blanks are still very much in play, and they can actually be quite useful. One of the main reasons for using application blanks is that they put all of the applicants on the same page, both literally and figuratively. Since applicants control the content of their resumes, comparing resumes is often a case of comparing apples with oranges, while comparing application blanks is comparing apples with apples. The best application blanks contain only job-related questions, and they are designed to take a complete and accurate work history. Dates of employment, specific responsibilities, and reasons for changing jobs may have been vague or omitted in a resume. However, such information makes up an important part of a well-designed application blank. In addition, the way in which applicants approach and complete an application blank can often provide valuable insights into the applicants themselves. If you found a company with an application blank that includes personal questions that have nothing to do with work, then you have every right to wonder about the company itself. This issue cuts both ways, since application blanks can tell a company a great deal about you, and they can tell you a great deal about a company.


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