Job Applications

It occurs to me that job applications now are much more difficult to deal with.

My case being today, I spent 5+ hours working on ONE job application.
First because they asked a question that I really had to think about and go searching for the proper words to express my thoughts in the answer.
Second because they asked for 15 years of job info.  Yes - 15 years.
I had to dig around in papers that I thought were long gone to get the rest of the info.  Thank goodness for Google, otherwise I would not have had addresses to go with some of those 15 years.  Heck, I don't have address for at least 1 or 2 because the business is no longer around.

The funny thing is - this is not the first day I have worked on that application.  I was just very determined today to finish it.

I don't feel to terrible about the really hard question, even though I know I asked about 5 people for help.  I got some and got some better ideas of where to find the right words, but it was tough.

I just sort of felt 15 years was a little too much to ask for.  In this world of I only had that job to tide me over, or that business closed down and that's why I'm looking, to the poor teachers who keep getting laid off (You know who you are). 15 years could take a couple pages.  I even left out the substitute teaching I did this past year, because I have NO idea what address to put down for those weird companies.

I have tried to keep some of the more difficult information stored in my contacts now, but I still have to hit google almost every time I do an application, because I just don't have a list of ALL the jobs I had in one place.

So, MY suggestion to all of you- is to start that list now.  Sure you'll be dropping those wonderful years at Taco Bell off your Resume real soon, but who knows how far back your next employer will ask you to take your list.
Make sure you have a company name, address, phone number - the actual dates you worked there and probably someone you liked to keep on a list with their own email and phone number - just in case the company goes down.
I do have info on a couple people who I worked with from companies that are no longer around. I put their name and number down in case they want to just talk to someone who worked with me.

Good luck in Your Job searching.  I know mine is going very slow.