online job applications

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anyone have trouble getting a job with online job applications? I have and will probably always have trouble getting a job because of these stupid personality questions like from unicru and all that. I think they are a test that grades the test and discards the users application

I've done a lot of online applications, but, none of them have had personality components.

When my husband was job searching, quite a few of those he applied to did. A ton of silly questions, many of them similar to others, I'm assuming in an attempt to trip you up and suss out inconsistent answers. ~shrugs~

I'm curious how companies make use of those results.

I don't think I've had a single interview come of a job that did an "online assessment" when I applied. Articles and experts say the tests are not reliable because they are used to screen for desired qualities or omit undesired qualities in a vacuum of knowledge about the individual.

It's the difference between omitting someone for saying they believe drug use in the workplace SHOULD NOT be an automatic bar to employment as compared to asking the applicant WHY they believe that before making a decision to disqualify or not.

They say there are no "wrong answers," but clearly, there are wrong answers, and lying on the test is counterproductive because it's designed to flag perceived lying by the test-taker.

I'm waiting for someone to start a class-action lawsuit against the companies using these tests for discrimination against people with disabilities.

The tests are good as a screening tool (as compared to having to interview every applicant), but they are nowhere near reliable for getting an accurate picture of the individual who is applying for the job.

The tests are phoney-baloney as all get out! And here's how to game them.

Adopt a very rosy view of the world and other people, and at the same time adopt a very straightforward goody-two shoes approach.

The tests seem to be based on the idea that if someone believes most people cheat on their taxes, then this person will be more likely to cheat on their taxes as well.

I believe online applications are a waste of time. Most experts and surveys show they are ineffective.

Ironically, most companies nowadays require a job applicants to apply online when applying online is ineffective.

Experts say networking is the best way to get a job but you still have to apply for the job online.

It seems like this is a closed loop system. How is anyone supposed to get their foot in the door?

Online HR systems are otherwise known as applicant tracking systems (ATS). If the HR office has certain things it wants out of all the people who apply for the same job, it will create an ATS to determine which candidates are the best and discard the rest. Thus, the HR office will have keywords it will want the ATS to scan of all the resumes. The more keywords you have, he higher the ATS ranks you with regard to all the applicants. More keywords, higher rank. Less keywords, down the list of applicants you go. Is it fair? No. Networking remains the best way to get a job. If you can network so you can avoid having to apply online, all the more the better (which is what happened with me). The "hiring manager" got my resume and called to see if I wanted to interview with her and her company. When I got to the company, I filled out a paper application (nothing online). Then, went to interview with the "hiring manager" and her managers. The rest is history.

You have to go to the location in-person and ask to see the HR person and ask about openings. They can always pull your application off the system to look at it. Otherwise, they would only come across it when they need to hire and yours is one of the many they grab for review.

I hate online applications. I'm pretty sure there's a special room in Hell where all you do is fill out those things.

I have gotten a few interviews by applying for jobs online, and the way I did it was just to put in applications, and most important of all I feel was not having expectations about how things will go, but just doing my own part and then letting what will be, be. That's all we can really do, I think, is put out our applications with a nice cover letter explaining why the job interests us, and then letting the rest be in fate's hands, because we've more or less done our part and that's all we can do.

Edit: there's also the option of making calls to follow up that would probably increase the odds of getting an interview, but for my own part I stutter really bad on the phone so I avoid phone calls whenever I can.

Experts say a lot of things based on statistics and the supposed expertise that comes with earning a degree, but what the experts claim does not always land on the mark because they make mistakes and they try to put generalized statements over everything when everything is always transitioning and never staying exactly the same.

I have been there, though, so I know how frustrating it can be. But learning to let go, and also accepting my limitations, helped me immensely so I stopped beating myself up for not landing a job on the first, second, or third try. It just takes as many applications as it takes, and nowadays I set the pace for myself that feels right, not based on anybody else's expectations of how many applications I should put in per day.

Yes, it is very much a numbers game and this economy, more than ever.

I guess like a baseball player, stay calm, keep playing your best game, and good things will happen.