I recently was accepted for multiple jobs. I have spent a majority of the past week filling out paperwork for acceptance to these new jobs. I have done this at a couple previous jobs in the past but not before I got into the professional field portion of my career path.
In the non-professional level of my previous jobs it was always fill out application, bring your references and resume. Then do an interview and maybe a drug test. Nothing more and you were able to start work within a couple days. This was as ideal as back in the early 90s and prior when you walked in with the help wanted sign and got the job on the spot. The only paper work you filled out was the W2 tax forms and started the following day. Those days are long sense passed.
The last 10 years as I have improved my career levels the job search had added excessive work just to make it to a consideration for interview. First there was applying in person and online. Once that was completed there was the personality tests and some even had knowledge tests. These took 30-90 minutes each. Normally it was about 30 minutes to do personality test. Then it was 30-90 minutes for 1 or more technical skill review tests reviewing your knowledge to the position you were applying.
Supposedly there was no right or wrong answers to the personality testing. Although it could vary. I have talked to a lot of hiring managers in different markets and businesses and they all claim that the results they are looking for is a consistency but also change regularly based on the business needs. I have filled these out for years. Always to match my personality and strong work ethic. I never got past that portion answering 100% that way. In some conversations they say always answer the highest level or lowest level agree/disagree and never the middle or 'non' answer. In the past I marked all around the typical 1-5 or high/non/low agree/non/disagree. This was pointed out to be a problem because its ok to have some variable but they rate excitement levels and other things based on it. Next I marked it like I was an employer or manager for expectations. I used both variables on marking my answers and it still stopped my progress. The reviewers said it was still not correct. I again changed my ways to fill it out. This time I have spent the past 5 years with some variation but marking it as I would see the average person in a job based on the effort I have seen and what the experiences were like. Now I was getting somewhere in some tests but not in professional levels. I continues to review and look up the way it was commonly reviewed and it depended on the job level or professional level. Now I answer using all of the above styles in all but using the high/low more than other options. In some points I use what I am and others what I looked for as management level. never have I taken the tests and been 100% same each time. But I am now getting past that portion in more than 80% of the jobs I have taken them for.
Next was the knowledge tests. Sometimes these tests were quick and easy rate your knowledge levels. I can understand these before interviews to match skill levels. I also understand that it can be fabricated to help get into jobs. Quick and easy ok. Then the real testing that most jobs above a operator or support representative call center job and even at the lowest level of those jobs started having more knowledge exams. Some of the lowest level positions basic skills assessments have taken 30-60 minutes just to move a mouse around or click a save button. Some had more of the puzzle style assessments and others basic positional assessments. This wasn't all bad but at this point you have already spent say 30 minutes on applying, 30 minutes on personality test and about an hour doing the single assessment. That totals up to 2 hours just to get to the interview at a base level.
Further up the career chain and more professional level jobs have multiple test. The temp agencies or placement companies normally have 2-5 tests to get you into their systems. The direct hire jobs normally have 3-6 tests to get to the interview if you are one of the top say 6 or 10 candidates on those tests chosen to be interviewed. These tests are 60-90 minutes each and you have to do the average of 3 of them to continue to be processed into the system. No guarantee of interview or job. you don't get paid for 3-5 hours of testing you are required to do. So now 2 hours plus 3-5 hours of work to get to the step of possible interview or placement review. Nothing guaranteed at this point either.
Next lets say you have done the previous steps and have reached the interview. When you walk into the office for the interview you are prepared with a hard copy of your resume and your references. The same things that would be on an application. Guess what?... Now you get to fill out a physical application the same as the one you filled out as your first step to get where you are at. You also had the short drive or bus ride at your own expense to get to that interview and say 10 minutes filling out and copying over your resume again to that application. Another 30-60 minutes for the interview process that is a repeat of the personality test at the beginning but now in your own words and if its more than 30 minutes then you get to review your skills in your own words and not the organisation on your resume. Better hope you know everything on your resume because if you didn't previously test well in some specified area they are going to find that oddity you forgot was put on there for another placement company because you had a little experience in it and they wanted it for something that wasn't the job you are interviewing for at this moment.
Now say all has gone well and you have to wait the day for the interview results and if they want to bring you on-board to that company. You get the call and are offered the job. You now have all the on-boarding paperwork to fill out. I have found its normally about 20 documents or a single document that covers 20-50 pages to complete. You can fill it out just signing and dating as needed and normally complete in 30-60 minutes again making sure you don't miss anything but then you don't know what you are signing. if you actually read the documents you are given figure 1-3 hours to get everything done before the W2 or I-9 paperwork is gotten to. Ok so I do say the 30 minutes you use to fill those out and have copies made of your ID's for this are your own responsibility. But you have the job. If done in detail and in full at this point you have spent about 8-12 hours of time to get that job. Then after all that if filled out and you start your job and on the clock you will finally get paid for a few minutes or an hour of setting up you employee information and access but not until you have the job.
If you are lucky you spent less time than the 8-12 hours to get the job but its not the same pay levels. and I know there are some things that get you past a lot of the placement testing. Some things depend on the profession and other depend on the paper education trail you have. I also know that once you surpass the mid career level you can often bypass and shorten this all down to just background checks and drug testing for the companies insurance purposes. The other end of this is that there is the hope of job stability. 'At Will' and 'Right to Work' states guarantee that you are only as stable as your performance and perception. Contracting makes you invisible to your peers or contractor unless you mess something up that cost them money or time.
So what was the point of this big breakdown of the obvious? I was to point out that you actually work to get work constantly. you are not getting paid by the company that you are trying to work for for 12 hours prior to getting the job if it even gets that far. If you are paid $10 an hour you loose up to $130 that is the jobs responsibility in my opinion. If you get an average of $20 hourly its $260 worth of income you miss out on. The numbers just go up and up. The outcome of the work to get to that is worth it but say you spend the time and don't get the job or multiple jobs over a period of time. It works out to say $100 average each failed to get job and if its once a week its not to bad if its once a month you don't feel it either but when its 5 job process you complete a week or better that's at least $500 a week you are missing out for pay on. I just went through that process for 9 months 1-3 interviews a week I made it through and did not get the job. 4 weeks a months equaling about 100 interviews at an average pay for these jobs being above $20 hourly so I missed out on collection of about $20000 in work to get work. That is an average and over long period of time and only a small portion of what the actual return wage would be.
Take anything and everything grow with it. Expand you knowledge. Get your certification. Learn something unique about every application, software, acronym or anything you do. Add it to your resume and review everything regularly so you can answer the surprise questions at the interview. Keep at it. It may take a week or month or more but continue to better yourself and your career. Experience, then certifications and then college if that is the options and time you have to get yourself ahead in the workforce.