How to fill out a job application

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around how to effectively answer specific questions on job applications, particularly regarding job history. Participants explore the nuances of responding to questions about what they liked most and least about previous jobs, considering the implications of their answers in the context of job applications.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern about the potential for the question regarding what they liked least about a job to be a "bureaucratic trap," suggesting that honesty may not be the best policy.
  • Another participant proposes a diplomatic response that acknowledges less enjoyable aspects of a job while framing them in a positive light, indicating that this approach would not be perceived negatively by employers.
  • A different participant shares their own experiences, mentioning specific dislikes such as "paperwork" and "getting filthy during work," and compares the situation to personality tests that may require disingenuous answers.
  • One participant critiques the idea of simply stating "paperwork" as a dislike, suggesting that it could imply deeper issues, and encourages framing responses in a way that highlights a desire for growth and development.
  • A participant acknowledges their directness as a potential drawback in job applications and shares their current focus on applying for entry-level engineering positions in the aerospace sector.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on how to approach the questions about job history, with some advocating for honesty and others suggesting more strategic responses. There is no consensus on the best way to answer these questions.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the uncertainty surrounding how employers interpret responses to application questions, indicating that the effectiveness of different approaches may depend on specific job contexts and employer expectations.

Who May Find This Useful

Job seekers, particularly those applying for positions in competitive fields such as engineering or aerospace, may find this discussion relevant as they navigate application processes.

Aero51
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On one application the employer asks about job history. Two questions are included which I have not come across before other than in an interview and I don't know how I should go about answering them. They are:

What did you like most about this job?
and
What did you like least about this job?

My natural inclination would be to just answer the question directly and honestly, however I know the latter question may be a bureaucratic trap. I feel that either leing or just leaving the second question blank is smarter than answering the question honestly. Sad. Not that anything I hated about my jobs were particularly bad (Filing papers, getting filthy doing manual labor, etc), I'm just afraid it may be a question that sets you up to fail.
 
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You could just say something like "The every-day logistics that don't directly relate to my job (mention a couple). But I know that it's important to get them done, so that I can focus on the main parts of my work."

Or similar. That would not be lying, and I don't think any employer would find it bad. They probably feel the same way.

I agree that some folks will give answers that will not sit well with the employer. Like, "Oh, I hate it how office politics always seem to be getting in the way..." :rolleyes:
 
See, for one job when I was an intern I was just going to say 'paperwork' and the other, which required a lot of manual labor, would have been 'getting filthy during work' (one point in time I was completely covered in red paint dust when I was wire brushing the back of a dump truck).

In a way this kind of reminds me of the useless Personality tests that some employers make you take. I can't tell if they want you to answer 'correctly' or just blatantly lie.
 
You didn't like my approach? If you just say "paperwork", that could cover a lot of things. If you use some of the keywords I used, that helps to indicate that there are no underlying issues with you and your attitude toward work. What if the paperwork you didn't like was a core part of your potential new work?

And I guess on the manual labor job, you could say that one of the reasons that you are working so hard in school now is so that you can move from your initial manual labor job to more technical and fulfilling work.

What kind of jobs are you applying for now?
 
Oh I did like your approach, it will work great. The problem is me, I'm very direct - which isn't great when applying for jobs.

I am applying for [entry level] engineering jobs preferably related to the aerospace sector
 

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