The Evolution of the Job Application

If you watch Downton Abbey, you might have noted the very interesting way one of the maids became a secretary.  After taking a mail-away typing course, she found a job ad in the paper, then mailed in a resume.  Then, her references had to mail in their letters of recommendation.  It was the early 1920s.

You might also have noted that in today’s day and age, many folks don’t even bring a resume to a job interview anymore.  Milennials simply expect that employers will be in digital possession of all their information.

Let’s take a look at the fascinating evolution of the job application:

1800s people were born into their jobs.  You became a grocer if your family owned a store or a farmer if you owned a farm.  In the 1830s, the U.S. railroad finally gave people the opportunity to apply (via mail since post offices started in 1636) to apply for interstate jobs.  This is also the era when women began to attend college more regularly.

Add a telephone in 1876 and people could start doing their first job interviews.  Or did they? In the 1990s we saw the cell phone industry take off, revolutionizing the digital availability of workers everywhere.

As for the internet and it’s evolution of the job application process, in 2000 it was estimated that 50% of people used online resources to find a job.  What else did the internet change in the job application history?

People were able to email references, research companies and create video resumes.  Further, recruiters could look at applicants in a whole new light by verifying their experience.

Social media, then, took the entire process one step further.  More and more companies are spending to recruit candidates via platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook.  Applicants will often provide international video interviews and even hire based on virtual communications alone.

If you’ve been considering the evolution of your hiring process, you’d be surprised to note how much the internet revolutionized what people are capable of.  Just think about it: In today’s day and age, we don’t even bring resumes to our interviews. People are finding jobs on smart phones, too.

The evolution isn’t just really cool.  It allows recruiters to identify misinformation presented by candidates quickly and easily.  Imagine if you had to write 6 letters every time you had a question about someone’s skill set instead?  All of a sudden, it’s pretty obvious why the internet beats working on the farm with ma and pa, isn’t it?