Chasing Documentation
I'm going to be starting work soon and I have a pre-employment screening tomorrow morning. This screening is a health screening that requires some blood testing and nothing to eat for eight hours prior. I also have to take in all my immunization records, which meant I had to go gather those up again today. I had to go to the school administration building and get a copy, but I got an extra copy this time for future use. I also had to go to the health department to get a copy of my Hepatitis B vaccination record from there. This screening was rather short notice, so I had to scramble to get everything in order for it.
During my last 5 months of job hunting, I have learned something. It would be absolutely wonderful if there could be some sort of national standardization of job applications. During the last 5 months, I have filled out no less than 42 applications. What's even worse, some companies make you do it all over again if you apply for a different job within the same company. Everyone (or most) seem to be requiring online applications these days. That being the case, there should be some sort of standardization applied to the process. Most of the information collected by job applications is the same everywhere you go. They want your name, social security number, phone number, address, employment history, education history, and references. It would be so simple to standardize that data collection process, but its not happening. All of that data could be stored in a small file on my computer and I could upload it to a potential employer. It could also easily be stored on a smartcard. It could also be stored in a secured database online where I could give potential employers a single-use access key to that information. The information would be formatted in a standard way where the employer could request the info and it would fall right into place in their computer system with no hitches. I could also update the data as needed. Its so easy in a world where computers already run businesses.
