When I was applying to my first job eight years ago I drove around town and filled out paper applications at any place that would have me. I didn’t have a resume or job experience, I just went in and asked for an application.

This is pretty out of character for me seeing as I get nervous calling to order a pizza, luckily the guys down the street know my order so I don’t have to say much, but it’s just what you did in 2006. It was nice to sit down and talk to store owners and see what they were looking for and make a case for myself in person.

These days everything is digital, which I as an introvert really appreciate but it makes applying so tedious and boring. Attaching resume and cover letter and checking boxes to confirm that I’m a white female citizen. It gets really exciting when even though you’ve uploaded a cover letter they ask you to manually fill in a form. Call me crazy but you would think that in 2014 we would have the technology to pull information from a document and plug it into a form online, but hey what do I know?

So here I go, plugging in the same information I already wrote, edited and formatted in a word document you can access online. Yes I realize I can copy and paste things but that isn’t easy or efficient either.

The worst part is thinking about the position while you’re plugging in all the details of your life. I aways go over everything in my head and start to imagine myself doing the work and loving it. This of course leads to thinking that I shouldn’t get excited about it because I probably won’t be chosen anyway and I’ll just be disappointed. Then comes the mini pep talk to remind myself that I’m worth it and deserve any job I could want. So after that emotional roller coaster the application is submitted and I need a snack.

I’m nostalgic for the days when I could walk into the local pizza store with no experience or education and talk about my love of toppings and cheese and get awarded the job.