I work in schools and am unpaid for the summer, so I wanted to pick up a part-time summer gig. My husband and I were chit-chatting at a local place and they were mentioning that they were hiring but weren't getting applicants.
That evening I started an application. They started by needing a copy of a resume, which was fine. Then they wanted a cover letter. It actually wasn't required, so I skipped it. What would it even say? “It is with great enthusiasm that I apply for this front-desk job! I am eager to answer phones for a few hours a week.”
Then they required references in order to complete the application. Being that it's not related to my career, I did not want to bother my colleagues for this part-time, seasonal job.
For the first reference: I entered the name of a friend, and dug up her phone number. Then I realized I don't have her email address, so I sent her a message asking for it. Then they wanted her physical address. It was required in order to move forward with the application. At this point, I realized there is absolutely no reason for them to have her physical home address, so I put a random address.
For the second reference, I put the name of a friend. Then I realized how silly it was to require 3 references upfront for a part-time, seasonal job, so I made up a phone number. Then I put a random address.
By the third reference, I had a fake name, fake phone number, fake email address, and made up address.
I know I'm not going to get the job, and that's fine. It really just turned into a game for me. What a waste of everyone's time.