McDonald's is now accepting snapchats as job applications

Love McDonald's and snap chatting? then, this is for you!

McDonald’s is working with Snapchat on a new job application program called “Snaplications,” which lets people participate in a brand activation while applying to McDonald’s in exactly the same way as always.

Amazed? Everybody is.

Snaplications, which went live in Australia on Friday, is a Snapchat filter that lets people put on a virtual McDonald’s hat and name tag. Then, they can record a 10-second video talking about themselves and send it to McDonald’s. 

According to News.com.au, McDonald’s (known as “Macca’s” in Australia) will “send users back to the digital careers hub, where they can download an application form.”

McDonald’s Australia COO Shaun Ruming has called this a “world first,” saying it “gives users the ability to apply for a job — or at least commence that process — by sending a 10-second snap.”

The idea of applying for work via a simple social media message sounds pretty cool! However, this is effectively a convoluted way to click on a hyperlink, because Snaplications is a recruiting tool, not a job application system.

Apparently, there’s nothing wrong with that, except that the video also has some unclear effect on your odds of getting a job.

“It certainly won’t replace a thorough face-to-face interview, but we’ll obviously take it into account,” says Ruming. “We’re looking for that positivity, bubbly personality, someone we think would be good in a customer service role. Based on what my daughter sends to her friends, you do get a bit of a glimpse [from a 10-second video].”

A few minutes of poking around Snapchat isn’t too much of a drain on anybody’s time. But the fact that McDonald’s is letting you add a new step to your job application isn’t fun or exciting, especially when the fact that you’re doing it is giving McDonald’s free publicity.

On the bright side, it’s good for teens to learn about insidious demands for unpaid labor in the form of social media production.