Out of all the scariest things you can find on the internet, surely a job application form would never be on your mind, right?

Well, turns out a decent share of netizens are scared of the document, which has spawned a surge of memes and jokes this month involving the unsettling idea of "having a job."

Here’s what you need to know about the job application meme and how it was popularized on TikTok recently.

What Is The 'Job Application Form' Meme?

The job application form meme, sometimes called job application jumpscare, involves a series of exploitable images of actual or fake job application documents used in comedic videos, reaction images or satirical content in an attempt to scare "unemployed" people who are too chronically online and don't appear to have a job.

The meme often depicts the document itself as a bizarre or unsettling "surprise," gaining traction in October 2019 after X user @zilinski212 posted the earliest known post showing a man wearing a job application as a mask. The caption on the image read, "BOO!!! IK I scared a lot of ya, I'm a job application for Halloween 🎃😳‼️"

In May 2020, a template of the job application form meme was uploaded to the site Imgflip to inspire other netizens to create memes using the document.

How Is The 'Job Application Form' Used In Memes?

The meme has been used extensively on social media, more specifically on TikTok in the past few months of 2025, where users often insert the form into video clips or as reaction images, acting as if the document is a monster or a creepy entity haunting someone.

For example, in March 2025, TikTok user @hry.shtpstr posted a jumpscare joke using the job application form template.

@hry.shtpstr #jumpscare #employment #unemployed #relatable #countdown #scary #memestiktok #jobapplication #foruyou #fyp ♬ Scream – Screaming sounds & Sounds of screams & Звук крика & Scream

In a similar tone, TikTok user @computerisedonalok added the job application form in a clip from Invincible's "Stand Ready for My Arrival Worm" scene, replacing the character Conquest with the document.

What Are Some Notable 'Job Application Form' Memes?

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For the full history of the Job Application Form, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.