If you haven't updated your resume in a while, you're not alone. Unless we're actively hunting for a job, we rarely dust off this detailed list of work history, professional achievements, and education, which can be a pain to retool and update. And as for cover letters, how much time has been spent agonizing over what to say to a prospective employer in two required paragraphs–and was it really necessary to land that job?

That question has prompted a rethink of application requirements, especially in skills-based industries where companies looking to hire large numbers of frontline workers have been facing labor shortages. For example, do you need to require a resume and cover letter for an assistant line cook who is setting up the prep station, stocking inventory, and maintaining sanitation standards? Or would a short Q&A about background experience in restaurants be more telling?