Explanation:

Application blanks generally have two functions. First, they provide pertinent information about the employee which the company will need if the individual is hired. Examples are age, sex, number of dependents, social security number, etc. Second, application blanks are designed to gather information about job applicants which the personnel officer feels are pertinent to the hiring process. In a sense, an application blank is a highly structured interview in which the questions have been standardized and determined in advance.

Generally the information requested on an application blank is concerned with what might be called personal history.