Which sites are you looking on out of interest @Kittypops? Hope this doesn’t come across as me trying to teach you how to suck eggs but have you been looking on the Reed and Totaljobs sites? Only ask as from experience most ads on those only require you to upload a CV and sometimes a covering letter.Just spent four hours doing two applications, they must all go out of their way to make their individual application forms different so you can't just cut and paste say, your job history. Fucksake, this is severely testing my dry January.
Good news @Inforapenny really pleased for you!
I try and shun applying for jobs with the employer’s own application forms for the very reasons you describe.
I had that very same experience when I applied to do voluntary work. Rubbish charity too as it turned out and completely put me off working in the voluntary sector again.It's ridiculous isn't it! It was like a full time job doing a the stupid forms.
I had one job (a charity), who asked me to print their paper application form and complete it by hand and scan it and send it back. Had to be handwritten, no exceptions! I didn't bother as that was a red flag right there that they'd be very paper based and a bit set in their ways (been there, done that, never again)