For reals?

I'm filling out a job application for a full time job that would pay $10,000 less than I was making before I got canned. It's a salaried position that, if you divide the salary by the number of hours per week, would pay just under $10 an hour.

Despite the very low pay, you have to provide an extensive work history, including the starting and ending salaries for your last four jobs, four references (that's one more than the typical three--and two of them must be professional and two must be personal), and AN ESSAY on "the major challenge(s) facing XYZ Industry." 

For reals? 

Seems a bit excessive for a job that pays about as much as working at Home Depot. And I know providing my previous salaries will likely bump me out of the running, since it'll be obvious I'm only interested in that job until I find one that pays more money.

And, really, when you get right down to it, the basic requirements of the job are literacy, basic knowledge of how to use a computer, and the ability to deal with annoying customers.

I've got all that. I don't need to write an essay to prove it to you.