Austria! Well, then. G'day mate! Let's put another shrimp on the barbie!

Interesting news in the recruiting world from Australia, where Jetstar has decided to start charging applicants $89 just to apply for a flight attendant position. That's right, they are charging $40 for a personality test and $49 for a security check as part of a "cost recovery process".

I think it's a great move.

Cost recovery process or not, by passing the $89 burden onto the applicant, Jetstar is ensuring that only serious and qualified applicants will apply. Sure, they may lose a candidate or two who doesn't want to pay, but you can be sure that many more will pony up the money for an interview.

After all, in this country, real estate brokers charge upwards of $100 for a "credit check and application fee", and (especially in New York), you don't always end up getting the apartment. The broker/landlord doesn't want to go through dozens and dozens of applications, so they collect a minimal "cover charge" to make sure only serious apartment-hunters apply for the apartment.

So why not charge jobseekers up front -- indeed, a cover charge -- in order to make them show that they are a) serious and b) qualified?

Oh wait. There's a company that already does that...

(Thanks to Michael Specht for the lead)