What filling out a job application do you have to put all of your previous jobs on there?

I only put the most recent and most relevant ones on the application.

According to the Dept. of Labor you are not to omit any requested information and make sure that the information you provide is correct.

No you don't. Just put in the previous experience that relates to the job you are applying for. If you want to, you can add a little note such as 'Complete work history available on request.'

In the same vein, when I apply for a competition here at work (I work for a large organization), I always add 'Complete references available on request'. This gives me time to confirm that my references still work where I knew them and a chance to confirm their current contact info - phone number, e-mail, etc., as well as doing the professional courtesy thing of actually advising them that they might get a call and confirming that they will give me a good reference.

I never list them all. I do list all of the previous ones that I had a good experience with.

I couldn't possibly fit all my previous jobs onto an application form, just go for the most recent. Don't go back further than 10 years.

they ask that because they want references. they want to know your work habit. but i hear that most the time they dont even call the places. i only put the places that i worked at that i know i will get good referrals from. and that i worked long enough at.

Hopefully, your resume would be a more complete picture of the kind of background and skills along with dates of employment. God help me if I try to cram all that information into tiny little boxes on a form. What I love is when they ask you what year you graduated from schools. This will give them the ablity to figure out how old you are. In the USA asking questions about age is illegal because of discrimination.

To me, job applications are just a good exercise in following instructions and seeing if the person has legible handwriting and some basic spelling and grammar skills.