Preparing Your Application

Application Forms

• Types of Application Forms
• Completing Online Applications

Types of Application Forms

There are two main types of application form which you may encounter while looking for work; these are the hard copy variety and the online application form.

Hard Copy Application Forms
Some organisations require you to fill in an application form as part of their recruitment process. It helps them to make a direct comparison between candidates on the same issues, to set their own agenda on the key areas of importance and to assess your ability to express yourself in a concise and straightforward manner.

An application form will have most or all of the following sections:

• personal or biographical details
• a summary of key experiences, such as academic program, employment history and extracurricular interests
• commentary on specific issues
• questions requiring you to provide practical, specific examples of experiences that demonstrate particular skills or qualities.

The first step you should always take is to make some copies of the original form - these become your ‘working documents’. In many respects, you should use the same approach as you would in an exam. Read through the whole application form before you write anything so that you are clear as to exactly what information you are being asked to provide. Make a draft of what you will write, ensuring that you always ask yourself, ‘Am I answering the question?’ Never leave any sections of the form blank. If it doesn’t apply to you, then notate that part of the form ‘n/a’.

Given that you either have limited space in which to write or have been given a specific word limit, ensure that you use very descriptive and action-oriented language to reinforce the message you are trying to convey. The final hard copy of any application form should be completed in black or blue ink and be clearly legible; printing is often preferable to cursive writing.

Once you’ve completed your research, reviewed what you have to offer, how you address the selection criteria and drafted your application form, you should make your final check for mistakes or omissions. Then print off the application, copy it for your own records and then staple securely in the top left-hand corner. Binding the application or inserting it into an expensive plastic folder will not make it any more informative. Vitally important, of course, is to take note of the closing date and ensure that your application is submitted ahead of time rather than at the last minute.

Online Application Forms
Many large companies are using online application forms as part of their recruitment process, and in general the same principles apply when completing these as for hard copy applications. There is a range of options in the use of online application forms; in some cases they can be downloaded, completed and returned either by fax or mail, while others may be submitted electronically – there are two types of electronic submission.

The first involves the applicant registering on the company's site and completing the form over a number of sessions. In the second the application must be completed in one sitting, that is once you start compiling an online application form you may not be able to save it and then come back to continue work on it. After you hit ‘submit’ at the end of the process, your information will be stored in a database, therefore if possible you should download a hard copy of the form, gather all your facts and then write a number of drafts before arriving at your ‘final copy’. This is all the more important when you understand that some applications may take more than an hour to complete online, and that’s without any ‘thinking’ time!

One of the concerns with electronic applications is the inability to transmit particular attachments such as academic records. As companies require original copies of academic records displaying the institution’s seal, and it is not yet possible to transmit these electronically, many are now requesting these documents at a later stage of the selection process. Companies generally use application forms to make initial selections on some basic criteria, eg. work experience and qualifications. It is anticipated that with this development in the use of online application forms there will be increased use of online psychometric tests at this early stage of the application process.