Completing application forms

The application form is your first point of contact with a prospective employer and with that in mind it is very important that you use these few sheets of paper to your best advantage.

Make it individual

Perhaps you'll think of the following advice as common sense; however you'd be surprised at how many forms never even get a second glance because the applicant just didn't use any!

Of course when you're going through the application process, it just becomes routine to fill in the gaps, end with some blurb about how great you are and then send the thing off. It's hard to do, but you must remember each application is for a different job and a different company and therefore you might need to highlight different things. "Each application form will be slightly different; both in appearance and in the types of questions asked," says Louise Pardoe, careers advisor at the University of Birmingham. "It is also true that each position applied for will differ slightly in the skills and experience required; therefore it is very important to treat each application form individually, and with equal importance," she adds.

The very first step with every application form should be to read it through carefully and make sure you know to follow all the instructions given. By considering the questions, and how much space the form gives for your reply, you can see how important the company views that area of your application.

You might think that you can't possibly highlight all your skills with the amount of space given, but that's part of the application test. The recruiters are testing your skills at highlighting the most important parts of your education/career to date, so before answering each question give it some good thought as to what they would consider as an asset and what they just don't care about.

Do a draft

Attention! Before you even put pen to application form, you need to write up your draft responses, so you can have a think, go back to them and edit them until you are happy with the final result. If possible photocopy your form and write your replies on that, you'll then also see if you can happily fit your responses into the box given. "If it's a paper form photocopy for a draft version and make sure its perfect before you go on to the best," agrees Anne Benson, careers advisor, at the University of East Anglia's Careers Service.

Spell check!

One final piece of advice about this; make sure you are careful with your spelling and grammar. When you've got to your final draft of answers get someone else to look over your replies as a proofreader and make sure they check for any spelling errors etc. Only then; once you know exactly what you want to say and how long it is, can you start to fill in the form, and just take your time. "Give yourself plenty of uninterrupted time to complete the form - at least an hour, preferably two, more if you need it! - ensure that you READ each question carefully, and answer EACH subsection of the question, particularly if it is a long question," Pardoe notes. "Before you start, make sure you know exactly what the job entails, that you have two or three examples of the skills the company is looking for in mind, and that you really want and are interested in the job! If you are applying because it's a job, your lack of enthusiasm will be tangible to the employer and the time spent in applying for the job will be wasted."

The right answers

When considering what to put as your responses, do make sure that your answer highlights the skills and experience the company is looking for. You can find out what they are after by looking at their recruitment literature or just having surfing around their website. "Leave no stone unturned! Give a variety of examples that help to demonstrate that you have the skills and experience that the employer wants, ranging from academic, social and work experience," says Pardoe. "Use active doing words, - power words; I was responsible for, organising, delegating, managing, negotiating, persuading."

In addition, as a guideline, an application form answer should be approached in three sections:

Setting the scene - Approximately one quarter of your answer
What did you do? - Get into detail. This is the biggest section and should be about half of your overall answer.
Where you successful? What was the outcome? - Again approximately one quarter of your answer.

Eye candy

Another simple piece of advice that so many people don't follow is to make sure your application form is easy on the eye. Make sure your handwriting is clear and easy to read and just don't risk drinking or eating whilst filling out your form, because one small tea stain will send your application form straight out the window. A nicely written application will have an immediate advantage. On the other hand, even if you think it might be nice to do a little extra something such as spray your form with perfume or cover it with glitter, although it's the thought that counts, the recruiters just won't be smiling.

References

Finally, when it comes to references, make sure you choose your references wisely. Try if possible and have one academic reference and another that has seen you in a work environment. Make sure you ask these people before you put their names down, and also make sure they are reliable and will not let you down with this - it's your career we're talking about here.

With thanks to : The University of Birmingham

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