Before I finish this section, a quick word on job application forms.  I know, everyone hates them, but they do turn up an awful lot when you’re applying for jobs, and, if you want the new job, sorry, you’ll have to fill one in.   I know they only ask for the same information that you have spent hours putting together on your CV, however, they are a necessary evil. Indeed, since the advent of the Internet, they have become even more so. You can spend many happy hours filling out screen after screen of application forms online!

If you want my opinion, I reckon they were invented by a secret society of personnel managers to ensure they always had something to do and therefore a for job themselves, but there you go, that’s just my opinion.  Anyway, off the soap box (again).

How To Complete a Job Application Form

Well, there are a few simple rules to ensure you get noticed from them.  Most are straight forward and self-explanatory.  It is important, however, to fill them in completely.  DO NOT fill in certain parts and then put REFER TO CV for the bulk of the answers.  If you do this, yep good old file 13 beckons.

Yeah, I know it’s doubling your effort, but administration in most companies is a nightmare, seriously, and if your CV becomes detached, or lost in the wrong in-box, you’ve had it.  Believe me the personnel department will not ring you and ask for another one.  They will assume you never sent or attached it!  A bit paranoid maybe, but the rule is, make it as easy as possible for your job application to be picked for interview, leave NOTHING to chance.  It is always possible that the system within the company may need the application form and CV to be separated!

Many companies retain applicants even after they have been rejected for a given role.  In these instances it is normally the job application form and NOT the CV that is retained.  Why do they do that?  Well the best reason I have been given is that CV’s get out of date.  I’m not sure how the application forms don’t do the same, but hey, that’s HR for you!  I used to reckon it’s simply that their filing cabinets weren’t big enough, but with the capacity of electronic storage methods these days, that argument just doesn’t stand up to scrutiny!

CV and Application Form

So, the rule is never refer to your CV on the application form.

Another rule is, if you have a paper based application form, always write using block capitals.  Some people’s writing is very difficult to decipher (I include myself in this category) and you want to give yourself the best chance of being called for interview.  If the reader cannot read your writing you will not be called.

The only other rule, fill in the entire form, oh…And finally – do not lie!  I will cover the “do not lie” question in greater detail in the next section on CV creation rather than here on the application form page.