Filling In Application Forms

Application forms are a ubiquitous part of the job seeking process. Whether on paper or online, filling in applications is a necessary and routine part of our job searching duties.
While there’s not necessarily a skill to filling in application forms, there are definitely a few best practices that can be utilized. These will help us make the most of the time we spend on our applications and allow us to maximise the number of applications we get done during our job searching activities

Rather than submitting a C.V and Cover letter, application forms are a different way to apply for a job. While it’s not massive – the differentiator is that with a C.V and Cover letter, the format is normally always the same, and you have complete control over its content and how it’s structured

On an application form, the format is of the choosing of the employer – it means that applications have a tendency to be a bit more challenging because there can be additional questions or sections that you wouldn’t otherwise have to be concerned with if you were sending in a C.V and Cover letter. Remember that instead of simply asking the candidate to send in a C.V to review, the employer has taken the time to come up with an application that suits their company’s needs. This fact should confer to you, the applicant, a few different things. Firstly, that an application form, particularly an online application, normally indicates the company has an advanced HR and organisational structure. An application form also indicates that the company is adept at looking for specific types of candidates; or at least – is adept at filtering out certain types of people. It also indicates that the company takes a high level of pride in who they employ, in light of which you should tailor your answers accordingly

Application forms come in 2 types, paper and digital

Most application formats are very straightforward

The application will normally begin with opening questions regarding your name, address, and other personal details

There will then be a section for you to input your work history – for this you should have your C.V to hand and should try and copy and paste answers as much as possible to save time

The other main areas on an application normally consist of 2 to 3 other sections containing things like competency or behavioural based questions, questions asking you to give in-depth reasonings of things like why you are applying, what your proudest moments from previous roles are, or other objectively based situational questions – so it can save you time to have some competency/ behavioural based scenarios to hand when filling out applications, or a pre-prepared interview cheat sheet to refer to when composing your answers

Most applications are done online

While there is fundamentally no difference between the formats, we should consider that whenever we encounter a digital application form, the application itself can contain a lot more on it. Not only in terms of more complex, comprehensive questions and sections, but some online applications may also contain aptitude tests to evaluate linguistical, mathematical, and other skills essential to that job role – having said this, because of their accessibility and ease of preference for the employer, an online application should always be preferred over a paper one should you have a choice between the two

• Make sure you read the job description and have a clear understanding of what the job entails before beginning the application

• Read the instructions on the application carefully, because if you fill in the form incorrectly it could lead to it being rejected, even if you’ve given good answers

• Make sure you answer every question – if the question does not pertain to you, mark the box with a N/A. (This means not applicable)

• Make sure your handwriting is clear and concise. Write your answers out in capital letters with black ink (unless otherwise specified)

Do this for everything except the segments that you copy and paste

• Although you need to prioritise time effectively, it’s also important you give yourself enough time to properly complete your application forms. Consider that, especially if doing an online application, you may need to spend more time creating a profile and registering on the company’s website as well – so bring a pen and paper so you can write down usernames and other login details. Try to create credentials that sound smart and professional

• Some employers might deliberately make their applications more challenging to try and whittle down to candidates who are only truly interested. It usually means you’ll need to spend more time completing such applications. Again, this comes down to time prioritisation, and you’ll have to decide how much time you are willing to spend on each individual application you do. A good rule for prioritising your time is to rate your probability of success before you begin each one. If you aren’t really optimistic about your chances of success, or have skills that only loosely align with the job role, try to avoid applications that have numerous time consuming sections to fill in. Consequently, if you feel you do have the necessary skills and experience their looking for, take more time to complete such applications. Just remember that as a rule for each failed application you complete, you could’ve sent off 1 or 2 others in its place that might have been successful

• Some applications will have aptitude tests included in them. These are normally time restricted and will test basic mathematics and grammatical skills – in such circumstances there are only basic steps you can take to be prepared for this by having the correct tools available. Things like an online calculator, the companies about us page, Wikipedia, etc

• A good practice is to draft your answers in a Word document first and then run it through a spell checker like Grammarly, from there pasting it onto the application form, saving your work to your computer as you go

• Best practice is to always make it as easy as you can for your reader. You can do this by doing the following:

– Converting any attachments into Word Document format

– Always copying and pasting answers instead of attaching documents if you can

– Proofreading the application for any mistakes


Remember that a lot of the time, companies will post the same job in numerous places. When you fill in an application, if you haven’t had a response after a week or so and are really interested in that job, there’s nothing stopping you from searching for that same job and applying on a different site. Sometimes companies will also post these jobs on their company’s own website too. So again, if you’re really interested in a job, you can go onto their website and create a profile for yourself, then apply for that job from there. This way, it will ensure your C.V gets looked over at least twice by the people hiring

The great thing about this tactic is that with such a large volume of applications to look over, recruiters are unlikely to remember a previously discarded application from the first time around. Applications are often rejected for the ficklest of reasons, so while it’s entirely possible with such a high number of applicants that it might be overlooked the first time, cycling your C.V back in via a different application may just get you the chance you need to get into the next stage of the recruitment process and land your dream job