We love to receive job applications from everyone and anyone. Our doors are wide open. To find out more about what it’s like working for Stockport Council you can see our previous blog posts here and here.
Hopefully, you have seen a job you like the sound of, and you’re thinking of applying. An application form is your way of telling us how brilliant you are and why we would be foolish not to employ you. We don’t use CVs in the Council it’s all done via an online Application Form, followed by an Interview sometimes with a test, presentation or assessment centre depending upon the job.
The application form isn’t all that scary once you have gone through it, but you do need to get used to that slightly awkward feeling of showing off. It’s not something that comes naturally to a lot of us and can make you feel a little cringe at times. But if you don’t tell us how brilliant you are, then we won’t know as we can’t just guess. You need to really spell it out to us.
1. Don't miss anything
Gaps in the application form means that you’re missing out on really showing off who you are. It can also tell an employer that you may sometimes miss out on the smaller details, and that isn’t the impression you want to give.
2. Supporting Information - how to format
In an application form you will be given the opportunity to really focus on the things that you have achieved, and this is usually in the ‘Supporting Information’ section at the end of the form. This is where you need to put in as much information as possible. It may be that the job role has a values section, that tells you what we are looking for in you. Using these values as headings, write underneath each one about how you meet these values and give examples. Or, instead of Values, your job profile may have a person specification. In which case use each item on the Person Specification as a heading and write an example underneath about how you meet each one.
*HINT: If you use Word then you can check for spelling, grammar and word counts before copying and pasting it into the application
3. Supporting Information - Word Limits
Supporting Information really is the most important section of an application so don’t skimp. There may be a word limit that will give you a clue as to how long we’re expecting it to be. You don’t have to meet the word limit exactly, but if we’re giving you a word limit of 4000 and you’re only put down 150 words, you might want to think again.
4. Supporting Information - Examples
Yes, we want examples of your brilliance, but they don’t have to be work based examples. You may not have had the chance for a career so far. Examples of how brilliant you are can come from anything at all. How did you manage your time when you were at school? Did you have caring responsibilities? Have you volunteered somewhere? This might tell us how great you are at prioritising, or time management. How you manage multiple activities and demands at once. Or how you used your own time to help someone else.
5. 'I'
This application is about you. You may well have examples where you worked as part of a team, but that doesn’t tell us what you did. Make sure you have some ‘I’ sentences in there. I did this and I did that, even if it makes you feel awkward to take the credit.
You lose nothing from trying, so why not fill out an application today and hopefully you’ll be joining our incredible workforce soon.