Hopefully, you have seen a job you like the sound of, and you’re thinking of applying. An application form is your opportunity to tell us how brilliant you are and why we would be foolish not to employ you.
Our application forms aren’t all that scary once you have gone through them, but you do need to get used to that feeling of showing off. It’s not something that comes naturally to a lot of us, but if you don’t tell us how brilliant you are, then we won’t know, you need to really spell it out to us!
1. Don't miss anything
Most fields within our application forms are mandatory, which means you’ll have to complete them before you’re able to apply.
Any gaps in the application form mean 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. How to format
Our application forms give you the opportunity to really focus on the things that you have achieved, and this is usually in the Knowledge and Experience 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 role has an ‘About You’ section that tells you what we are looking for in you. Make sure to explain 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.
3. 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 only put down 150 words, you might want to think again.
4. Provide 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'
The 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 one of our incredible workforces soon.