1. Getting started
You’ve seen a job advert from a company that you know is the perfect fit for you. Then come the words right at the bottom of the advert that you register. Perhaps with a slight feeling of dread – once you’ve read it a second time:
“If you are interested in this role, please contact our HR team now via our office number or email address to request an application pack. Completed application forms must be returned to us by the closing date of 19th June.”
What should be your first port of call? Contact the HR team or hiring manager as specified for the application pack, of course.
Hypothetically, if you’ve only just seen the advert for the role and there’s five days to go before the closing date, time is going to be of the essence. Therefore, it’s important you utilise this wisely from the get go.
Whilst you wait for the application pack to land in your email inbox, now’s the time to start getting everything you’re likely to need together:
- Your educational certificates
- Any professional certificates
- Your National Insurance number
- Details of your references
- A copy of your CV
Whilst not an exhaustive list, these are all likely to play a part when writing your application. By preparing in advance, it means you’re not scrambling around to find them later on when you’re up against it.
It goes without saying, but now is also when you start doing your research on the company. Visit their website, find their social media feeds and start gleaning as much information about them as you can. After all, there might be some nuggets that are relevant to the role you’re applying for.
2. Preparing your game plan
So, the application pack has now arrived. Now is when you start to devise your plan. If there’s a good motto to follow in any aspect of your job search, it’s the three p’s: Preparation Prevents Problems.
Gather all the relevant information you need and read over everything carefully, making a note of the following:
- The closing date for applications
- Which parts of the form to fill in (as not all parts may be necessary for some applicants)
- Key values/behaviours
- Role specifications
- Equal opportunities monitoring
- Word limits (e.g. for personal statement)
- Type face or font sizes required to be used
- Any other specific requests highlighted in the job advert/application pack email
With all of this considered, you can then start to formulate how you will approach the application form. Set a deadline for when you will have completed each section and don’t forget to leave enough time to check over everything and make necessary adjustments.
3. Filling in the blanks
Usually the part of your application form that’s the quickest to complete is your personal details. This is almost always located at the start of the form.
Type these up – your address, phone number, email address etc – as you normally would. If the employer asks for your National Insurance number (particularly in the case of governmental departments), include this as well.
After this, there’ll be a section that asks for your work and education history. This is where your exam certificates and the copy of your CV come into play. After all, your CV is the easiest place to access previous job titles, start and end dates etc.
Most employers will generally not be looking for more than the last 5-10 years of your work history, so just focus on your current and previous roles within that timeframe.
The same will be true of your education and professional qualifications. Don’t forget that if you really need to elaborate on any aspect of your work or education history, you can always do so on an additional side of paper.
Just make sure you remember to include it with your application and mark it up with your name and the job title you’re applying for, so it doesn’t get separated by mistake.
4. Personally speaking
The ‘Personal Statement’ aspect of your application form is unquestionably the part your potential future employer will be looking at most closely.
This is the first chance you’ll have to demonstrate your capability for the role. You’ll need to show that you can take initiative and follow instructions. Here the reader should be able to understand who you are and what you’d be like to work with.
Most personal statements on application forms usually need to be no longer than two sides of A4 paper and occasionally you’ll have a word count to work with.
It’s best to start drafting your personal statement in a separate word processor document. This ensures that you don’t need to save multiple versions of the application form and avoids any confusion. In terms of structure, you should aiming for the following:
- A strong introduction of no more than a paragraph. This should highligh why you’re applying for the role and why you’re interested in the company
- Strong examples of how you match the criteria of the job description and the company’s key values and behaviours, using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) technique
- An emphatic conclusion of no more than a few sentences. This should include your unique selling point as to why you’re the best person for the job
One thing that’s important to mention here is not to panic if you don’t meet one or two of the key criteria in the job description.
Remember, the employer is not looking for a robot, otherwise they’d hire one instead. Highlighting say, your inexperience with a software program or with a certain level of office administration is fine.
Try to highlight any transferable skills that you’d be able to apply to this role. By doing so, you’re proactively demonstrating that you can turn what is currently a weakness, into a strength. For example, you could say:
‘I haven’t had professional experience with using InDesign, however, I have a high level of aptitude in using Photoshop from my last role as Junior Graphic Designer at The Design Company. Here, I was able to pick up my working knowledge of this quickly, which demonstrates that I am more than capable of picking up a working knowledge of InDesign so that this becomes a strength.’
Once you do have a first draft of your personal statement in place, get a trusted pair of second eyes – a recruitment consultant, a work mentor or a family friend – to look at it. They can then offer you any feedback or suggest any changes that might be helpful.
5. Before you send
Well done – hopefully by now you’ve written a successful job application! But before you send it back to the HR team or hiring manager, it’s essential you do one last thorough check to make sure everything’s as it should be.
- Have you done a full spelling and grammar check?
- Did you check all key dates and job titles of your previous roles against your CV?
- Have you included any additional information in relation to your application and labelled this up accordingly?
- Did you do a word count on your personal statement (if required)?
- Have you filled out all relevant areas of the form as requested?
- Did you complete the Equal Opportunities Monitoring section?
- Have you signed the declaration?
Write a successful job application
Once you’ve done all of this and you’re happy, it’s time to get it submitted back to the HR team for their consideration. And that’s it!
We hope this guide has helped you to submit a successful application that you’re proud of and that will get your foot through the door to your next role.
Waiting to hear back from an employer? Check out our advice on how to follow up a job application.
About the author: Alex MacGregor is a content writer and blogger, and has worked for Trent and Hanover, a creative agency based in West London, and the online music magazine AMAZEPOP.
