Regardless
of how you come to the attention of a prospective employer -
letter/résumé, college placement, networking, referrals, or just
dropping into a personnel office - sooner or later every
interested employer is going to ask you to complete a company
application form.
Lengthy
job application forms may seem to request information already
supplied, but much can hinge on the way they are handled. Since
virtually every job applicant comes armed with a résumé
providing pertinent information about themselves, filling out an
application seems like a waste of time. But most companies require
application forms and, since you can't avoid completing them, you
might as well learn to accept them and do them well.
There
are good reasons why companies require applications. Most
companies feel that even though you have presented them with a résumé,
you should fill out their standardized form - which is designed to
obtain information the company needs to know. It is used as a
screening device, but more importantly, it is used as part of the
permanent employee record as a legal document. It protects the
employer in the case of discrimination or falsification on the
part of the employee, which can be grounds for dismissal.
Applications
can also be related to expenditure approvals connected with
employment interviews. If a Human Resources Director is required
to fly in out-of-town applicants, it is easier to secure these
approvals with a signed application form, proving the person was
at the interview. Moreover, applications may be used instead of résumés
to provide a preliminary evaluation of your abilities as a
potential employee. In the area of screening, a formal application
blank provides a simple test of your ability to spell, write and
give factual answers to questions.
Following
are some basic rules when confronted with an application blank.
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Avoid
completing an application form in an employer's office. Ask
to bring it in the next day or send it back later in the
week by mail.
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Don't
touch an application blank with pen, pencil or typewriter
until you have made a photocopy. Work on the copy and keep
the original clean until you are ready to fill it out in
final form.
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Read
every question carefully before answering and follow all
instructions to the letter. The way you fill out the form,
no matter how mundane, can speak volumes about you. It
represents you to people who have never met you. If it is
untidy, incomplete or inaccurate, you will be judged
accordingly.
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Fill
out all blanks on the application. Leaving any space blank can
result many times in disqualification for the position. If the
question asked is not applicable to your field, write in the
response "N/A", but do not leave it blank.
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