Gathering details in a job application form is how you can gauge an applicant's skills. Hence, having a job application form template that covers the essential elements of an applicant’s professional experience is the step that has to be taken correctly. Let’s begin by defining it.

What Is a Job Application Form?

A job application form aims to show a questionnaire and collect personal information, work experience, education, and other relevant details that the job requires, like a letter of recommendation and so on. Quite often, an online job application form is present on a company website and job boards. They are spread through social media and at times, even online ads.

Key Sections of a Job Application Form

• Personal Information: These are straightforward details like name, address, and contact details. Having a job application form that can autofill them is the way to speed up the data collection process.

• Resume Upload: Not every online job application form needs a resume. Some can populate details from their LinkedIn accounts as well. Depending on which medium you use - resume or LinkedIn, extract details related to work experience, duration of work, skills acquired, and tools mastered.

  
  

  

  
  

• Cover Letter (Optional): Many times, applicants are asked to upload their cover letter either as a file or copy-paste it into the text box. This is how you can see an applicant's relevance beyond their skills and expertise. A cover letter captures their motivation, and since it has a word limit, it also checks for their ability to articulate.

• Education: Knowing the applicant’s academic qualifications is another way to understand their depth of knowledge. Based on the job requirements, it can also act as one of the filters if the applicant doesn’t have a degree in a certain domain or a specific type needed for the job role. Here, it might be useful to ask for extracurricular details since they help see how one applicant differs from others in terms of their leadership and openness to experience.

• Additional Information: Asking an open-ended question could lead to the applicant opening up in a job application form about their specific accomplishments, job-related questions, and more.

Make a Seamless Online Job Application Form

There are numerous user-friendly form builder tools available that have a job application template available to use. But keep the following things in mind for a high-quality user experience while filling out a job application form:

• Keep it concise and mobile-friendly: People's attention spans are quite short, and the risk of drop-offs is naturally high for HRs trying to recruit. Keep the job application brief by using auto-fill in different ways - saved data, resume, and LinkedIn data capture. Check for mobile friendliness and also for various browsers.

  
  

  

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• Clear instructions and error prevention: Guide applicants through the job application form with instructions and helpful hints for each section. Use validation to catch typos and missing information before they enter the data funnel, and then it is too late to take away insights.

• Personalize the experience: Make the applicant feel valued. Use dynamic field names based on previous entries, and avoid generic greetings like "Dear Applicant." Nobody likes to hear such generic words. If an applicant is fresher, there’s no need to show them the work experience section. This also is an example of personalization beyond using an applicant's “name," which is often overdone nowadays.

• Highlight the benefits: Briefly explain why your company culture is unique, what nonmonetary benefits are available, and how working here can add to an applicant’s career goals. This will keep them interested and lead to higher conversion rates.

• Thank you, and next steps: Show appreciation for an applicant's time and effort in filling out the job application form. Briefly outline the next steps in the application process so they know what to expect in the coming days and weeks.

Job Application Form: A Quick Sum Up

A well-designed job application form is a useful tool for attracting top talent and simplifying your hiring process. Remember, it's your first impression as an employer, so make it count! Keep it user-friendly, informative, and optimized for maximum conversions. About 92% of people never reach the end of an online job application form.

But with the tips and strategies above, you can turn the job application form into a fun experience that makes applicants want to complete it and click the “submit” button.

Try WorkHack to build a job application form that captures the maximum data and has higher conversion rates than other forms.