You found a job that is so exciting and exactly matches your skillset long with satisfying your thirst for adequate compensation. The next step, in most probable conditions, would be to fill out a pre-designed job application form. It may sound easy to fill out a form, but never make the mistake of taking anything in a casual way. A job application form is your first chance to impress an employer and you must prepare well enough to seize the opprtunity.
What Will I See In A Job Application Form?
A typical job application form is more or less similar for almost all organizations. It is just that the level of questions asked might vary and move in accordance with the level of the job advertised and offered. However, we can still understand its content in a broad way by segregating its contents into various sections, such as:
Section I: Demanding Your Personal Details
This section requires you to:
- Enter your name, permanent as well as temporary address, contact number
- Email address
- Your personal identity number
- Expected salary
Section II: Demanding Your Educational Details
This section requires you to:
- Enter your complete educational details starting from your school to your highest qualification in a chronological order
- Marks/Grades/Percentage/Levels achieved during all your stages of education must be entered individually
- Internships/Training/Article-ships completed during your academic career in a chronological sequence must be mentioned
- Include a list of certifications obtained by you
- Proven extracurricular activities in which you have taken an active part must also be mentioned
Section III: Demanding Information Relating To Previous Employment (If Any)
This section requires you to mention details about your previous tenure as an employee, such as:
- Name of the employer
- Official address, contact number, and email address of the employer
- List of duties performed while being in employment
- The last cost to company/Annual package fetched by you
- The total amount of time for which you worked during your previous employment
- Specific, logical, and detailed reason for leaving the organization
Section IV: Evaluates Your Personality and Grip On the Core Profile
This is the most important section of a job application form and even has the power to make or break your career. The questions are set in a clever and cunning way, so as to eke out responses that define your personality, wisdom, behavior, and your mindset. After a thorough analysis of all these traits, an employer is in a better position to decide whether or not you are apt for this position and can or can not adopt the work culture of the organization.
Some common questions are:
- Why you chose us?
- Why should we hire you?
- What are your two major strengths?
- How do deal with failure?
- How efficient are you when put under work stress?
- How would you deal with a work culture marred by abominable office politics?
- Are you emotionally stable? If yes, quote any real-life example.
- How well you can perform on overseas tours with limited supervision?
- What are the qualities that a leader must possess?
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5 Expert Tips On Efficiently Filling Out A Job Application Form
1) Take Your Time
The most common mistake of the candidates is that they try to fill out the form as fast as possible as if they have a first-class ticket for a train that is about to depart from the platform. This would not only reduce the quality of your answers but would also lead to awful handwriting which in some cases is almost impossible to decipher. Hence, take your time and fill out a form by properly understanding every question.
2) At First Write Answers For Section IV On Rough Sheet
As discussed above, Section IV is the most important section of a job application form that tests your personality and grasp on your particular subject. Hence, it is always advised to prepare for this question in a serious manner by following and reading a lot of frequently asked questions. Further, in order to write answers in a neat and clean manner with minimum errors, try to write the answers, first on a rough sheet, and then if you satisfied, then simply copy the same onto the job application form.
3) Mention Expected Salary After Research
It is a common habit of the interviewers to ask about the salary expectations of the candidate at this first stage itself. Mentioning, an abruptly high or low salary would never fetch your interview call and you in most probable scenarios would face rejection. Hence, it is necessary to conduct proper research about the salaries offered in the industry for a similar role. Then you can do a variation of plus-minus 10% based on your work experience and special abilities.
4) Follow The Rules
Every company mentions a few instructions or rules, that guide you in the manner or way in which you must fill your job application form completely. For example, a company may require you to fill out your personal details in capital letters and all the other responses in your running handwriting. These must be followed by heart as non-compliance leads to you being termed as defiant, who rarely succeed in this competitive era.
5) Revise The Form Filled
After filling out an application form completely you are advised to:
- Cross-check all the educational details mentioned from the originals
- Revise all the answers to the tricky questions mentioned in Section IV
- Re-examine if all your personal details are correct especially your email address and contact number
One must not be casual and lethargic in making a revision, after all this is your first opportunity to impress, which you must not take for granted.
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Four Relevant Examples
Section I, II and III are personal to every individual which a candidate can fill using his or her educational details, past employment certificates and other relevant papers. What matters most is the Section IV, which has the ability to decide your future. Section IV of some prominent fields is covered here under:
1) For Post In Commerce Field
Section IV
a) What Is Your Level Of Awareness With The Latest Accounting Software?
I have expert knowledge of the latest and most commonly used accounting software such as Tally and Quickbooks. Further, I have also worked on Xero Accounts, but consider my proficiency on it to be of a moderate level.
b) Are You Aware Of International Financial Reporting Standards (I.F.R.S)? If Yes, Explain Any One In Brief.
I have a working knowledge of all the standards. I will pick I.F.R.S-5: Noncurrent assets held for sale and discontinued operations. As per it, the assets that are held by an organization that are to be ultimately sold off, are valued at Cost or Net realizable value (NRV) whichever is lower.
c) What Is Provision For Bad Debts?
Whenever an organization feels that some of its debtors would soon default and turn bad, then it creates a provision for them following the concept of prudence. Provision For Bad Debts are a charge to the profit and loss account and reduces profits of an organization.
2) For Post In Engineering Field
Section IV
a) What Do You Mean By Hydraulics In A Machine?
Hydraulics uses liquid fluids to operate and work instead of using any compressed gas. This phenomenon is based on pascal’s law which simply states that pressure applied on the fluid would have the capability to be transmitted equally in all directions.
b) What Do You Mean By Reinforced Concrete?
After applying a bed of concrete on a surface, metal bars or wires are attached and implanted into the concrete which increases its tensile strength considerably. This method is used mostly in foundations and roofs, as they are the most vulnerable part of a building.
c) What Do You Mean By Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law?
This law is related to voltage running in a circuit. As per this law, the total voltage gain or drop in any circuit is always zero.
3) For Post In Customer Service Field
Section IV
a) How Do You Handle An Abusive Customer?
Patience, calmness, composure, and a polite attitude are the keys to serve any customer, no matter they are abusive or well-mannered. One must always listen to their problems actively and try to understand the core in order to provide an effective and relevant resolution to the customer.
b) How Efficient Are Your Communication Skills? Rate Yourself On A Scale Of 1 to 5.
Being an indispensable part of the job, effective communication skills and soft skills are of utmost necessity to serve a customer with diligence and sincerity. I believe, I have effective communication skills and would rate myself with a 4.8.
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c) How Do You manage Workload?
In order to provide, excellent customer service, a representative has to work under an immense workload. I am up and ready for it, as I am used to it, further I always maintain my physical and emotional strength by indulging myself in yoga and meditation.
4) For Post In Medical Field
Section IV
a) What Is The Functional Unit Of Kidney?
Nephrons are the functional units of kidney. Nephrons have a bowman’s capsule at its starting that performs the first step in blood filtration.
b) Name The Five Regions Of Vertebral Column With Individual Number Of Bones?
The five regions are:
- Cervical Region: 7 bones
- Thoracic Region: 12 bones
- Lumbar Region: 5 bones
- Sacrum Region: 5 bones
- Coccygeal Region: 4 bones
c) What is Micro-villi?
Micro-villi are folds that are present in Ileum which is a part of our small intestine, that helps in increasing the surface area for efficient and more absorption of food.
Conclusion
A job application form is your first opportunity to impress an employer and the responses generated by you in the form, enable an interviewer to conduct a thorough analysis of your current and future capabilities. Proper preparation is the best way to ace this phase. If you like our articles then don’t forget to share them with your family and friends. Also, do let us know through the comments section below, how much you like our articles.
References
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/001979391206500105
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0030507383901307
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Sandeep Bhandari is the founder of PrepMyCareer.com website.
I am a full-time professional blogger, a digital marketer, and a trainer. I love anything related to the Web, and I try to learn new technologies every day.
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