When someone talks about applying for work, what’s the first thing you think of? It might be a CV (perfectly understandable), but if you’re looking to apply to the big graduate recruiters, their autumn application processes often need you to complete an application form rather than send your CV.

Why employers may use a form

Graduate employers often use online forms for the first stage of the recruitment process. This means they can: 

• ask questions about specific topics, skills and experience, prompting applicants to give the information the employer wants to hear about
• ensure some consistency among applications
• easily compare applicants
• use software to do the initial sift through applications – saving them time and money
• anonymise applications (name, contact details, dates of education/experience) to avoid unconscious bias

What to watch out for

• Set aside dedicated time to complete the form – you can’t dash-off an application while watching TV or browsing social media
• Read through the whole form (where possible) before you start to fill it in. This means you can choose the best examples from your experience for each question
• In a lot of online application forms you can fill in the form in sections. You can typically save it as you go along, so you don’t have to complete it in all in one go
• Watch out for maximum word/character counts. Be prepared to edit your answers to fit
• Proofread, proofread and proofread before you submit it. Check for typos, spelling and grammar
• Keep a copy of your application and the job details for your records. If you get through to the next stage of the selection process, you’ll need these to help you prepare

Find out more

For further tips, example answers and videos about completing application forms, see our web page.

For further study, see the information and advice on the applying for further study page.