Applying For a Job

No matter who you are if you are out looking for a job you are going to be asked to fill out an employment application, also known as a job application. Employers often use these applications as a way to weed out people who do not qualify for the job and who the best candidates for the job position are going to be. In fact, many times, even if you have previously turned in a resume and a cover letter the potential employer is going to ask you to fill out a job application. The main reason for this is so that the employer has a record of your personal and employment history that you have verified and signed as being true and correct.

One of the most important things that you need to know about filling out a job application is that it is very important for you to be filling out the job application completely. However, it is also very important that you fill out the job application correctly and accurately too. So in order to make sure that you are prepared to fill out the job application you are going to need to know what kind of information you need for each section of the job application.

Here is a look at the various sections of a job application and the information that you will need to fill out each section completely.

• Personal Information - Name, Address, City, State, Zip Code, Phone Number, Eligibility to Work in US, Felony convictions, If under age you need a work permit
• Education - Schools and Colleges that you have attended, Major, Degree and Diplomas that you have earned, Graduation Dates
• Position Applied For Information - Title of the job that you are applying for, hours and days that you are available to work, and the date that you can start working
• Employment Information - Names, addresses, and phone numbers of your previous employers, your direct supervisor's name, the dates of your employment, your salary per month or what you made an hour, and the reason that you left that place of employment
• References - at least three references, some job applications ask for more, you want to ensure that you have their names, job title or their relationship to you, addresses and phone numbers

Due to the fact that employers are going to be using your job application as a way of determining if they want to call you back for an interview it is important for you to do everything right the first time around. In many cases filling out a job application is an employer's method of gathering a first impression of you and your job history. They will then take that impression of you and use it to decide if you will fit in with the company or if they are better off looking elsewhere for a perfect fit. So with that in mind you are going to want to make sure that you know everything that there is to know about filling out a job application so that you can increase your chances of getting your job application noticed among all of the other job applications.

Here are some tips that you can keep in mind to help increase your chances of being successful with your job application.

Tip one:
Have all of the information with you when you arrive. Make sure that you bring your resume, driver's license, social security card or anything else that pertains to you being employed. This can include addresses and phone numbers of previous employers and references. Having this information handy ensures that you can fill out the job application in their presence rather than having to take it home and bring it back on a different day. Also having the information on hand ensures that the information that you are providing is accurate. Keep in mind it is better to have the information and not need it, rather than need the information and not have it.

Tip two:
Before filling anything out on the application, you want to make sure that you read over the entire application. When reading over the application ensure that you understand what all of the directions are asking of you and then follow the instructions carefully. The reason that you want to read over the entire application first is that some applications ask for information differently than others and if you assume it is asked one way and misread the directions you will be giving the potential employer the opinion that you cannot follow directions. This should be thought of as your first test for following directions.

Tip three:
Ensure that when you fill out the job application that you are completing it as neatly as possible. The reason for this is that if you do not fill out the application neatly the hiring manager is not going to take the time required to try and read your application, they are simply going to move on to other applications that they can read. Your best bet is if you can type the application or even fill it out on a computer, but when doing this be sure to use an easy to read font. If you have to fill out the application by hand you want to use blue or black ink only and you want to write as neat as possible, so take your time. You should also bring some white out or an erasable pen so that you can fix minor mistakes. If bringing the application home to fill out do not bend, fold, or mess up the application in any way.

Tip four:
Make sure that the entire application is filled out, do not leave any blank spaces on the application itself. The reason for this is that when having you fill out a job application the employers want the same information from all of the job applications so that they can determine who is best suited for the job. In some cases, you are going to run across items that do not apply to you and rather than leave them blank simply write "not applicable" or "n/a" in the space that is provided. No matter how tempted you are do not ever write "see resume" in any space. Even if the information is already provided in your resume and you have attached your resume simply rewrite the information that is needed.

Tip five:
When you are putting down your answers make sure that they are tailored to fit the job you are applying for. What you want to do is make sure that you focus your education and job experience that you have to how it would fit with the position that you are applying for. Rather than listing your duties and responsibilities from previous jobs, you want to try and give them details about your skills and accomplishments from those jobs. This can help show the hiring manager why you are more qualified for the position than the guy next door. Make sure that you include your experiences from all parts of your life including volunteer work and clubs and organizations that you are a part of.

Tip six:
Do not include any type of negative information on your job application, no matter how small it might seem to you. When you include negative information, such as getting fired, this just gives the hiring manager a reason not to call you back for an interview. Moreover, let us face it when filling out a job application your main goal is to be called back for an interview.

Tip seven:
Even though the job application is going to ask for specific salary requirements you want to avoid putting that down. The reason for that is that it is too early in the job application process to allow yourself to be singled out based on salary, you want to make sure that you do not give out too much information about yourself so early in the game to potential employers. Not to mention the fact that many employers will use this question as a screening device for potential employees. This is a great way for employers to eliminate potential employees based on the fact that they want to much pay, but it can also cost your from getting the salary that you deserve if you go too low. It is in your best interest to write "open" or "negotiable" in the space instead.

Tip eight:
The most important thing that you are going to need to remember when it comes to filling out job applications is to always answer truthfully. No matter how tempting it might be to embellish your previous experience to make yourself more qualified for the position you do not want to do it. If you do lie on your job application most likely what will happen is your application is going to end up in the nearest trash can. Rather than lie on your application the best thing to do is to not give complete answers if what you are going to say is going to be negative information, such as getting fired. Rather than writing that you got fired simply put job ended or a longer explanation about what happened.