Completing Online Application Forms

This is my briefest of brief guides on completing online application forms. Just ask yourself seven basic, easy questions:

1) Can you view or download the whole form before you start?

ONLINE APPLICATION

Not all forms allow you to, but it can be a big help when planning out your answers.

2) Does the form start with a few simple looking questions?

Beware of false friends. A wrong answer here may eliminate your application and block you from seeing the rest of the form.

3) Can you paste text into the form pages?

If the form allows this, you can prepare material and check it offline before copying it onto the form.

4) Is there an autosave facility?

Some forms do not save your work for you. If you haven't saved it yourself, you may have to retype everything after logging out or if the system crashes. Very annoying!

5) Is there a selection test built into the form?

This is increasingly common with online forms. Ideally, you should have an idea of the kind of test and how to approach it before you begin. 

6) Is there a time limit?

Not very common, but some organizations see beating the time limit as part of the selection process.

7) Is there a space limit for the 'Supporting Comments' or similar section?

This is far more common. A page on your wordprocessor may not fit into one page on the form. There may be word limits, or even limits to the number of characters (sometimes including spaces!) you can use.

Last of all remember that all the usual rules for completing paper application forms still apply. Research the job just as thoroughly and don't resort to email or txtspeak. You can find online applications discussed more thoroughly on the University of Kent careers website and try out a (rather rough and ready) sample online form at www.selectsimulator.com

Completing Online Application Forms

ONLINE APPLICATION