50+ Sample Job Application Form Templates

What Is a Job Application Form?

Jobs and employment are a normal cycle in the corporate industry. But, it isn’t right to hire anyone to fill empty slots at work without formalities. Employers should ensure any applicant who wishes to be part of their organization or business should begin filling in a standard job application form. Like any application form, this official document gathers the critical information of job applicants during the hiring period. Thanks to such forms, you can streamline your enterprise’s hiring process until you find the best candidate suited for the role.

According to a 2018 survey, 155.76 million workers were employed in America.

Also, Statista reported that the hospitality industry received the highest number of job applications advertised—around 46 applications for each job.

Meanwhile, SmallBizGenius confirmed that there were about 582 million entrepreneurs worldwide.

Why Are Job Application Forms Important?

Job application forms are essential for various reasons. First, they are reliable assistants when you need to find out the important details of every applicant. Applicants write their work experience, contact information, educational background, and more in the forms. Instead of memorizing each applicant’s details, you can refer to the details written inside the forms. Also, a job application form’s purpose includes analysis. You can later analyze which employee is suitable for specific jobs after studying the different candidates’ info.

Moreover, a job application form is relevant to all sorts of businesses. As reported, there are over 582 million entrepreneurs globally. And you can expect different industries involved in every business. A basic job application form is already useful for any job opening in a restaurant, retail business, school, hospital, hotel, or government. Thus, such forms do not only apply to limited examples. What matters most is that the application form is tailored strategically, and the applicant has given the complete details, then voila! You have an easy hiring process.

The Parts of a Job Application Form

Job application forms are the official documents that make a first impression on employers. Such forms are also responsible for whether an employer accepts or rejects an applicant. And the least employers can do is to guide applicants on what to provide in applying. The format prepared in the form would help applicants write the correct details. To make the format and presentation right, it is also crucial for the employer to know the important parts of a job application. And these are the following:

Personal Info: A generic job application form would begin asking for an applicant’s personal information. Such information would include the applicant’s full name, address, phone numbers, email address, emergency contact list, date of birth, age, and the like. And employers should be aware not to discriminate against anyone’s age, gender, or religion. Some forms even ask for the applicant’s preferred name at work to be sensitive about what offends the applicant or not.Job Position: Always provide a space for applicants to state or choose their desired job position. And this part is where work-related data begins. Besides the job title, you can inquire about the desired salary amount, when to start working, and other qualifications. Also, other businesses want to know if the applicant knows anyone from their organization. Or perhaps, if any of their employees referred that applicant.Educational Background: The education section is crucial in other organizations. This segment would ask applicants to note their previous schools’ names, school addresses, specific programs or courses taken, years attended, grade point average, or graduation dates. For example, a working student might want to apply as an official teacher to a certain school. Set a format for this applicant to mention the school accomplishments, special honors, and some extracurricular activities taken. The point is any school-driven data is present here.Work Experience: It is expected for employees to indicate which companies they worked at before. And it will be written under the work experience section. This part requires the previous employer’s name, address, contact details, and so forth. A properly sequenced employment history is also relevant here. Thus, applicants must mention their most recent work experiences first down to the oldest. And for other companies, employers ask about the applicant’s reason for leaving and how much they used to earn.Reference Page: A reference section is crucial, so it will be easy for employers to know who to contact. That is if they want to know more about an applicant’s character or job performance. Reference pages often contain the name, address, and contact info of anyone who could vouch for the applicant’s background. And it is expected for applicants to list down credible people that can attest to their working skills and performance.Miscellaneous: The miscellaneous segment is considered as an ‘others’ section, meaning other details not included in the different parts mentioned earlier will be here. For example, this section is where you incorporate questions related to military status, citizenship, arrests, driver’s license, and other information. In other cases, information related to ethnicity or gender will be labeled as voluntary information. That is if applicants wish not to answer some parts.Certification: Job application forms often end with the certification. The certification marks if all details written by applicants are truthful. Otherwise, false information may lead to termination. Certification also varies for every company if they wish consent about doing a background check on the applicant. And despite what other details are incorporated in the certification, it should end by requiring the applicant’s signature and date of signing.

How to Prepare a Job Application Form

Job applicants don’t immediately go through an interview without sending job application forms first. Such documents are responsible for HR to assess and decide which candidates are suitable or not anyway. But, the application process may be delayed with a poorly-made form. Be sure to recommend a well-thought-out job application form. And you can create one by following these four simple steps:

Step 1: Use a Template and Insert Your Branding

Start by choosing from our collection of job application form templates. Compare each template and select the best example that suits your needs. Next, fill in the details by starting with the branding. Job application sheets are not solely for promotional purposes, but it is still standard to include your enterprise’s branding. Why so? Including the company’s name and logo is needed for brand consistency. That way, anyone who checks the form can easily tell which business it belongs to. Besides the business name and logo, you can add your enterprise’s official website URL, contact information, address, etc. In short, design the form according to your brand.

Step 2: Ask Relevant and Crucial Details

Any job application form contains a series of questions and blanks where applicants could write their answers. But the problem with most application forms is when they do not ask the relevant and critical details. Employers should determine what specific info they want to know from every applicant. If the employer is more interested in an applicant’s previous work experience, then it should be highlighted in the form. And it will be easier for applicants to fill in the blanks when there are labels of what to jot down in the form.

Step 3: Arrange the Flow of Data

Do not just blindly ask questions without organization. Arrange the details and format so the overall form is easy to follow and completed quickly. Do you remember the job application form’s parts, as discussed earlier? Such parts or categories are your guides regarding how the flow should be presented on the document. You should know that everything starts with the title, instructions, the main body, and end the document with a signature line. Rest assured that when the data are arranged properly, all information will be easy to comprehend.

Step 4: Make It Simple but Professional

It will be fun to design documents, but you have to keep in mind that job applications are formal business documents. It should observe a professional look. And if you plan on giving numerous designs or complicated processes, it won’t be easy to create the forms, especially when more people want to apply someday. The best approach is to observe an easy yet professional look so applicants can quickly complete their job applications, and employers won’t have a hard time getting the important details. Lastly, review if the form is free of errors and that the texts are legible. After that, print and reproduce the documents.

FAQs

What are other names for job application forms?

Many names are associated with job application forms. They include the employment application form, application for employment form, or just the standard application form. Nonetheless, such names function the same thing, wherein they all benefit the job hiring process.

Which industry has the most number of job applications?

According to Statista’s research survey, the hospitality industry, which includes bars, hotels, and restaurants, was the top industry that received the highest number of job applications. It garnered 46 applications for every job.

Are employers required to use application forms when hiring?

Application forms are not exactly required since many businesses accept resumes, curriculum vitae, or biodata forms. However, application forms make it easy to gather much information in a uniform or standardized format, unlike resumes or CV where applicants can decide their format.

Job application forms are, undoubtedly, comprehensive tools that companies could use to evaluate potential candidates for job vacancies. What makes the application form special, compared to a resume or cover letter, is how job applications no longer require flowery words or irrelevant data. Job applications seek fundamental and straightforward facts that detail an applicant’s background. And if employers download job application form templates and encourage applicants to use uniform samples, expect a quick and thoughtful way to select the most qualified candidate.