How do employers judge application forms?

The first thing that will get an application thrown straight onto the reject pile is poor presentation. A prospective employer will be delighted to find a messy one, scuffed and full of crossings-out, because that’s one less to have to deal with. Unclear handwriting is another sure way to be dismissed, because no employer is going to take the time to decipher what you’ve written. Spelling and grammatical mistakes will also have you rejected on the spot. Employers will believe that shoddy work on your form may mean you’ll produce shoddy work generally, and they won’t be interested.

Make sure you’ve followed precisely any instructions on the form. These may be physical instructions about the preferred way to fill in the form, guidance on content or instructions about attachments, but check again that you’ve followed them properly. If you don’t, you’ll probably be rejected straight away, because few employers want people who can’t follow instructions.

Short, inadequate responses are another deal-breaker. Employers don’t expect essays, but they’re looking for answers that tell them something about you, and the written equivalent of grunted, uncommunicative answers will count against you. An employer will have a clear job specification in mind, and the application form will be shaped to allow you to demonstrate that you at least meet the basic requirements for the job, although preferably more. If your responses don’t reveal enough, or don’t hit the right notes, you’re out.