Applications

The large graduate recruiting organisations such as KPMG, the Civil Service, and Marks and Spencer receive many more thousands of applications than they have jobs available. So your application has to stand out from the crowd, be perfect and generally “shout out” why they should employ you. This section looks at the best way to complete these forms and what to expect from them.

When applying for graduate level jobs, most application forms have what are commonly known as “the difficult bits”..! These are the questions that can make you want to sit down and cry, but although challenging, they are not as difficult as they first appear. For example, you could face questions such as, “Explain a time when you’ve had to work in a team”, or “Describe a difficult decision you’ve had to make”, and the worst of all, “Describe why you are the right person for the job”. The latter question can also be known as a Personal Statement. It is these questions that allow you to distinguish yourself from the other applicants. The important thing to remember when answering such questions is to draw from your experience and to give examples. This experience could be from working, voluntary activities, clubs/societies, academic studies or even your personal life. Another important thing to remember is to explain what you can do. Candidates fail with this, especially when talking about team work, as they always explain what the team achieved rather than what they, as an individual, did in terms of contributing to, or interacting with, the team and team members.

There are two main types of application forms: on-line and paper based. The way in which you tackle these two types of application is very much the same for each…with care! Below are 10 essential steps for completing application forms:

1. Make a copy of your blank application form

Keep the original in a safe place where it will not be chewed or spoiled, and use your photocopied form for practice drafts. If it’s an on-line form there may be a save facility which allows you to return to the form at a later date, or if it’s a download form then save it to somewhere that you’ll remember, such as your memory stick. A fail safe is to simply cut and paste the questions into a Word document where you will be able to practice writing your answers.

2. Read it through thoroughly before you start to fill it in

Familiarise yourself with what is needed in each section so you can decide what example fits best in each, i.e. what type of evidence is needed under different types of questions in the blank boxes.

3. Follow the instructions carefully

Use block capitals, black ink, write legibly, type or word process - whatever they want. If asked to apply 'in writing' - by sending in a CV and CL - don't assume a Standard Application Form will do just as nicely. If you do not obey instructions, you are virtually a non-starter - they will probably assume you cannot pay attention to detail in your work either.

4. Answer all questions

Leaving boxes blank will make you look inept or lazy. If a question genuinely does not apply to you, clarify that it is “not applicable” by writing “N/A”.

5. Consider why the question is being asked

It is often tempting to plunge in and start answering the question at face value, fairly superficially; if you relate the question to the job tasks and level, and what you know the company requires, you are more likely to be convincing.

6. Use the STAR technique to provide good quality answers

This technique allows you to structure your answers in a way that sells what you have to offer. Learn more.

7. Draft answers first: make sure they fit the space available

You may need 2 or 3 drafts before you are satisfied - but the more applications you make the easier it gets! Take advantage of the drop in sessions to get your draft answers reviewed by a Careers Advisor. Some forms give you a word limit, make sure you stick to this and on no account go over. Working through the exercises which follow will give you practice in dealing with questions that are typically used on application forms. If you want more help use the Additional Resources section.

8. Check your grammar, spelling, punctuation…

In surveys, employers say that sloppy and careless use of language in CVs and application forms is a 'pet hate'. No matter how brilliant the content, an immediately bad impact can result in rejection. Be warned, a spell check on your computer will not pick up all errors. Have someone else proof-read your document if possible, or use a dictionary.

9. Transcribe your draft onto the application form

Normally you should complete application forms in black ink as they are often photocopied by the employer. Untidy handwriting can spoil the appearance, so take every care. On some forms you can complete the larger sections such as "Reasons for applying for this job" by attaching a word processed sheet - but not every employer allows this.

10. Keep a copy of the completed application form for future reference

When you are invited to an interview you will need to remember what you wrote. Also, your responses can be used again or adjusted when filling out other similar applications. So photocopy the completed form or keep an electronic copy.

For more tips on completing application forms follow this link.

The Difficult Questions

And so to the hard bit, where everyone has difficulties. These questions are those that the employer has purposefully designed to extract critical pieces of information from you. This enables them to make a judgement about whether or not you have the potential to do the job, and also to decide if you should be invited for interview. So their importance should not be underestimated. One way in which to answer these questions is to use the STAR technique, this provides a structured way of answering the questions and guides you to answering the question in the right way. The essential thing you have to do is to provide evidence in the form of detailed examples. It is no good describing how you worked in a team when all you do is say what the team achieved. You need to say what did YOU did, and how YOU interacted with the other team members. You can give examples from a variety of settings, e.g. work, voluntary work, University, clubs/societies, gap year or even your personal life.

The questions are asking you to describe your skills, also called competencies. So it’s an exercise in how well you know yourself, as well as how well you can apply your own experiences to the question asked. Remember, it’s not always the “subject” of your answer that’s important. For example, if the question is about problem solving, it does not have to be something major like solving global warming in one fell swoop. It can be quite small, like dealing with a personality clash in a seminar group. The important thing is the steps you take to solving the problem. If these steps seem reasonable and logical, it suggests that you should be able to apply the same to any other problem.

Your tactics for answering these questions could be to make a list of all your experiences since your late teenage years. If you are a mature student then you may want to limit the list to the 5 years prior to starting your course. For each experience, try and list your activities, achievements and the skills/competencies used. You can get a list of the top ten common skills required by graduate employers by clicking here. Then it’s simply a case of choosing the activity that is most relevant to the question you are trying to answer. The more the activity is relevant to the job you are applying for the better it is. Once you have chosen the activity, you can use the STAR technique to answer the question. Stick to word/character limits - if you go over this the employer will automatically withdraw your application.

There is a wide range of questions that can be asked, some examples that you may come across are listed below:

• Tell us about a time when you demonstrated leadership skills while working as part of a team. How did you identify the needs of your group? How did you address these needs to achieve success? (British Airways)
• Please tell us about an occasion when you have worked as part of a team or group. Describe your personal contribution to the group and explain how the group functioned as a whole. (NHS Management Training)
• Describe a situation where you worked together with other people to achieve an objective - we are particularly interested in your personal role in these situations, and the specific actions you took (Nestle)
• Describe a situation where you have been responsible for a group or team achieving a common goal. How did you make sure the team was successful? (Northern Foods)
• Tell us about a time when, despite setbacks, you persevered in order to meet an individual objective. Describe what you did to ensure success. What was it that made you persevere? (British Airways)
• Describe an occasion where your personal drive has led to a potentially major difficulty being positively resolved. (John Lewis Partnership)
• Describe a number of situations where you had to be flexible and/or adapt to any changes in circumstances. (The Abbey National Group)
• Give an example of where you have learned from a mistake, or overcome a weakness (we are particularly interested in your personal role in these situations, and the specific actions you took) Nestle
• Please describe your strengths and weaknesses (relative to your peers) The Boots Company
• How do you think the competition facing The Boots Company will change over the next five years? The Boots Company
• Which skill that you have developed over the last three years do you think would help you most in a career in retail management? Why? John Lewis Partnership
• What do you think are the three main challenges facing Nestle over the next five years? Please answer with specific reference to you chosen function. Nestle

Finally

If you are still unsure of how to answer these questions, or would like your answers to checked over before you send the application, then contact the Careers and Employment Centre.