What do I need to help me fill in that
form?
In the last article on letter writing I suggested
that you should have to hand one or more of
the following: job advertisement, job descrip-
tion, person specification and any further
information which you have researched or
been sent. If you are filling in the form, then
you also need your CV. If you tend to apply
for a lot of jobs which require application
forms then you do need to keep a good
chronological record of your working history
even if you do not have a CV as such. This can
be a useful base for filling in job application
forms or preparing a CV from scratch.
Forms, in theory, are designed to be user
friendly. However, you are not the user! The
advertiser has sent you the form, in order that
it can have all the information presented in
the same format. It is, in effect, forcing you to
work to its style. It is difficult to believe that
any effort has gone into the design of some
forms. I have been sent forms which were
photocopies of photocopies, with care not
even taken to ensure that they were straight
on the page.
Forms are believed to be an easier way of
ensuring that unbiased recruiting methods
can be used. This again depends on the design
and the intention of the recruiter.
Application forms, and the information
which accompanies them, can often give you
a good insight into the organization to which
you are applying for a job. I do believe that,
even in times of recession, we should look as
carefully at employers as they do at us. Well
designed and presented information can
mean that the organization cares that little bit
more about its employees and is concerned
about the image it presents to the outside
world.
Handy hints
The first step you should take is to copy the
form. This will enable you to have a practice
run. You can then keep this draft copy with
the rest of the job details, so that you can read
through what you have said before any inter-
view.
Look carefully at the box size. You can
usually assume that if a box is small, then only
a small amount of information is needed. If
the box is larger, then you should include
more information. Many forms suggest that
24
Librarian Career Development
Volume 3 · Number 3 · 1995 · pp. 24–27
© MCB University Press · ISSN 0968-0810
Comment
Get that job – form
filling and CV
preparation
Susan Jean Hill
The author
Susan Jean Hillis Recruitment Services Manager at
Instant Library Recruitment, Loughborough, Leicestershire,
UK.
Abstract
Discusses the design of job application forms, why they
exist, and what they are designed to do. Offers a number
of hints on filling in application forms, before turning to
CVs and suggesting what should and should not be
included on a CV. Concludes that the “perfect” CV does
not exist, but that it should be as up to date and concise
as possible.