How to Complete A Job Application Without Formal Work Experience
Not having formal work experience does not automatically disqualify you for a job. A job application is a tool employers use to select the best candidates for an available position, and a tool you can use to market yourself during your job hunt. Even if you do not have formal work experience, many job applications allow you to list informal work experience, and may allow you add information about why you feel you are qualified for a job.
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Instructions
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Be prepared. There are basic questions you will find on most job applications, such as your address and contact information, which you may have memorized. However, they may also ask you for your Social Security number, the name and address of your high school and post-secondary institution and your driver's license number, references and the names and addresses of places you worked informally, which you may not have memorized. When you seek an application from an employer, be prepared to fill out an application on the spot, or to fill out an electronic application at a kiosk within the place of business.
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Read all the directions on the application before filling it out, and follow them. If the application has instructions to print clearly, do not write in cursive. Sign your name in all the appropriate spaces and do not write in the sections blocked off for office use. If you do not follow the instructions on a job application, a hiring manager may suspect that you may not follow directions from a supervisor well.
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Use nice handwriting and keep the application in good shape. You may be the ideal candidate for a job, but a hiring manager will not know this if he cannot read your handwriting. Avoid wrinkling, folding or staining the application by keeping it in a folder. Keeping an application looking nice can help show that you are serious about a job, and that you want to learn formal professional skills.
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Make your answers reflect the job you seek. If you want to work in a bakery, for example, include informal experiences you have had baking for others. Mention volunteer positions, applicable clubs, awards you have received and your skills. Even though you do not have formal work experience, your informal experience can show that you have the skills and talents required.
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Answer all the questions honestly. Lying on an application about formal work experience is a good way to not get a job, or be fired.
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Practice care when writing in your salary request on an application. You may think that you deserve a lower salary because you have not formal work experience, or may not have a good idea about what your services are worth. In the salary request section, write "open" or "negotiable," because an employer may be willing to pay you more than you think.
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Provide references who can speak positively about your work ethic. Since you do not have formal experience working, you can list club or committee leaders, the manager of a place where you performed volunteer work, or even a coach.
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