What Do You Need on a Job Application?

Be prepared to interview on the spot when completing job applications in person.

Prospective employers and employment agencies often ask job applicants to complete job application forms. This is true even when the applicants have submitted a resume. Although the specifics vary with different employers and agencies, job application forms share several basic aspects. Preparing can ease the drudgery of even the lengthiest, most complex job applications.

Basic Application Guidelines

Human resource departments include job applications in the permanent personnel files for all employees. Companies may also present the application in court. Job applications contain many elements found on a resume--full legal name, contact information and a chronological summary of education and job experience. However, job applications typically include more detailed information that resumes omit.

Common job application elements include listing the full month, day and year for the start and end of each job listed, Social Security number, names and contact information for previous supervisors, available work days and hours and a complete salary history. Some applications ask about criminal history. The document typically ends with an oath declaring the truth of the information included in the application, along with the job applicant's signature.

Sample Application Forms

A sample application or "application-like" resume collects relevant job history and education information in a single document. To complete a sample application, gather as much information as possible, including school transcripts, old resumes, address books and pay stubs. The time required to construct a sample application or "application-like" resume can help you avoid submitting an application form with missing information or unintentionally including inaccurate information.

Military vs.Civilian Qualifications

Military personnel applying for civilian jobs should state service experience in equivalent civilian terms. Include the full dates for your entire term of service, along with your most recent positions. State your military title and provide a civilian equivalent. Just as with civilian experience, include any citations, awards, certificates or evidence of special training you received while you were in the military.

Federal Applications

Completing a federal application form can take hours or even days. The level of detail included on a federal application form is comparable to the detail included on a curriculum vitae, including grade point average, detailed coursework listings and professional memberships.

The Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities, or KSA section, is a narrative that details how your qualifications are related to the requirements of the job. Write at least a full page for each KSA, and prepare a separate KSA for each federal job. Executive Core Qualifications, or ECQs, are narratives that detail qualifications in five areas: leading change, leading people, results driven, business acumen and building coalitions. Each area requires approximately two pages of narrative.

References

• Resume Cover Letters: Job Application Form Details
• Job-Hunt.org: Job Application vs. the Resume
• The Riley Guide: Using Employment Kiosks and Online Job Applications
• Job-Hunt.org: 10 Federal Job Search Mistakes - Part One (First 5)
• Job-Hunt.org: What Is a KSA?
• Job-Hunt.org: Preparing Your ECQ's -- Executive Core Qualifications

Resources

• Resume Cover Letters: Job Applications
• Boston Private Industry Council: Practice Application
• Quintessential Careers: Sample Employment Application Form
• National Institute of Corrections: Simulated Online/Kiosk Job Application