25 Jul 2023
It feels like they’ve been around for an eternity: for some, they can be seen as a very outdated way of collecting information about candidates; for others, they provide some consistency to the items of information you get from all candidates that you need to fairly compare and assess suitability.
There is merit to both views of application forms. They do indeed promote uniformity of the information collected, which can make it easier to make a like-for-like comparison. On the other hand, there are far better and easier ways of bringing together data that can help to make decisions about skills and suitability to work with the company.
We see app forms in all shapes and sizes – from online forms, to (believe it or not) photocopied documents with a few empty tables in, which are so blurry you can hardly make out the typed text!
It is vital that if you are still using application forms, they must be easily returnable. There is absolutely no point having one if you are asking people to download it, print it out, fill it in by hand and then sign and return it to you either via scanning and attaching to an email or in the mail.
Most people won't have easy access to a printer and a scanner, so this will reduce the return rate and having to physically sign and return a copy is something that should be obsolete in this day and age.
If you are still keen on using them to recruit, here are a few pointers which should reduce the number of applicants you bounce out of the process in the early stages:
Make sure application forms are easy for the applicant to physically complete, and on that basis, ensure that:
Be very clear about word limits – and the consequences of passing them. We’ve seen recruiters physically remove half a page because the candidate wrote 200 words too many!
Confirm what can and can’t be included with an application form. Many recruiters have no time for CVs and specify that if they are included, they will be disregarded. Others (including candidates) welcome the ability for them to be appended to the application form.
Do not ask for the form to be physically signed (or signed in triplicate) and posted. There's no benefit to having a real signature, and why on earth would you need it to be posted to you? After all, what was email invented for?
We know application forms can still have their place in the recruitment process. Used and managed well, they can help you appoint the right candidate. Managed badly, and the right candidate may move on to another opportunity.
