Today’s job market is more competitive than ever, with hundreds (if not thousands) of people applying for the same positions.
While acing your first interview puts you at a competitive advantage compared to other candidates, securing it in the first place requires a strong application.
Whether you’re fresh out of college and searching for your first job or applying for a higher-paying vacancy to advance your career, your application should stand out and demonstrate professionalism across every section.
This guide covers everything you need to know about preparing and submitting a standout application that will get you noticed by hiring managers and recruiters.
Let’s dive into our tried and tested application tips!
How Do I Prepare to Make an Application?
Every solid application begins with a comprehensive preparation process.
Before sending in your documents or fine-tuning your resume, you must become acquainted with the company, the job description, and what is expected of you.
Research the Company
Researching your future employer isn’t just preferable—it’s absolutely necessary.
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It’s no secret that recruiters prefer candidates who’ve done their due diligence and familiarized themselves with the organization before pressing “submit.”
Start by exploring the company’s website, social media profiles, and recent news articles.
Learn about its mission, vision, and latest achievements, and note any similarities between company values and what you can offer them.
Analyze the Job Description
Once you’ve become acquainted with your future employer, return to the job description and analyze it thoroughly.
Instead of simply re-reading the general requirements, identify keywords related to your skillset, experience, and qualifications.
For instance, if recruiters are looking for “team players” or “experienced managers,” you can emphasize these skills when writing or fine-tuning your application.
Likewise, if you’ve passed any training programs or obtained specific certifications related to the job requirements, note them down.
That way, you’ll be able to highlight key qualifications that make you a desirable candidate.
Gather Necessary Documents
Depending on the requirements, prepare your resume, cover letter, certifications, and references.
Proofread and double-check your documents for typos and errors, and save them in the appropriate file formats to avoid technical errors.
What Information Should I Include on an Application Form?
Once you’ve gathered the necessary information and prepared your documents, you can begin completing the job application.
Find a quiet place with no distractions so you can dedicate your entire focus to filling in the necessary fields.
Personal Information
Start the application process by including your contact details, such as your full name, phone number, email, and address.
If your current email address is outdated or includes humorous references, consider creating a new email account for prospective employers. Keep it brief and professional, like [email protected].
Keep in mind that most employers will not require you to include certain information, as the Equality Act protects specific characteristics against workplace discrimination.
The Act protects information about age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnerships, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion, sex (gender), and sexual orientation.
Employment History
Your employment history showcases your knowledge and experience in your area of expertise.
List your previous roles, and include job titles, promotions, company names, and dates of employment.
Highlight specific achievements demonstrating your professional background, such as successful projects, conference attendance, and company training sessions.
Education and Certifications
List relevant degrees, diplomas, and professional certifications.
If you’ve completed additional training programs, make sure to include this information, as it shows your dedication to continuous learning and self-improvement.
Skills and Qualifications
Showcase the core skills that fit the role, highlighting both technical and transferable skills.
Technical skills refer to job-specific, specialized abilities, while transferable skills are soft skills that can be applied across various industries and roles.
Examples of technical skills include data analysis and visualization, market research, and proficiency in project management tools.
Likewise, transferable skills can refer to public speaking and presentation, conflict resolution, and multitasking.
References
If the application encourages you to include references, don’t miss out on this opportunity to present yourself as a trustworthy, skilled candidate.
Choose professional references who can vouch for your expertise and character.
Include their names, job titles, contact information, and a brief note about your relationship.
Top 10 Tips for Successful Applications
The quality and conciseness of your application can make or break your chances of securing a first interview.
Although hundreds of people may be competing for your dream job, most are unlikely to submit strong applications perfectly tailored to the vacancy.
This is your chance to stand out.
To learn how to fill out a job application that gets noticed, follow the detailed framework below:
Research Thoroughly
To ensure your application stands out and speaks directly to employers, research the job opportunity and target company thoroughly to understand its mission and values.
Look through the company’s website, press releases, and social media channels, and consider exploring reviews or testimonials from employers and customers.
Be Specific
Avoid vague statements like “I contributed to team success,” as most recruiters seek specific proof of your accomplishments.
The best way to highlight your achievements is through numbers and statistics, as these provide tangible evidence of what you bring to the table.
Statements that effectively showcase your accomplishments can include:
- “Increased sales by 50% over two years by developing targeted marketing campaigns.”
- “Led a project that boosted team efficiency by 30%, improving project delivery times and client satisfaction.”
Use Keywords
While some recruiters manually check applications, others rely on Application Tracking Systems (ATS) to automate the hiring process and separate relevant applicants from those who don’t fit the vacancy.
These systems scan applications for specific keywords in the job description and discard those that don’t include them.
The best way to ensure your application survives an ATS is by incorporating vacancy-related keywords, such as “project management,” “data analysis,” or “customer relationship management.”
Pay attention to the wording of the job description, and include these keywords naturally throughout your application.
Keep It Concise
Less is more.
Recruiters often sift through hundreds of job applications daily, allowing them to only dedicate a few seconds to scanning each resume.
As a rule of thumb, your resume should be around one to two pages long, depending on your experience level.
Keep your resume concise and avoid adding lengthy “About Me” sections that detail your upbringing or hobbies.
While these aspects can be explored more during the interview, they are irrelevant to the initial application process.
Focus on Presentation
While including relevant information is essential to the application process, so is the presentation.
Make sure to use clear headings, consistent fonts, and proper spacing, making it easier for recruiters to scan your application.
As tempted as you might be, avoid using design-heavy templates, as these distract recruiters from actually reading your resume.
Unless you’re applying to a highly creative or niche position, stick to a minimalist template with clear, simple formatting.
Showcase Soft Skills Creatively
Technical skills showcase your ability to get the job done, while soft skills demonstrate your working style and how you communicate with a team.
Instead of just listing these skills, integrate them into your work experience and professional achievements.
For instance, instead of mentioning that you’re a team player and problem solver, incorporate these skills into your accomplishments in creative ways, such as:
“Collaborated with cross-functional teams to overcome technical challenges and delivered a high-stakes project ahead of schedule.”
This example doesn’t just highlight your soft skills but shows how you apply them in practice.
Leverage AI-Powered Tools for Your Resume
Building a professional resume that appeals to both recruiters and ATS can be challenging and time-consuming, especially if writing isn’t your strongest skill.
If you find yourself struggling throughout the process, consider using the Undetectable AI Resume Builder to help you create an ATS-optimized application that highlights your skills and experience.
This tool is designed to format your resume automatically, suggest relevant keywords, and polish your design to increase your chances of appealing to recruiters and ATS.
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Check for Errors
Proofread your application several times or use tools like Grammarly to catch typos or grammar issues.
Proper spelling and grammar show attention to detail and professionalism, while an application full of typos suggests you lack communication skills and precision.
Ask a friend or family member to review your application, as this allows you to catch errors you might have missed.
Follow Instructions
Carefully follow submission instructions to avoid being disqualified from the application process.
While this might seem obvious, a simple mistake, such as submitting your resume as a Word document instead of a PDF file or failing to answer a specific question in the application form, will result in your resume being discarded before it reaches the recruiter.
Submit Early
Last but not least, avoid waiting until the last minute to submit your application.
By turning in your application early, you demonstrate your eagerness and time management skills while reducing the chance of technical errors or last-minute typos.
How Do I Fine-Tune My Application?
Learning how to fill out a job application is only the first step to landing your dream job.
Set some time aside to refine your writing style to ensure your application is up to par and sounds as professional as it looks.
Pay attention to your wording, and swap passive word choices for compelling verbs like delivered, achieved, and transformed.
Refine any sections that sound vague, and make sure you’ve detailed all of your skills, achievements, and qualifications.
While using AI to write your application is not illegal, artificial wording and sentence structures suggest poor communication skills.
If you’ve AI to draft your resume, personal statement, or cover letter, run these documents through an AI Humanizer to transform your writing into authentic, relatable, and natural-sounding content.
FAQs
How can you ensure your application is accurate and complete?
Ensuring your application is accurate requires concentration and attention to detail.
Double-check your personal details, resume, cover letter, and references to ensure all information is typo-free and aligns with the job description.
What can I do during the application process to increase chances of getting an interview?
Landing an interview requires your application to stand out and match the vacancy’s requirements.
You can increase your chances by tailoring your resume and cover letter to the job, highlighting relevant achievements, and refining your application with Undetectable AI’s Resume Builder.
What can I do to increase the chances of my job application being noticed?
Integrating relevant keywords into your application and ensuring the formatting is clear, simple, and readable are the best ways to increase your chances of being noticed.
Conclusion
Submitting a strong application takes time and effort, but it is entirely achievable with the proper framework.
Your application must be clear, concise, and memorable to compete in a saturated job market and land the interview (then your dream job!).
By following the application tips listed above and remaining diligent throughout the writing and polishing process, you’ll ensure that your application is favored by recruiters and accepted by ATS systems.
Good luck!