On my separately
maintained client website, the word ‘Checklist’
appears in the horizontal navigation section. Once opened, 15 commonly
overlooked interviewing prep items appear. The checklist serves a twofold
purpose: First, to avoid being blindsided by committing common (and in some cases comical) oversights,
and second, to reduce job-interviewing stress.
Item nine on the
checklist recommends having a prefilled out job application for quick reference.
In roughly two-thirds of all scheduled job interviews, most employers have
potential applications complete their employment application online prior to
scheduling a job interview. This leaves approximately one-third who still
prefer to do it the old fashion way—onsite and in person.
The majority of
job applications will vary in length from two to five pages. Some openings are
occupation specific, such as medical, engineering and education. Those positions
often gravitate toward the anal, with education topping the list. It is not
uncommon for an education application to exceed 15-plus detailed pages.
Job application
forms need to be taken seriously. In many cases, job applicants will confront
two different mindsets. Within each organization—especially those with 25 or
employees, there will be the personnel or human resource department, and
everyone else. As an unwritten rule, most HR departments do not make critical
hiring decisions. Department heads reserve that unto themselves.
This does not
mean that HR should not be taken seriously. The HR Manager or Director can
easily influence a hiring decision, but more often than not, those individuals
tend to focus on dates, why you left (or are leaving) and references. We are
not talking about low-end hourly employment or part-time positions. The HR
department often fills low-level positions as a matter of expediency.
Here is a quick
scenario to illustrate a point. Suppose XYZ Corporation needs to hire an
energetic, creative and highly gifted sales manager. The VP of Sales and
Marketing would make the hiring decision. HR would be called upon to perform
the screening, reference, background and credit file checks. To do this,
they usually require a far more detailed job application.
What about the
individual’s one or two-page creative résumé? That, of course, is for the overworked
decision maker to read and use. That lengthy job application, however, is
separate issue. What is in the résumé merely needs to track what appears in on
job application. The moment it fails to do that, HR will alert the decision
maker as to glaring discrepancies.
Via the
Internet, there are an endless number of free blank job application forms
available. It is strongly recommended that you download one that is at least
five or more pages, and fill it out. If called upon to fill out an application
onsite, you can complete the tasks in far less time when you have a prefilled
out application at the ready.