Completing applications
When you’re writing a CV you have the opportunity to present the facts about you in the way you feel best represents you. With application forms, the employer is in control: they dictate what information you give them and how. Sometimes, you can be the perfect candidate for a job, but you don’t get beyond this stage just because you forgot to tick a box, or used the wrong date format, or put your qualifications in the wrong order.
Success with application forms is all about paying attention and following instructions and formats carefully.
With that in mind, these are our top tips:
Think about accessibility
Pretty much every application form is online now but, depending on your sight condition and the technology you use, they don’t always make the grade on accessibility. Drop-down menus and tick boxes can be an issue with some screen reader users, for example. Check the job advert or accompanying information to find out if you can request a more accessible version of the form. Very often, it comes down to completing the application with someone – a family member, a friend, an advisor – who can assist if problems arise. It’s a pain, but it gets the job done.
Follow the format
Like we said, the employer wants the information in a particular way. When you’re entering dates of education or work experience, for example, check that you’re using the format they’ve instructed – this will usually be DD/MM/YYYY. Your CV might just have month and year, so you need to address this. With qualifications, it’s easy enough to find exact dates as they’ll be printed on your certificates. With school, college or work experience it can be a tall order to remember. Rule of thumb is: if you aren’t sure of the exact start date, it’s OK to use the first day of the month. Likewise for end dates: just put the last day of the month. So, for example, if you did one month’s work experience with RSBC, your start date could be 01/08/23 and your end date 31/08/23.
Don’t be afraid to declare
At some point, you’ll be asked if you want to disclose a health condition or disability. This is a routine part of Equality and Diversity monitoring, but some people are understandably nervous about sharing this: ‘will they use my VI as a reason to reject me?’ The decision whether to disclose or not is always an individual one – there is no legal requirement to do so. The question we would ask is this: if they don’t know, how can you expect them to help? If your VI means you’ll need some adjustments in the job – software like SuperNova, for instance, or support with mobility – then it’s in your interest to say so. Use the answer to this question to say what you currently use or will need to use. They don’t need to know your diagnosis; just what works for you.
So, for example:
I am registered Severely Sight Impaired. I use screen reader software (JAWS or NVDA) to complete my work successfully. When using documents, I need them in an electronic format. I would need some light touch assistance with mobility until I learn my way around the workplace.
We’ll talk more about disclosing a disability at another stage.
Everything is experience
You might come up against questions asking how you’ve dealt with certain situations before: ‘tell us about how you’ve worked effectively in a team’ or ‘give an example of when you’ve delivered excellent customer service.’ If this is your first job you’re applying for, it’s easy to panic at this point: ‘I don’t have any experience!’ But of course, you do. Sure, the employer might prefer something from the workplace, but what they’re really interested in is your skill, knowledge, and attitude – this can come from anywhere and everywhere. You’ll have worked in teams at school or college, right? A project, a presentation – something like that. Maybe you take part in sports: playing goalball would be a great example (plus, you can school them on what goalball is). any example that shows the experience they’re asking about is a good one.
Keep it to the point by using the STAR Method:
- Situation. tell them where you were in the example: ‘As a Level 3 Business Admin student in my final year at college…’
- Task. tell them what you had to do: ‘…I had to work with a team of 4 other students to create a presentation on Management. The deadline was only five days away.’
- Action. This is the most important part – what exactly did you do? ‘I suggested we appoint a team lead to coordinate the project and the group elected me. Together, we planned out the different elements we had to complete and agreed which member would take responsibility for which. I put together a timetable so we could check in regularly on how we were doing and made sure that I was there to help anyone who ran into problems.’
- Result. What was the outcome? What did you achieve? ‘Our presentation received positive feedback and my team achieved the highest overall mark for the project.’
Make a statement
You’ve reached the end of the application. Now there’s just that questions that says something like ‘tell us why you are a suitable candidate for this role.’ What do you say? Go back to the job description. There is almost certainly going to be a part of it headed Person Specification or Requirements – basically, what they want you to have in order to go through to the next stage. This will give you a framework for your answer. Go through the list and address each point in order, giving an example using the STAR method we talked about earlier. Make sure you cover every point. If there are some where you don’t feel you have exactly what they are asking for, describe what you can do and how well it matches their requirement – you’re effectively saying, ‘I haven’t exactly done that, but I’ve done this, which is just as good’.
And finally…
check the application through carefully before you click submit! If you can, get someone else to read it through as well. Sometimes they can notice things that pass you by. Good luck!