Following Employment Application Directions

There’s no doubt about it. We live in a world influenced by technology. In addition to 24/7 connectivity, more and more of us choose to conduct our lives with the assistance of our smartphone. Never before has it been so easy to surf the web, chat, take videos and snap pics, all with the same device. However, when it comes to filling our job applications for a staffing recruiter, you might think twice about using a smartphone as your delivery method.

With an on-the-go ease, using a smartphone seems like a no-brainer, but if you do, you could be unwittingly leaving out critical sections of a job application. Even with a mobile-enabled website, users still have to do a significant amount of scrolling around a page. A quick flick of a thumb could quickly move you past a section of a fillable form causing you to leave out an important section on work experience, education or desired salary.

Eliminate Guess Work

Whether or not a section is left blank intentionally or unintentionally, the result leaves a staffing recruiter at a significant disadvantage. If important sections are missing, a busy recruiter won’t know if a candidate has the right skill set or educational background to do the job. While you might reason that the staffing recruiter could just follow up with the candidate, it’s important to remember that even if a recruiter has the time to follow-up, the extra work involved will not place the potential job candidate in a positive light.

Consideration is Appreciated

It’s a given that most people have more to do in a day than they would like do. This applies to staffing recruiters and job candidates alike. No one wants to spend extra time on a task if it can be done right the first time. There are several ways to take this question out of this equation. The first option is to fill out an application on a device with a larger screen. This could be a tablet or laptop. Both options offer more real estate and make it easier to see if all the critical sections are complete before submitting. The second step is to ask someone else to look over the application before sending it in. It’s often easier for a fresh set of eyes to notice any misspellings or missed sections, particularly if you were in a hurry or get distracted during the process.

Checklist for Job Applications

• Check spelling
• Capitalize and/or lowercase words correctly
• Remove texting abbreviations
• Scan for auto-correct mistakes
• Include current contact information (email, phone, address)
• Add relevant social accounts, blog and LinkedIn address
• Avoid super short or overly long answers
• Fill out form completely, don’t write “see resume”

Consider the above checklist the basics steps required for getting an application viewed by a staffing recruiter. When the staffing agency calls with a potential match, you’ll be glad you took the time to do it right.

This article is brought to you by Staffing Kansas City, a full-service Kansas City employment agency that provides contract-to-hire, direct hire and temporary employment placement services.