Applications: Employer perspectives

Give an application form the time, effort and consideration it deserves. Some students think it’s a formality but it’s used to significantly filter down applications, allowing only the most driven for the role being invited to interview.

Accenture

Check, check and check again! With applications that require a lot of content it's so easy to forget the basics. Always use spellcheck and proof read it all again before sending. Double check your contact details as they are crucial!

ASDA

Take your time when filling in the application, make sure you double-check it and are happy with it before you press that submit button.

Next

First of all, before you get near to making an application, ask yourself honestly if you really want to work for the organisation you are applying to and, if the answer is ‘yes’, ask yourself why.  It’s important that you have a clear understanding of your motives and that you know you’re applying for the right reasons.

Deloitte

Do your research! We will expect you to be able to talk coherently and confidently about PwC, the position you're applying for, the business world in general and yourself. The more you know about these things, the more prepared you'll be - so you'll have to get researching.

PwC

Attention to detail - give yourself plenty of thinking time to digest exactly what it is a recruiter is asking you to answer, or reveal. Unfortunately, there are no generic approaches you can rely on when filling out an application form even if you think you are applying for similar roles!

ACCA

The best advice I could give a student regarding completing an application form is tailoring the answers they provide. There are no generic answers or rules to filling out an application form even for similar roles. Every company will be looking for slightly different things as companies differ in their approach, values and beliefs. Therefore, the student needs to look at the job specification and tailor their answers to what the role entails and what the company is looking for in the right candidate. You will need to use relevant examples to demonstrate the skills the employer is seeking as this is the first filtering process.

FDM

NEVER lie on an application. Why portray yourself as something you are not? Many students that have applied to us have not filled in the correct information, have lied in order to make themselves look better, and made many grammatical errors - all of these will give an organisation more reason to dismiss your application straight away.

AEM

At Michael Page International our application form is designed to give us, the employer, a true picture of you. It helps us to identify if you have the attributes that will make you a successful recruitment consultant. We’re not looking for the ‘right’ answer – we want you to give a true reflection of who you are and what you think. We would always give the same advice to anyone filling in our application form – be honest with your answers and focus on letting your personality shine through. We read many application forms every day, so one that gives us a feel for the person behind the words has a much stronger chance of success at this stage.

Michael Page International

Make sure you give unique, varied and interesting examples to competency-based questions, use examples from your education, work experience, voluntary work or involvement in clubs or hobbies - not just university life. And, most importantly - be yourself.

IBM