Your Job Application Form: keep it short, precise and mobile-optimized…

…and enjoy a 50% increase in the quality of applicants’ responses

Most job applications are much too long and contain redundant questions. According to research conducted by Indeed, a job advertising site, 40% of candidates give up filling hiring application forms which have 20 or more screening questions. The abandonment rate only grows from there. Losing candidates is surely not what you are after.

Think about what information is critical to the first screening and reduce your questions to the minimum that you need. Other questions that dig into the deep details should be saved for later rounds of the interview process.

The ‘knockout’ question is a question that draws your applicants’ attention to a reason why they may not be qualified.

Customized ‘knockout’ questions are handy on online job applications where people tend to apply to many jobs quickly. For example, some courier driver jobs ask: “This position requires that the applicant has NOT had their driving permit suspended once or more in the past 3 years. Can you meet this requirement?” Typically a person who could not pass that would save themselves some time and not complete the application.

Depending on industry sectors, 50% to 90% of job search traffic comes directly from mobile.

Make sure that your application experience is optimized for mobiles and tablets. It applies to both the length of the job description and its submission.

Sample fields of an effective Job Application Form

1. Name.

2. Formal Resume.

3. Email Address.

4. Cover Letter (Optional).

5. Residency and work permit status.

   Tip: In many cases foreign workers may require costly visas, and for both prospective employee and employer it’s important to take this into consideration.

6. Salary (Optional).

   Tip: When filling application forms, many people still keep their current jobs and don’t need to be called about lower level positions.

7. Customized ‘knockout’ questions.

   Tip: These are handy on online job applications where people tend to apply to many jobs quickly. The ‘knockout’ question is essentially something that draws an applicant’s attention to a reason (s)he may not be qualified. For example, some courier driver jobs ask: “This position requires that the applicant has NOT had his or her driving permit suspended once or more in the past 3 years. Can you meet this requirement?” Ideally, a person who does not meet the basic requirements would save themselves some time and not complete the application.

Vote if you find the form to be a good example to follow and share your opinion on how to improve the job application template in the comments section.

Would you like to use the job application template for your company’s jobs?

1. Click the Job Application Template button.
2. Register an account with AidaForm, and confirm it.
3. Login into your AidaForm account. The Job Application Form will automatically open in your AidaForm Account.
4. Customize your logo, texts, and add knockout questions. Add or remove fields. Enjoy how easy the form is to use!
5. Move to the Publish tab. Toggle the Published ON.
6. Copy the Form link.
7. Link a job description on your website with the created Job Application Form
8. Start collecting responses.

You will find all the collected applications in your AidaForm account or they may be sent to your specified email.

Still have questions? Need help with the form customization? Don’t hesitate to contact us for help.