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Make the Match:
Preparing Your Application
Application FormsApart from submitting a cover letter and résumé, sometimes, you are required to complete an application form. The followings are some general guidelines for you to consider.
General Advice
- Answer the questions in the application form in a structured manner; answering basic questions such as: What / How / Why / Result.
- Address the main issues embedded in each question.
- Sculpt your answers to illustrate your competencies in the attributes which the company is looking for.
- Use examples from a wide range of situations.
- Keep your examples as current as possible.
- Do not exaggerate or fabricate these achievements and experiences, as you'll be asked about them in detail at the interview stage.
- Use bullet points where appropriate.
- Check your spelling and grammar carefully before submitting the form.
- Ensure you complete a final check of your form before submitting.
- Keep a copy of the Application Form to re-read before your interview.
Filling in an application form
- Education, qualification and other academic achievements
- Your interests, extra-curricular activities, community services and working experiences
- Self-description
- Scholarship and awards
- Interests and hobbies
- Personal achievements
- Career goal and objectives
- Strengths and weaknesses
- Expected salary
- Reasons for joining the company & Experience previously gained
- Example of leadership
- Example of problem solving
- Other relevant information
When providing details on education, qualification and other academic achievements...
Be sure to present what you have actually achieved and that the information presented should be: clear, accurate, easy to read, specific and consistent in format.
For example:
- Cumulative GPA 3.7 out of 4 (Top 5% of a class of 85 students)
- Unless otherwise required, list the most current information first.
When providing details on your interests, extra-curricular activities, community services and working experiences...
State clearly your position in an organisation, your areas of responsibilities and the duration of your involvement.
Use action words to describe your interests, your responsibilities and/or your involvement.
Be specific about what you put down.
For example:
Interests in reading financial magazines such as xxx, xxx, focusing particularly on xxx, xxx columns, etc.
Focus on your achievements and results so as to reinforce the impact of the kills and qualities you have.
If possible, present your achievements and the results both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Examples of unclear and boring presentations:
- Editor of the HKU, SU Newspaper, Year 2.
Organised functions for the company clients. Duties include booking venue and external liaison and co-ordination.
Based on the above guidelines, this could be better presented as:
Editor-in-Chief of The University of Hong Kong's Students' Union Newspaper (Sep 01 - Aug 02).
Set up an exhibition booth for a 2-day exhibition held in the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.
Recruited and trained up 2 part-time student helpers to man the exhibition booth and received over 300 visitors.
Handled all correspondences with the HK Convention & Exhibition Centre on the terms and conditions on tenting an exhibition hall.
When providing a short paragraph of self-description or stating how you are more preferred than others...
- Use this space to "SELL" yourself.
Mention your strengths, personality, skills and experience... etc that are relevant to the job. Do not just focus on your academic results. Illustrate your personality and skills by describing your past performances. Use one or two experiences acquired in extra-curricular activities or working experience to convince the employer that you possess the right personal attributes. Do so by answering the questions of what you did, how you did so, what results did you achieve.
Provide examples to prove that you meet the requirements of the post (e.g. those who are confident and with a "can-do" attitude... etc).
When providing details of the scholarships and awards you have previously gained...
- State qualitative and quantitative achievements.
Compare the following statements:
- Chai Tai Man scholarship
Awarded Chai Tai Man scholarship on outstanding achievement in voluntary work
When stating your interests and hobbies...
Do not feel that you need to limit yourself to your discipline of study.
From whatever hobbies / interests you quote, the recruiter will get to know you better. Say what you have learned / done and in what ways the company can "benefit" from your hobbies and interests.
For example:
Attending yoga classes once a week allows you to refresh your mind and body which help relieving stress and pressure from work.
When describing a specific personal achievement...
Describe a specific achievement of which you are particularly proud.
This specific achievement does not have to be glamorous. Little things like finally learning to ride a bicycle, cooking for a large group, winning the trust of a vulnerable person etc are relevant examples to quote.
From whatever accomplishment you quote, the recruiter will get to know you better.
Do not worry about the status of your accomplishment, just name your most significant one. Allow the interesting and worthwhile "you" come across.
When quoting your specific achievement, describe what you did, how you did it, why you did it in that manner, the results that you achieved and the lesson learned or insight gained.
Again, tell the recruiter how the experience learned and insights gained contributed to your development as an individual.
When stating your career goal and objectives...
Focus on what the company is aiming for, and this should be your genuine career goal. It can be either occupational competency or responsibility.
Describe how you plan to achieve that goal if you were working for the company. For example, do you know what is required to develop yourself to be a more senior executive of the job applied?
State in the answer what you would like to be able to do in future, or what responsibility you would like to have. For example, you may want to specialize in the area of xxx with special responsibility in xxx. You may also want to attain an addition qualification on xxx in x years.
There is no right or wrong answer. The purpose of the question is for the recruiter to know what sort of person you are and your aspirations.
When evaluating your strengths and weaknesses...
Draw attention to the most relevant, unique and interesting strengths which answer directly to the job requirements.
Describe a specific achievement of which you are particularly proud and explain how has this contributed to your development as an individual.
Be honest with your weaknesses since that would allow both you and the recruiter to assess the suitability of the job for you.
State what you have done in the past and what you will do in the future to shed them.
Say what outcome is expected and whether this will make you a less competitive candidate / employee in the short and long run.
When you are asked to state an expected salary...
Find out the current trends from other job advertisements posted on JIJIS or other salary index such as Classified Post and review Graduate Employment Statistics.
When you are asked of the reasons for joining the particular company...
Show that you understand what the company has to offer in your answer.
Mention specific factors that tie in with your interest, ability, value, potentials and career goal.
What past experience do you have to make you a suitable candidate? With these potentials, enthusiasm and past experiences, what can you do for the company as working in that position? Illustrate with an example of a situation; or a task for which you were responsible; describe actions you took and emphasise specific results or accomplishments.
Articulate the value of the experience in terms of how it has prepared you to develop the required skills for the relevant job.
May also include other information such as hobbies and interests to help the recruiter know you better. In what ways the company can "benefit" from your hobbies and interests?
When you are asked to provide an instance when you led a group...
This can be an occasion where you volunteered yourself or run for a leadership position.
Talk about the responsibilities that you have shouldered and how these contribute to the satisfactory completion of a certain task undertaken by your team.
Finally, you achieved this and that results.
When you are asked to provide an instance when you solved a complex problem...
Describe the problem.
In what context did you encounter this problem?
How complex was it? Why do you think it was complex?
How did you analyse the problem? What methods did you use? Why did you choose these methods?
What data did you gather and how did you analyse them?
How did you gather the data? What were the sources? How did you make use of them?
Did you seek support from others? If so, how much? Why was it necessary?
What did you do on your own? (i.e. without support from others)
In what ways did you analyse the data and make use of them? Do you have the ability to comprehend and reason with complex information - both verbal and numerical?
What was the outcome?
How did you solve the problem? What were the solutions?
Did your solutions bring about any improvement to the problem? Provide qualitative and quantitative results.
When you are asked to state extra information that is relevant to the application at the end...
Review the overall structure of the application form again. What else do you think the employer would like to know about you in relation to the job?
Highlight other achievements which have not been covered and which would show that you are a suitable person for the position(s) that you have applied for.
Take the opportunity to initiate a conversation with the employer and carry it through at the interview.
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