CUSTOMIZE YOUR JOB APPLICATION TO SAVE TIME AND HIRE BETTER

Do you want to save time and hire better? Does your business use a standard Job Application form? Possibly one that you downloaded from a website or picked up at the local office supply store? Or, worse yet, do you only accept resumes and don’t have a Job Application?

By customizing a Job Application, you will SAVE TIME and HIRE BETTER.

As a Business Owner or Manager, your time is valuable. You’re pulled in many directions. You want nothing more than to SAVE TIME anyway you can.

As a Business Owner or Manager, your time is valuable. Save time AND hire better by customizing your Job Application.

When I used a generic job application, like most businesses do, I ended up interviewing way more candidates than I needed to while searching for those who would be a good fit. Often, I started with a phone interview to ask some basic questions before inviting the candidates that appeared to be a good fit for in-person interviews.

To save time, I’ve actually eliminated the phone interview process by including ON THE JOB APPLICATION some of the things I would have asked on the phone. Here are a few examples:

Ask about availability.

State your hours of operation and ask applicants to list when they are available during your hours of operation. It can be as simple as this:

“We are open Monday-Friday 9am-5: 30 pm and Saturdays 10am-5pm. What days and times are you available to work?”

Why bother talking to candidates who aren’t available when you need them? This will also help some candidates weed out themselves by realizing they’re not available when you need them.
This is page 3 of my Job Application that asks job-related questions.

Ask job-related questions.
This will help determine if they are familiar with things important to your business. It’s a good idea to keep these questions open-ended instead of allowing a simple “yes” or “no” answer.

For example, instead of asking “Do you know how to use Adobe Photoshop?” state “Please describe your experience (if any) with Adobe Photoshop.” By phrasing it this way, you’ll get more detail AND get to see how they describe their experience. This also helps applicants understand what skills and knowledge are important.
Ask the WHY question.
Near the end of the application, ask the applicant “Why are you interested in working here?” This can be very enlightening. I’ve had people write everything from “I need a job” to “I want to learn how to use the products you sell and I want to get a discount” to “I think my skills and abilities will be an asset to your company.” I’ve even had some applicants neglect to answer the question.

I’m always surprised when a business does not have a Job Application. We can learn so much from them beyond the typical educational and work experience . . . neatness, ability to follow instructions, how applicants express themselves. You can LEARN EVEN MORE, SAVE YOURSELF TIME, and FIND BETTER EMPLOYEES by customizing your Job Applications.

Don’t know how to customize a Job Application? You can generally find a Word template on the Microsoft website. (Try this link to Microsoft templates!) Then, you can edit it. If you’re not skilled with Word or other programs, I’m sure you can find someone to help! Remember, what your application looks like isn’t as important as it’s content and legality . . . which leads me to my next tip:

Get up-to-date on the employment laws before updating or creating a Job Application.
For example, in California, we are not allowed to ask about salary history OR criminal history. (Yea, I know, don’t get me started on this topic!) It’s also important not to ask when an applicant completed education because you can then estimate age. Please, please, please have someone familiar with employment law review your job application to ensure you are complying with all laws applicable to your location(s).

SAVE TIME and FIND BETTER EMPLOYEES by customizing your application to gather more information that will help you determine if an applicant may be a good fit!

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Sondra Kirtley

Sondra Kirtley, MBA, is an entrepreneur who owns and operates a retail and service business in Eureka, California. Known for her helpful nature and small business expertise, Sondra founded SmallBizpathway.com to share tips and experiences with other small business owners.