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Tips for a Good Application (K&WM)

28 September 2015 |

Whether you are a pro or a complete novice when it comes to online application forms, there really is no excuse for submitting a poor application form. You should approach an online form exactly as you would any other form of application. Take your time, carefully prepare your responses and pay attention to detail. Remember that most city law firms receive over 1000 application forms so don"t give a recruiter reading your application form an excuse to reject it. Here are some of our top tips on how to complete a good application form:

Research

Filling in application forms is very time consuming so spend your time focusing on no more than 10 applications. It is unrealistic to think that you genuinely want to work for more than 10 different firms. By doing some proper research, you will be able to choose your 10 top targets. We are looking for you to convince us that you are an ideal match for our firm. A key tip would be to create a shortlist of all the different aspects of a law firm that are important to you and then go from there.

Know Yourself

In order to help you narrow down your shortlist of ideal firms, you need to understand yourself first. Come up with a list of all your key strengths and achievements to help you stand out on the application form.

Language

Remember you are applying to a firm in a professional environment so make sure the tone and language in your application matches! Text speak is a big no-no so please stick to full sentences!

Don't Copy and Paste

A friendly word of warning: if you plan to cut and paste answers from another document, adding the wrong firm name or not tailoring the answer to the firm makes it very obvious that it is a blanket application and very likely to be filed into the "reject" box.

Be Honest

There is no point in using false information on your application form as it will come back to haunt you. Your application form will be used throughout the recruitment process and all information will be verified.

Contact Details

Up to date and suitable contact details are an essential part of an application form. All firms rely on email for correspondence throughout the recruitment process so it is vital to choose both a professional email address and to make sure it is kept up to date at all times. This is most relevant when using academic emails as they can expire.

Check and Check Again!

The most important piece of advice we can give is to make sure you ask someone to check your application form before submission. A fresh pair of eyes can save you from potentially submitting an application with a spelling or grammatical error. Remember – you don"t want to give a recruiter any excuse to put your application into the reject box!