Why Employers use Job Applications? [ Top Reasons ]

Screening and filtering applicants nowadays include an online screening task for the employers using social media platforms and Job-related documents. Though the new generation technology provides an advantage for companies to effectively choose the right person to fill in a vacancy, most employers still use and know the importance of using printed Job Application forms.

Job application forms are printed documents sent out to the prospective applicants to fill out during the application or hiring process. Listed below are the eleven main reasons why this type of form is useful and will serve a great purpose to any company and for any position:

• To have a consistent data collection. Job Application Forms should be treated similarly to survey forms by means of gathering sufficient data and information. Since the Application Form is created and formatted by the company, the employer or the hiring personnel such as the HR will be able to collect similar ranges of information from various applicants of different positions.

• To acquire necessary information. The Job Application Form has areas which demand the applicant to fill in all information including those which are not stated on the applicant’s resume and job application cover letters.

• To make comparing applicants easier. For an employer, it will be tough to compare applicants using only their customized resumes and curriculum vitae since they have varying formats and styles. But, with the aid of a standard job application form, the employer will be doing the comparison with a lesser effort since the columns and tables in the documents are similar yet only differs in the applicant’s qualifications.

• To know the applicant’s intellectual capacity. Job Application Forms are not only associated with survey documents but also questionnaire forms and exam papers. This is because most Job Application Forms have an area full of questions related to the capabilities of the applicants. The form may include questions about the applicant’s interest in working in the company, the determination of the applicant to be hired, the relevant skills of the applicant, and a situation to be described by the applicant wherein he was working under pressure.

• To be knowledgeable about the applicant’s possible criminal records. No applicant will state in his curriculum vitae that he has been convicted of a crime and have been locked up in a cell since these statements will likely become a hindrance for acquiring any job position. However, it is important for employers to know about the past convictions of the applicant to enable them in determining whether the applicant will be of good purpose and will serve a good example in the company or not. Nonetheless, there should not be a single discrimination for convicted applicants as long as they have paid their penalties and have been exercising moral habits.

• To record the applicant’s garnered military service. Some states will demand their citizens to provide a military service or any type of service before they can be accepted as an applicant in business companies. With a generic Job Application Form, the employer will be able to know if the applicant has successfully provided the required number of service hours similarly to a service form. Applicants who have served the military are most likely to be hired for jobs relating to security and safety of a company’s premises.

• To have an oath from the applicant that he is stating facts. According to a survey, there is more than fifty percent of employers and companies who have spotted lies and fake profiles stated on resumes. This statistical survey is one of the reasons why an Application Form is vital for the employer which aids in promoting honesty and truthfulness from the applicants similar to a sworn affidavit form. A part of the document will state an oath wherein the applicant will prove that the information he wrote on the form is of true values and factual with the best of his knowledge.

• To attest that the applicant has read the policies of the company. Along with a simple job application form are the company’s laws and regulations pertaining to the application process and period. Some companies will indicate in their Job Application Form the specific process that the applicant will be required to undergo to meet the results of his application, whether he will be rejected or hired. Another company policy is about confidentiality wherein the applicant is not allowed to share what he knows about the possible questions that an HR will ask during the interview and the tests during the assessment examinations.

• To acquire the applicant’s references. The applicant’s character references are the people whom the applicant have been working with and knew the applicant for an ample amount of time. It is important for the company to have the names and contact information of these people in order for them to achieve a verification about the applicant’s skills and abilities. These references will be required in the Job Application Form since there are some applicants who prefer to receive a request from the employer in providing the names instead of stating the information directly on the resume.

• To be permitted to do a number of actions in the duration of the hiring process. These actions include using the applicant’s information and data for the company’s trackers and calling the character references of the applicant. The HR or the recruiting personnel may use a reference questionnaire form to fulfill and gather the necessary information about the applicant.

• To let the applicant state his preferred schedule. Companies aim to have employees who can easily adjust to whatever schedule will be given to them. However, not all people prefer to work during daytime since there are some who are night-crawlers or people who prefer working at night. With the use of an Application Form, the recruiter may provide choices to the applicant with regards to the possible schedules that he may choose for his job.

These reasons for using job application forms are simple yet it shows that the document is not only for stating the data of the applicant but also for acquiring an effective communication between the applicant and the company.