Top 5 tips for completing your application form
When completing an application form, it’s tricky to know how to complete it accurately whilst providing a clear message.
We’re not looking for superwoman but we need you to aspire to be superwoman!
There are many factors to consider when completing your application form. These are our top five tips as recommended by our Judging Panel.
- Read the question and answer it!
- Be open about your strengths and weaknesses.
- Avoid repetition across questions (eg giving the same examples)
- Be honest.
- Draw on non-work-related as well as work-related experiences.
- Consider using the SOAR
- and overall…less is more!
We hope you find these tips useful. Good luck and remember you have to ‘be in it to win it’!
Take a look at the sample Application Form Questions
Our Award Partners, The Fair Hiring Project, are also giving every Nominee access to online support to help complete the Application Form and each short-listed candidate will be offered a one-to-one mock interview before they attend the Main Juding Panel.
Here’s an example of answering a quetion using the SOAR method
Situation
Begin by briefly providing context using a real life situation you experienced. This is the “before” picture which illustrates what was happening “at the time” of the situation.
For example – “I was newly promoted to department manager. The department had doubled in volume growth but was experiencing higher than average turnover.”
Obstacles
You then articulate the issues or define the problem. This gets the interviewer’s attention regarding what it is you had to overcome.
For example – “Employee turnover was over 50%. The newer staff required training and coaching. The senior staff were overworked and stressed. Work wasn’t getting done and this was creating regular customer complaints.”
Action
You then explain the action you took to resolve the situation.
For example – “I identified and prioritized the immediate action I needed to take. I analyzed the workflow and matched the work to the people who could best get the job done. I then made sure each of the employees had job descriptions. I set up a regular coaching schedule with each employee so I could monitor progress. I had the newer staff job shadow the senior staff and had the senior staff mentor the newer people. We had regular team meetings to ensure we were all communicating results and progress with each other.”
Results
Lastly, you share the result of your actions. Sharing the quantifiable as well as qualitative outcomes.
For example – “Employee turnover dropped to 10% within the first year. Morale improved significantly. Customer complaints stopped coming in. The department became the most efficient and productive department in the division.”
