The CV Book, 2nd Edition

Chapter 22

Application forms

It’s a fact of life that not every employer will want a CV. Many larger organisations – particularly those in the public sector – will have standardised recruitment systems whereby candidates are required to complete an application form.

One of the main reasons for an employer to use application forms rather than accept CVs is that it is considered to be easier – and fairer – when comparing one candidate to another. It levels the playing field. CVs vary widely – from the brilliant right down to the outright absurd! However, by forcing every candidate to follow precisely the same format when presenting their details, the belief is that the quality of their CV is no longer a deciding factor in the recruitment process. ...