Q&A for How to Fill Out Job Application Forms

I would be very direct and get to the point right up front regarding why you want the job. Also, try to find the right person to address the cover letter to and use their personal name. This always goes far in a cover letter because it demonstrates initiative and professionalism. The goal is to really make a case for why you deserve a job interview, so answer any questions that your resume can't answer. This could be a gap in your employment, or it may be how passionate you are about the industry you're in.

It depends on the job. Look up the average pay for someone with your level of experience in the field to find a starting point.

You could try contacting your former supervisor and ask if they have another number (e.g., cell phone number) you could use for your application. It doesn't matter whether or not the business currently exists; they just want to be able to contact whoever supervised you. However, if you're unable to get in touch with the person, then just fill in the old number and explain the situation to the interviewer/HR person later - they normally don't call anybody until after you've been interviewed.

List your education and volunteer experiences. You can also include time spent as a homemaker or caregiver for a family member.

Put down when you are available for working (mornings/afternoons/evenings, weekends, holidays, etc.). Keep in mind, the more available you are, the more likely you are to get hired.

You can always say you moved on to a better opportunity.

"Special skills" include but are not limited to things like dealing with a large group of people, multitasking and speaking another language.

Read the instructions on the application and have the information you'll need (dates of former jobs, supervisor's names. etc.) handy. When you're finished filling it out, review it for mistakes or omissions.

Depending on the situation, you can omit it altogether (if it has no real bearing on the position you are applying for anyway), or you can state "in progress" if you are planning to eventually get your degree. Nowadays it is not unusual to finish a degree over a number of years or work on it part-time, and you can frame it as such.

There possibly is, but you wouldn't really want to do it - you definitely won't want to be automatically applying for all jobs posted in your field. Also although reputable job websites are generally very safe, unfortunately some scam advertisements do sometimes come through - these are usually easily spotted when read through so you wouldn't really want to be having a automated program sending your personal details off to these!

Simply think up "what you did" in those previous jobs, and type it up! If it helps you can type up a lot of information as you think, and later on you can refine this to concise, easy to read, dot points for use in your application form/resume.