How to answer application form questions

  • Always answer the question fully, there may be multiple parts.
  • Explain how YOU used a skill or contributed to a task
  • Be specific - quantify and qualify skills/knowledge/achievements.
  • Remember the CAR model ( see below). What was the impact of your actions?
  • Don't be negative or undersell yourself.

Questions about the job:

Questions about your skills show why you’re right for the job, motivational questions show why the job is right for you.

  • Why do you want to work for ALDI? The employer wants to know why you’re interested in them, not one of their many competitors. You need to evaluate why they are different and why that makes you interested in them. Are you attracted to the organisation because of their high reputation, the markets they are in, the products they make or services they offer? This does not mean you write about the competitors, it’s not about what they don’t do or offer, it’s about what ALDI does offer that makes them of interest to you.
  • "What attracts you to the position you have applied for?” Here you need to understand the nature of the role, responsibilities and duties and how it fits into the organisation. There may be many jobs advertised with one company - why this one?
    Don’t just list what you know (the company already know all the facts about themselves), they want to know your opinion on these things. What do they do that you are interested in, want to be involved in, want to learn? Show not just that you’ve learned things about the organisation but how these things influenced your decision to apply.

Questions about you – skills, strengths and competencies

  • “Please tell us about an occasion when you have worked as a member of a team or a group. Describe your personal contribution to the group and how the group functioned as a whole.”
  • “Of your interests and activities which did/do you find most enjoyable and why?"
  • "At XXXX we strive to deliver work that sets us apart from our competitors. Please describe how you set yourself apart from your peers."

Remember these are skills or strengths needed for the job, your answer should provide the evidence the company needs to assess your competence against other applicants. If the question seems odd think about why they might be asking it? What are they trying to assess?

CAR: Formula for answering competency questions

Context, Action, Result (CAR) is a formula that can be a really useful, especially when answering questions about skills.

Let’s use teamwork as an example:

  1. Firstly, outline the CONTEXT, i.e. the team you were in, e.g., final year design project, team’s purpose, number of people.
  2. Then think about your ACTION, especially what your contribution to the team was, e.g. took responsibility for scheduling series of meetings and setting deadlines, or analysed all statistical data collected into an Excel report. This is normally the most important part.
  3. Then detail the RESULT, e.g. your team received a commendation for the final presentation of the design project, your team opted to work together on the next course project as you had worked so well together. A result can also be something you learned, an insight or appreciation as well as knowledge gained.

Throughout the 3 stages try to quantify where you can, e.g. in a team of 6, a 100 page report, raised £250 for charity. This helps the employer to understand the scale you were working on and judge your performance in context.

Open-ended questions or personal statements

Typically a form will ask you to “provide information in support of your application”. The key to answering these questions well is to use a good structure.

A detailed job description is provided for most jobs. Usually you should address every point on the specification. You could follow the order and/or sub headings they have used as this will make it easy for them to review your application and to see that you have the essential or desirable skills needed for the job.

The ideal length may depend on any other questions asked on the application and how you structure your statement. Using headings and addressing individual aspects of the person specification will take up more space. Aim for around 1-2 pages of A4.

  • Say why you are interested in this organisation – the employer will want to see that you understand what makes their organisation different, and that you understand their products, services or clients.
  • Why are you interested in this particular role? Show where your interest and motivation has come from, and that you understand the realities of the role.
  • Then take each point on the job description in turn and using the CAR structure provide examples of your ability to perform these tasks. You can use examples from your previous jobs, volunteering, extra-curricular activities or from course work to do this.
  • Deal with one topic at a time and do not return to it (otherwise the answer appears repetitive).

Next: Application form FAQs