By the end of this short workshop you will be happily filling in application forms, you’ll what to say and how to say it, and have them done in record time.
Do you love them or loathe them?
How long does it take you to complete one?
Do you ever think ‘just give me the interview, I’ll prove it to you there!’ Ever thrown your pen down in disgust or started a form online then got distracted by all the shiny goodness on Facebook or Twitter?
What do you prefer paper forms or online forms?
Dislike them both? Oh dearie. You’ll love this workshop then, I promise.
We’re going to have you hot skipping to get them done by the end!
Look, generally, when most people look at job adverts, person specifications or job descriptions they know in their head what they want to say, but creating the proof in writing and convincing someone else, oh my, that’s a very different story.
Some even go as far to fill in all the ‘easy parts’ first and then bin the form before even starting the ’big bit at the back’! That’s the part that usually asks ‘Please use this space to support your application, refer back to the person specification’.
Why are Application Forms Dreaded?
You want my opinion? Well, one it’s a form, with boxes, lines, it looks all official, so is it any wonder most people forget how to write? I compare them to passport forms, I mean how many of those do people rip up and start again before ‘filling it in right’?
Appplication Forms are Two Things
1. A skill
2. A selling job
Why are they a skill?
Most focus on the blank form and not themselves and (the biggie) what the employer is actually looking for.
They skim the person specification or job description not really thinking ‘what are they really looking for?’ And then proceed with a lot of guess work.
Tip
One way round this is to take person specification and create a mindmap. In the centre of the map, write the job title, then build your map. Go through each single point on the person specification and ask ‘what skill do I have that fits, and what example can I use to prove it’.
Also a skill isn’t something that just happens. You, me, all of us when we start to learn anything new it’s clunky and awkward at first: it doesn’t matter if it’s an application form or new recipe. The learning stages remain the same.
And not many of us have actually ever been taught the skill of filling in an application form.
It’s another one of those ‘lifes missing lessons’ we didn’t get it at school, if we were lucky maybe someone else in our life was ‘good at them’. Plus we don’t fill a lot of them in over our working life. Yes, if you aren’t working you’ll probably fill in more than someone who is. But they are pretty much alien to most people.
This Course is About The Skill and the Sell (and Making them Easy!)
Course Outline
* Belief Changing First—Why Application Forms Put The Fear in People and Why You can ‘Let It Go’. Yeah!
* How To Complete The Part Which Most People Think Says ‘Please Shoot Yourself Now’ or the Supporting Statement!
* Do’s and Definite Don’ts! With A Checklist To Tick Off As You Zip Along
* Online and Off—Why The Format Is The Same and Different
* Three Gem Exercises That Will At Least Get You Half Way Through
* Why Reading The Person Specification is Pretty Crucial!
* How To Engage Your Reader (by using their language)
* How To Paint Pleasing Pictures and Stories
* How To Grab It Before The Reader Even Begins
* Words That Wake! Words That Send People Into A Coma
* If All Else Fails Who Are The Best People To Ask For Help !
* Cover Letter or Not? Why They Are Vital and Ensure Your Form Gets Read
* Focus On The Outcome
* How To Complete a Form in Under A Month! (Two Hours Maximum)
* Research Then Write
* What Two Things You Cannot Do and Why You May Find You Hate Filling in Forms
* What You Can Learn From Alan Sugar, Lulu and Susan Boyle About Application Forms
* How To End Procrastination and Get Them Done
Course Length: 6 Hours
Course Cost: £47 (discount available for low wage and unemployed please contact me)
Next Date: TBC
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