Application application application...

The start of the end of my traineeship was confirmed on Tuesday by the interviews held in the library for my successor. However, the subjection of 5 poor people to a tour by yours truly, a written cat-'n'-class test and off-the-wall interview questions from the esteemed Prof. Paul Cartledge was the end of a long application process for us in the office, because it took us around 3 weeks to select these 5 names from amongst 176 application forms.

Yes. 176 applications for a 1 year fixed contract trainee librarian post.

Job applications can seem like a lottery,
but you can take control...
Photo from http://koongajobs.co.uk/

Without focusing too much on what this statistic says about the job market more generally, we received applications from a huge range of ages (5 different decades), nationalities (Zambia to Canada via Lithuania) and levels of experience, from the 21-year-old graduate-to-be to people with doctorates, or those looking to change careers altogether. Yet all these people are filling in the same form for the same job and looking to catch the eye of someone at the other end. So where did 5 succeed where 171 failed? Here are my tips for filling in application forms (as a disclaimer: these are based solely on my personal observations and my (exceedingly limited) experience of the job search) :

1. Just like in exams, read the form and all instructions on it properly. Writing your education history down in order with the most recent first may seem like a minor trifle, but when it gets difficult to narrow forms down, then attention to detail can be vital.

2. Lots of forms include space for a personal statement or a blurb about your suitability of the role. Within the constraints of an application form this is your opportunity to show off your personality and your interest, so make the most of it!

• Don't leave any blank space (but do resist the temptation to write 20 pages). 
• Address all essential AND desirable criteria stated in the job's further particulars. 
• Make your statement as specific and as relevant to that one job as possible (and if you're filling loads of forms in, make sure you send the right ones to the right places!). 
• Apply everything that you say about yourself and your experience to the target job. 
• Try to convey your enthusiasm for the position without using increasingly cliched phrases; as an example, the word "passionate" loses its punch after the 50th reading...

3. Proofreading is as important with a form as with a CV or covering letter, and remember that it ISN'T cheating to ask a friend or family member to have a scan through.

4. Typing the form is probably better than handwriting it (especially if your handwriting is hard to read - be self-critical on this one!) but then make sure that the formatting on the form works. There's nothing worse than claiming to be computer literate when the form doesn't fit on the page properly and half the boxes on it are misshapen.

5. Lots of books about job searching techniques recommend making first contact with the employer, but really it's better only to do that with a genuine query, for example, "Am I overqualified for this position?" or "A family member is my employer, is this an acceptable referee?" If you ask really basic questions just to touch base, you risk looking like you can't make decisions for yourself.

It's an incredibly tough job market at the moment and frankly, the estimate of 83 applicants per graduate job seems conservative at best in the face of my recent experience.

But to all jobseekers, and particularly the very worthy people who weren't successful with us : please don't give up hope, keep taking the time to produce quality applications and your opportunities will come...

(P.S. Congrats to the one that did make it - I look forward to working with you in September!)