Employment Application Form: Tips for Employers (+ Templates)

An employment application form is a standardized document employers use to collect job-related information from candidates. Unlike a resume, it asks every applicant for the same core details, which makes comparisons more consistent and gives you a cleaner record of the hiring process.

The job application form collects only the information you need for the next decision when reviewing candidates. Payroll details, Form I-9 documents, medical information, and most background-check data belong later in the process, not on the first screen.

Below are guidelines for creating an employment application form. You can also download and customize our ready-to-use standard employment application template and other special-case templates in the Types of Employment Application Forms section.

What to include on a job application form

A job application form generally covers six areas: contact information, position and availability, education, employment history, skills and training, and references. Before adding a data field to customize the form, decide how the answer will affect candidate screening. If no one will use it, leave it off.

1. Personal information

Collect enough information to contact the applicant and keep their submission tied to the correct role. Avoid treating the application as a new-hire record. Payroll and tax information can wait until after the candidate accepts an offer.

Personal information will include the following:

• Full name
• City, state, and ZIP code, or full street address when needed
• Phone number
• Email address

Important note: Ask only for the location details needed at this stage. City, state, and ZIP may be enough for initial screening. Collect a full address or Social Security number later through a secure process when required.

2. Position and availability

For tracking purposes, you will want to know what specific job an employee is applying for, which is important for companies that have multiple job postings at the same time. For strategic planning purposes, you must also know when an applicant can start working.

Other information related to position and availability may include the following:

• US work eligibility
• Work availability (days/times), key for flexible or shift-based positions
• Where the applicant saw the job posting

Watch the wording: Ask about work authorization, not citizenship. Federal recruiting guidance says employers generally may ask whether someone has the legal right to work in the US and will need sponsorship. Do not ask candidates to include a passport, green card, or Form I-9 document with the application.

3. Education

Most jobs require a certain amount of education for candidates to be successful. This information is also useful in considering job applicants for other positions and future promotions for applicants who were hired.

Educational information includes the following:

• Name and address of the school
• Graduation status
• Degree earned
• Grade point average (GPA) (optional)

4. Employment history

Like education, the employment history section gives you more information about what past experiences have prepared the applicant for the available position. The company and job title information, specifically, give you insight into how relatable your open position is to the applicant’s previous jobs, and the responsibilities section gives you a chance to see what transferable skills the applicant has exhibited in prior positions.

Employment history-related information includes the following:

• Company name, address, and phone number
• Supervisor name
• Job title and responsibilities
• Dates of employment
• Reason for leaving, if voluntary (optional)
• Permission to contact previous employer

5. Skills and training

Capture qualifications that map directly to the job, especially an active license, equipment certification, language proficiency, or job-specific training. Skills and qualifications can serve as quick indicators of an applicant’s suitability for a position. Hiring managers can easily compare an applicant’s qualifications with the job requirements to determine if there is a match.

Different positions may require different skills and qualifications. In some industries or for certain roles, there may be regulatory or legal requirements to verify an applicant’s qualifications or certifications. This section allows you to tailor the form to each specific job to ensure compliance and help you gather relevant information for each role.

Include the following information:

• Skills relevant to the position
• Relevant certifications and training and when these were acquired
• Expiration dates only when the credential must be current

Pro tip: Make a required credential a clear yes-or-no question, then verify it before hire. Collect license numbers or documents only when needed.

6. References

Before you hire a new employee, it is a good idea to collect references. While not required, references can help you get a better picture of the person from the view of a third party. This person can be a direct supervisor, colleague, mentor, or friend. 

These individuals can help you determine whether the applicant will fit into your company’s culture and perhaps give you insight into the best environment for the applicant to thrive. You can use these reference check questions to verify information that a candidate has given.

Information on references includes the following:

• Full name
• Professional relationship to applicant
• Company name
• Phone number and email address

What to avoid on an employment application form

While you need enough information to evaluate applicants, some details are better left off your employment application form. You do not need to memorize every hiring law, but knowing what each one covers can help you spot risky fields before the form goes live.

The main federal laws to know include:

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: Covers discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, and national origin.
• Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA): Protects applicants age 40 and older.
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Limits disability-related and medical questions before a conditional offer.
• Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA): Restricts requests for genetic information, including family medical history.
• Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA): Protects applicants from discrimination based on military service..
• Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) anti-discrimination provision: Covers certain citizenship-status and national-origin discrimination and unfair employment-verification practices.

State and local laws may set stricter rules, particularly for marital-status, salary-history, and criminal-record questions. Use the table below as a quick reference when reviewing your application.

Keep in mind that not every field in the table is banned nationwide. Some may be lawful under federal law but restricted in certain states or cities. Others are simply safer to collect later, when you have a clear reason and the proper process in place.

Types of employment application forms

Below are different types of employment application forms for your specific hiring needs. You can also download and customize the template.

Standard paper application

These are traditional employment application forms that remain relevant despite the digital transformation. You should have paper applications available because of the following:

• They accommodate candidates who may have limited data access.
• They work well for in-person job fairs and walk-in applications.
• They provide a backup when the digital systems fail.

Pro Tip: Ensure that the paper applications mirror your digital versions to maintain consistency in candidate evaluation. When updating forms, add a revision date to each version so you know which template to use.

Digital/online application

You can add a job application template to your company website, a job board, or an applicant tracking system (ATS). Each option offers different advantages:

• Company website or career page: Gives you more control over employer branding and how applicant data enters your hiring process 
• Job boards: Can expand your reach and may include features like resume parsing and skill matching 
• ATS tools: Centralize applications and usually support screening questions, scorecards, and candidate tracking

Pro Tip: Test the form on a smartphone or mobile device before publishing it. Check the field labels, keyboard behavior, error messages, file uploads, save-and-return behavior, and the confirmation screen. Ask someone outside HR to complete the form without instructions and flag anything confusing.

Short-form application

These serve as efficient initial screening tools, particularly in high-volume positions or preliminary candidate evaluations. Short-form applications focus on capturing essential information without overwhelming candidates with lengthy forms or excessive detail requirements.

Pro Tip: Design short-form applications that can be completed in under 10 minutes. This sweet spot maximizes both completion rates and the quality of information gathered. Consider including one or two position-specific questions that can help quickly identify the most promising candidates.

Comprehensive application

These detailed forms are specifically designed for professional and regulated positions, requiring extensive candidate information for thorough evaluation. They collect the following:

• Detailed work history with specific dates
• Education and required credentials
• Professional licenses or certifications with expiration dates
• References at the appropriate stage
• Role-specific disclosures or acknowledgements

Pro Tip: Break long applications into clear sections with clear progress indicators and save functions. This approach can help improve completion rates while maintaining the quality of information collected. Consider including estimated completion times for each section to help candidates better manage their application process.

Industry-specific application

These specialized application forms address unique requirements across different sectors while ensuring regulatory compliance. For example, education sector applications prioritize teaching credentials, while financial services applications focus on securities licenses and regulatory certifications.

Pro Tip: Create industry-specific sections that can be added as modules to standard applications. Review these forms annually and whenever a law, license requirement, or job duty changes.

Equal employment opportunity (EEO) application

These essential supplementary forms support workplace diversity and legal compliance while collecting voluntary demographic information. They typically include sections for demographic data, disability disclosure, and veteran status, all maintained separately from the main application.

Pro Tip: An ATS or hiring software can help manage this workflow. For example, Breezy HR has built-in EEOC-compliant surveys you can use. If you activate this feature, the system will automatically add it to the application forms. To learn more, visit Breezy HR.

Resume vs application form: When to request either or both

Choose the document based on what your hiring team needs from the candidate. A resume provides context about the person’s experience, while an employment application form gives you consistent information across applicants. Request both only when each document serves a separate purpose.

Requesting both a resume and an employment application form can be a reasonable practice in many situations, as it allows employers to collect comprehensive information and maintain compliance. However, consider the candidate experience and ensure that applicants understand why both documents are requested and how they contribute to the evaluation process.

Looking for more ways to create a smoother recruiting process? Read our guide to improving the candidate experience.