On this page
- What should a job application template include?
- Job application template you can copy
- Which questions to leave off a job application form
- How long should a simple job application form be?
- How to collect CVs and resumes in one place
- How to build a job application form in SendForm
- Frequently asked questions
What should a job application template include?
Every field should help you answer one of two questions: can this person do the job, and how do I reach them? If a field does neither, cut it.
For most roles, that comes down to the fields below.
| Field | Why you need it | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | So you know who applied and can address them properly | Yes |
| Email address | Your main way to reply, and where a confirmation goes | Yes |
| Phone number | Quicker for setting up interviews | Optional |
| Position applied for | Sorts applications when you hire for more than one role | Yes |
| Years of experience | A quick first filter, easier to scan as set ranges | Yes |
| Earliest start date | Shows straight away whether timing works | Optional |
| Portfolio or profile link | Work samples say more than a list of past jobs | Optional |
| CV or resume upload | The full work history without retyping it into boxes | Usually |
| One open question | For example "Why do you want to join us?" It shows motivation and writing | Yes |
Notice what is not there: a full employment history in form fields. If you ask for a CV, applicants should not have to type the same jobs, dates and duties in again. Pick one or the other.
Which fields depend on the role?
Add a field only when the job really needs it:
- Right to work: a yes or no question such as "Are you legally allowed to work in this country?" Many employers have to check this before hiring. In the UK, for example, the government explains the process in its right to work checks guide.
- Driving licence: only for jobs that involve driving.
- Availability or shift preference: for hourly, retail and hospitality roles.
- Salary expectation: useful, but some places limit what you can ask about pay history, so ask what they expect, not what they earned before.
- Certifications or licences: for regulated jobs such as nursing, electrical work or teaching.
Job application template you can copy
Here is a plain-text job application template you can paste into a document, an email or any form builder. It is split into two short sections so it never feels like a wall of questions.
JOB APPLICATION Tell us about yourself. It takes about 5 minutes. Section 1: About you - Full name (required) - Email address (required) - Phone number - Portfolio or profile link Section 2: Experience - Position applied for (required): [Role A] / [Role B] / [Other] - Years of experience (required): 0-1 / 2-4 / 5-9 / 10+ - Earliest start date - Are you legally allowed to work in [country]? Yes / No - CV / resume (file upload: PDF or Word) - Why do you want to join us? (required, a few sentences) Consent - I agree that [Company] may store my application to assess it for this role. Link to the privacy notice.
Change the role options to match your open jobs, and delete any line you will not actually use when screening.
Applications are personal data
A CV contains names, addresses and work history. Under data protection laws such as the GDPR, you should tell applicants why you collect it, how long you keep it and who sees it. The UK ICO has practical employment guidance on this.
Which questions to leave off a job application form
Some questions are just unnecessary. Others can expose you to discrimination claims, because they invite you to judge a candidate on something the law protects. Leave these off a job application form:
- Date of birth or age. If a minimum age applies, ask "Are you 18 or older?" instead.
- Marital status, children or pregnancy. They have nothing to do with doing the job.
- Religion, race, ethnicity or national origin. If you collect diversity data, keep it optional and separate from the application.
- Health conditions or disabilities. Ask instead whether the applicant needs any adjustments for the interview.
- A photo. It shows protected traits and adds nothing to a first screen.
- Social security or national ID numbers. You only need these once you hire someone, and they are a security risk to store for every applicant.
- Full home address. City or region is enough to judge commute or location.
In the US, the EEOC lists the practices that count as discrimination at every stage of hiring, application forms included, on its page about prohibited employment policies and practices.
Can you ask about criminal records on an employment application?
It depends where you hire. Many US states and cities have "ban the box" rules that stop employers from asking about criminal history on the first employment application, and other countries have their own rules. Unless the role legally requires a background check, leave the question out and handle it later in the process, after checking your local law.
This article is general guidance, not legal advice. Employment law varies by country, state and city, so check the rules where you hire before you publish your form.
How long should a simple job application form be?
Short enough to finish in a few minutes. The template above has 10 questions and states "about 5 minutes" up front, which sets the right expectation.
A simple job application form works because people applying to several jobs drop off long forms. Every extra question costs you applicants, often good ones who have other options. Our guide on short form vs long form explains why fewer fields usually means more people finish.
Three habits keep it short without losing anything:
- Use choices instead of free text for things like role and years of experience. They are quicker to answer and easier to sort.
- Split it into two pages: contact details first, experience second. A multi step form feels lighter than one long scroll.
- Ask for detail later. References, past salary and full history can wait until the interview stage.
How to collect CVs and resumes in one place
Email works for a handful of applications, but attachments get buried and you end up copying details into a spreadsheet by hand. An online form puts every CV next to the applicant's answers.
A few practical points for the upload field:
- Accept the common formats: PDF, Word (DOC and DOCX) and OpenDocument cover nearly everyone.
- Keep the size limit realistic. A text CV is usually well under 1 MB, so a few megabytes is plenty.
- Make it optional when there is a profile link field, so people with a strong portfolio are not blocked.
If you are building the field yourself in HTML, our guide to the HTML file upload input covers the accept attribute and size checks. If a candidate needs to shrink a large PDF before uploading, LooPDF, one of our sister sites, can help.
How to build a job application form in SendForm
SendForm's hosted forms let you build a form in the dashboard and share it as a link. You need no website and no code, and applicants do not need an account. A ready-made Job application template is built in.
- Create a hosted form. In the dashboard, create a new form, choose the hosted form type and enter the email that should get notifications.
- Start from the Job application template. It follows the structure above: an "About you" section with full name, email, phone and portfolio link, then an "Experience" page with position, years of experience, earliest start date, a CV / resume upload and "Why do you want to join us?".
- Edit the questions. Change the position options to your open roles, toggle required on or off, and add a Yes / No question for right to work if you need one.
- Set the options. You can stop accepting responses after a set number or on a closing date, show a message when the role is closed, and limit it to one response per person.
- Share it. Copy the share link into your job ad, or embed the form on a careers page of your own site with the iframe snippet.
A handy trick for several open roles: prefill links. Adding a question's key and an answer to the share link opens the form with that answer already filled in, so each job ad can link to the same form with its own position already picked. Applicants can still change it.
Applications land in your SendForm inbox and the notification email, and you can export them to CSV or send them on with webhooks. The email question is used as the applicant's address, so you can send an automatic "we got your application" reply.
The CV upload works when uploads are enabled on the form and your plan includes file storage. Uploads are capped at 5 MB per submission by default, and PDF and Word files are among the accepted types.
The public form page is not indexed by search engines, and a captcha is on by default for visitors who are not signed in, along with hidden bot checks. So the link is not easy to find unless you share it, and spam applications are kept down.
Ready to start collecting applications?
- A job application form with only the fields that matter
- CVs stored next to each applicant's answers
- A share link for job ads, or an embed for your careers page
Frequently asked questions
A CV is written by the candidate and shows their history their way. A job application form is written by the employer and asks every applicant the same questions, which makes people easier to compare. Many employers use both: a short form for the standard answers plus a CV upload for the full history.
In most places, yes. But you usually only contact references for shortlisted candidates, so asking every applicant for them up front makes the form longer for little gain. Ask for references at the interview or offer stage instead, and get the candidate's permission before you contact them.
For most roles, around eight to twelve questions is enough: contact details, the position, experience, availability, a CV upload and one open question. If applicants can finish in about five minutes, more of them complete it. Save detailed questions for later stages, when you are talking to fewer and more serious candidates.
It can save time when your budget is fixed, so it is a reasonable optional question. Ask what the candidate expects, not what they earned before, because several US states and cities ban questions about salary history. Better still, post the pay range in the job ad so candidates can decide before they apply.
Yes. Add a required dropdown for the position and list each open role as an option. You can then sort or filter applications by role. In SendForm you can also give each job ad its own prefill link, so the form opens with the right position already selected.