Sample application form

· Social security number (SSN)

· Driver's license number and state of issue

· Whether or not you've been convicted of a crime by civil or military courts

· Nature of the offense

· Date of conviction

· Location where convicted

· Disposition (sentence, probation, etc.)

· Home addresses for the past ten years

· Date you're available for work

· If you must give your current employer notice two weeks in advance, write Two weeks notice.

· Otherwise, write the date on which you know for sure you can start work.

· Military service. Bring your discharge papers, just in case they ask to see them.

· Entry and discharge dates

· Type of discharge

· Branch

· Occupational specialization

· Special training received and dates

· Last rank

· You might be asked if you're a veteran of a war, such as Vietnam. This is for affirmative action programs, not discrimination.

· Position desired, first and second choices

· Geographic preference, first and second choices

· Salary desired. If you want to temporarily sidestep the salary issue so you can negotiate, write negotiable, open or competitive.

· How you heard about the job

· If an employee referred you, get the employee's work contact information in advance.

· Then include it on the job application if required, so the employee receives incentives due.

· Education and training

· Start and end dates

· School names and addresses

· Majors and minors

· Degrees earned and dates

· Grade point average

· Rank in class

· Titles of Master's and Ph.D. Theses, and advisors' names

· Additional skills. Typically, you don't need to worry too much about these unless applicable for the job. For example, lots of workers type on computers these days, but words per minute (WPM) usually applies only to clerical jobs.

· Typing WPM

· Steno WPM

· Professional licenses

· Language fluency

· Software knowledge

· Equipment knowledge

· Technical skills

· Professional organization memberships

· Names of organizations

· Dates of membership

· Addresses and phone numbers

· Whether or not you are authorized to work in the country. If you have a work visa or weren't a citizen at birth, be sure to bring relevant paperwork.

· Up to four references

· Business and home addresses

· Day and evening phone numbers

· Occupations

· Relationships with you

· Whether or not you've previously applied for work or worked at the same company. If so,

· Dates of application or employment

· Divisions, units and departments for which you worked

· Names of bosses

· Work history

· Names of employers including current employer

· Mailing and street addresses (if different), and phone numbers. Provide this information for the offices where the Human Resources (HR) departments or your work records are located.

· Start and end dates. Write present for the ending date at your current employer.

· Reasons for leaving. Be careful with this one. Never criticize a former employer. Instead, write something generic like career advancement.

· Last or beginning and ending salaries. If you want to temporarily sidestep salary or don't think it's any of their business, leave it blank or write competitive.

· Boss's names, titles and business contact information

· Your titles and the type of work you did

· Reasons for gaps of 90 days or more in your work history, other than school