Employment Application Form: What You Need to Know (2025)

Hiring for your small business shouldn't feel like guesswork. You need a process that's fair, consistent, and keeps you legally covered, and it all starts with a solid employment application form.

Skip this step and you're risking more than just disorganization. You could face compliance issues, miss red flags about candidates, or waste hours trying to compare applicants who sent you wildly different information. An employment application form gives you structure, protects your business, and helps you find the right people faster.

This guide covers everything you need to know: what to include, what to avoid, ready-to-use templates you can copy right from this page, and how to build this form into a hiring workflow that actually works.

TL;DR: Employment application forms for small businesses

Need the basics fast? Here's what you need to know:

• What it is: A standardized document that collects the same information from every job candidate—contact details, work history, education, skills, and availability
• Why you need one: Creates legal protection, ensures fair hiring practices, and makes comparing candidates way easier
• Must include: Personal info, position applied for, availability, work history, education, relevant skills, and certifications (if needed)
• Never ask about: Age, race, gender, religion, marital status, salary history, or Social Security numbers on the initial application
• Digital vs paper: Digital applications work great for hourly teams who apply from their phones. Paper still makes sense for walk-in traffic.
• Keep on file: Store all applications for at least one year, even for people you don't hire, to stay EEOC compliant
• Templates below: Copy-and-paste ready formats for both general roles and hourly team positions

A solid employment application form is your first step toward hiring the right people without the legal headaches.

What is an employment application form?

An employment application form is a standardized document that collects consistent information from every job candidate. It asks for contact details, work history, education, skills, and availability: the essentials you need to evaluate whether someone's a good fit.

Here's the thing: it's not the same as a resume. A resume is what the candidate wants you to see. An application form is what you need to see. It ensures every applicant answers the same questions in the same format, which makes comparing candidates way easier.

For small businesses, this matters even more. You don't have an HR department or fancy applicant tracking systems. You need a simple, repeatable process that keeps you organized and legally protected. An employment application form does exactly that. It creates a paper trail, helps you screen candidates efficiently, and shows you're treating everyone fairly from the start.

What to include in your job application form

A good employment application form collects the information you actually need without overwhelming the candidate. Here's what belongs on yours.

Personal and contact information

Start with the basics: full name, phone number, email address, and mailing address. You need reliable ways to reach candidates, and you need their legal name for background checks and onboarding paperwork later.

Keep it simple here. Don't ask for anything you don't need yet, like Social Security numbers or emergency contacts. Save those for after you hire someone.

Position applied for and availability

Ask what role they're applying for and when they can work. Include questions about their availability for different shifts, start date, and whether they're looking for full-time or part-time hours.

This is especially important for hourly teams. If you're hiring for weekend shifts and someone can only work weekdays, you want to know that upfront, not after you've spent time on an interview. When you're building schedules around school, second jobs, and family commitments, knowing availability from the start saves everyone time.

Work history and previous roles

Request their employment history for at least the past five years. For each job, ask for the company name, job title, dates of employment, supervisor name, and reason for leaving.

This section gives you a sense of their experience, how long they typically stay in roles, and whether they've done similar work before. It's also where you'll spot gaps in employment that might be worth discussing in an interview.

Education, certifications, licenses

Ask about their education level and any certifications or licenses relevant to the role. For many hourly positions, a high school diploma or GED is enough. But if you're hiring for roles that require specific certifications, like food handler permits, CPR training, or professional licenses, you need to know they have them.

Don't require degrees unless they're truly necessary for the job. You'll miss out on great candidates who have the skills but not the formal education.

Skills and role-relevant experience

Include a section where candidates can describe their relevant skills and experience. This might be technical skills, customer service experience, or familiarity with equipment or software you use.

Give them space to explain why they're a good fit, but keep it focused. Open-ended essays waste everyone's time. A few targeted questions work better than "tell us about yourself."

References (optional)

You can ask for professional references, but make it optional on the initial application. Many candidates won't have references ready when they first apply, and requiring them upfront can slow down your hiring process.

Instead, note that you'll request references from finalists later in the process. This keeps the application form simple and speeds up the initial screening.

What not to include: Legal red flags to avoid

Here's where things get tricky. There are questions you legally cannot, or absolutely should not, ask on an employment application form. Mess this up and you're opening yourself to discrimination claims.

Discriminatory questions (age, gender, religion, etc.)

Never ask about age, date of birth, race, ethnicity, gender, marital status, religion, national origin, disability, or whether someone has children. These questions violate federal anti-discrimination laws under the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

You also can't ask about arrest records in most cases, though you may be able to ask about convictions depending on your state and industry. When in doubt, leave it out.

Unnecessary personal information (SSN, salary history)

Don't ask for Social Security numbers on the application form. You don't need that information until after you've made a hiring decision, and collecting it early creates unnecessary data security risks.

Salary history is also off-limits in many states. Laws in places like California, New York, and Massachusetts prohibit employers from asking what candidates earned in previous jobs. Even if it's legal in your state, it's better to focus on what you're willing to pay for the role.

Privacy and data safety (especially outside the U.S.)

If you're collecting applications digitally, you need to handle that data responsibly. Make sure your system is secure, explain how you'll use the information, and don't share it with third parties without consent.

Even if you're a small business, data breaches happen. Taking basic precautions, like not storing applications in shared drives without password protection, protects both you and your applicants.

BFOQs and protected classes (brief overview of EEOC guidance)

There's a narrow exception called Bona Fide Occupational Qualifications (BFOQs) that allows certain questions if they're genuinely necessary for the job. For example, a religious organization might be allowed to ask about religious affiliation when hiring clergy.

But BFOQs are rare and tightly regulated. Unless you're absolutely certain a question qualifies, don't include it. The EEOC takes discrimination seriously, and violations can result in fines, lawsuits, and damage to your reputation.

Online vs paper applications: What's best for your business?

You've got options when it comes to how candidates fill out your employment application form. Both digital and paper have their place depending on your business.

Benefits of digital and mobile-friendly forms

Digital applications are faster for everyone. Candidates can apply from their phones, which matters when you're hiring hourly workers who might not have regular access to a computer. You get applications instantly, they're easier to organize, and there's no risk of losing a paper form that got shoved in a drawer somewhere.

Mobile-friendly forms also mean you can collect applications 24/7. Someone interested in your open shift at 10 p.m. can apply right then instead of waiting to stop by your location.

Plus, digital forms make it easier to search and compare candidates. You can filter by availability, experience, or skills without shuffling through a stack of papers. If you're managing hiring alongside scheduling and time tracking, keeping everything digital in one system means less switching between tools and fewer things falling through the cracks.

When paper still makes sense (walk-ins, low-tech teams)

Paper applications still work for businesses with a lot of walk-in traffic. If candidates are coming to your location anyway, like a retail store or restaurant, handing them a clipboard with an application can be part of your screening process. You get to see how they present themselves in person.

Some businesses also prefer paper because their team isn't comfortable with technology yet. That's fine. Use what works for your operation. Just make sure you have a system for organizing and storing those paper applications so nothing gets lost.

How to optimize digital form completion rate

If you go digital, keep the form short and mobile-friendly. Long forms with tiny text boxes will frustrate candidates and lead to incomplete applications.

Test your form on a phone before you publish it. Make sure fields are easy to tap, drop-down menus work smoothly, and the submit button is obvious. The easier you make it, the more quality applications you'll get.

Employment application form templates (on-page examples)

Use these templates directly, no download required. Copy the format that fits your business and customize it with your company name and specific questions.

General employment application form

[Your Business Name] Job Application

Position applied for: _______________

Personal Information

• Full Name: _______________
• Phone: _______________
• Email: _______________
• Address: _______________

Availability

• Preferred start date: _______________
• Available to work (check all that apply):
  
  • [ ] Mornings [ ] Afternoons [ ] Evenings [ ] Weekends
• Full-time or part-time: _______________

Work History (List most recent first)

1. Employer: _______________
   
   
   
   • Position: _______________
   • Dates: _______________ to _______________
   • Supervisor: _______________
   • Reason for leaving: _______________
2. Employer: _______________
   
   
   
   • Position: _______________
   • Dates: _______________ to _______________
   • Supervisor: _______________
   • Reason for leaving: _______________

Education

• Highest level completed: _______________
• School/Institution: _______________
• Relevant certifications or licenses: _______________

Skills and Experience Describe any relevant skills or experience for this position:

References (Optional at this stage) We may contact professional references during the hiring process.

Certification I certify that the information provided in this application is true and complete. I understand that false information may be grounds for not hiring me or for immediate termination of employment at any point in the future.

Signature: _______________ Date: _______________

Hourly team application form

[Your Business Name] Team Member Application

What role are you interested in? _______________

Contact Info

• Name: _______________
• Phone: _______________
• Email: _______________

When can you work?

• Start date: _______________
• Check your availability:
  
  • [ ] Monday [ ] Tuesday [ ] Wednesday [ ] Thursday [ ] Friday [ ] Saturday [ ] Sunday
• Preferred shift times:
  
  • [ ] Morning (6am-2pm) [ ] Afternoon (2pm-10pm) [ ] Evening (10pm-6am)
• Looking for: [ ] Full-time [ ] Part-time [ ] Either

Your Experience Tell us about your most recent job:

• Where: _______________
• Role: _______________
• When: _______________ to _______________
• What you did: _______________

Have you worked in [your industry] before? [ ] Yes [ ] No If yes, where? _______________

What you bring to the team What skills or experience make you a good fit? (Keep it brief)

Certifications (if required for the role) Do you have [required certification]? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Quick Check

• Can you work weekends if needed? [ ] Yes [ ] No
• Are you legally authorized to work in the U.S.? [ ] Yes [ ] No
• Are you at least 18 years old? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Your Signature I confirm that everything on this application is accurate.

Signature: _______________ Date: _______________

How your application form fits into your hiring workflow

An employment application form isn't just a standalone document. It's the first step in a hiring workflow that takes you from "we need help" to "welcome to the team."

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Collecting, reviewing, and comparing applicants

Once applications start coming in, you need a system for reviewing them. Create a simple process: read each application, sort them into "yes," "maybe," and "no" piles, then focus your time on the strongest candidates.

Look for red flags like unexplained employment gaps, job-hopping every few months, or vague answers to key questions. But also look for green flags: consistent work history, relevant experience, and availability that matches your needs.

Don't overthink it. Your goal at this stage is to narrow down to a shortlist of people worth interviewing. If you're storing applications digitally, you can filter and search faster than flipping through paper. Either way, having all the same information in the same format makes comparisons straightforward.

Linking applications to interviews, onboarding, and scheduling

After you identify your top candidates, the real work begins. You need to schedule interviews, follow up with questions, make an offer, and get them onboarded, all while keeping track of where each person is in the process.

This is where most small businesses struggle. Applications end up in email, interview notes are on sticky notes, and scheduling happens through back-and-forth texts. It's chaotic and things slip through the cracks.

The best hiring workflows connect everything: applications, interviews, messaging, onboarding paperwork, and schedules. When you can go from "we like this person" to "they're on the schedule for Monday" without switching tools or re-entering information, you move faster and nothing gets forgotten. Your new hire shows up ready to work, and you didn't spend your weekend playing email tag.

Storing applicant records and staying organized

You're legally required to keep employment applications on file, even for people you don't hire. The EEOC recommends keeping them for at least one year in case of discrimination claims.

That means you need a filing system, digital or physical, that keeps applications organized and accessible. Don't just throw them in a drawer. Create folders by date or position, label everything clearly, and know where to find an application if you need it.

If you're storing them digitally, make sure they're secure. Password-protect files and limit who has access. Applicant data includes personal information, and losing track of it creates legal and privacy risks

Employment application form FAQs

What is an employment application form?

An employment application form is a standardized document that collects the same information from every job candidate. It includes contact details, work history, education, skills, and availability so you can compare applicants fairly and stay legally protected.

How do I create a job application form?

Use one of the templates in this article as your starting point. Customize it with your business name, specific questions for your roles, and any required certifications. Make sure you're not asking discriminatory questions, then decide whether you want candidates to fill it out digitally or on paper.

What form do I fill out for employment?

As a job applicant, you'll fill out the employment application form provided by the employer. This typically asks for your personal information, work history, education, skills, and availability. Some businesses use digital forms you complete online, while others provide paper applications at their location.

What is a standard application form?

A standard application form collects basic information from all job candidates in the same format: personal and contact details, position applied for, work history, education, skills, and availability. It ensures every applicant provides consistent information, making it easier for employers to compare candidates fairly and maintain legal compliance.

How Homebase simplifies hiring from application to first shift

An employment application form isn't just paperwork. It's the foundation of a fair, consistent hiring process that protects your business and helps you find the right people faster. Use one of the templates above to get started. Customize it for your business, make sure it's easy for candidates to complete, and build it into a hiring workflow that actually works. 

If you're ready to stop juggling applications, interview notes, and schedules across email, texts, and spreadsheets, Homebase keeps it all in one place. Store applications digitally, message candidates directly, and get new hires onboarded and on the schedule without switching tools. Your team will thank you. Try it for free (no credit card information needed).