online job form how-to

Adding the right people to your nonprofit is no easy task, but it’s the most important aspect of running a successful nonprofit. Everyone has their favorite ways of finding employees, but it’s important that your method be organized, professional, and appealing to job applicants.

That’s where online forms come in — a way to make finding your dream employees easier than ever. Below are a few tips to make sure you’re job application forms are being used most effectively.

If you’ve been using an email address on your job postings (i.e. jobs@yournonprofit.org), you’re not alone. But that doesn’t mean it’s the best way to collect CVs from talented applicants.

Online Forms have Enormous Benefits

nonprofit job application formConsider a well-designed, crisp online application form that applicants can submit with all their pertinent information and resume. Using forms instead of pasting your email address has many benefits, like:

  • Easy organization. It’s not unheard of that organizations hire for multiple positions at a time. Sorting through applications through your inbox is no small challenge when you’re compiled dozens, or hundreds, of resumes for various positions. Most form builders have cloud storage that makes it easy to sift through your data and quickly find the information you’re looking for.
  • Added legitimacy for your organization. Applicants whose first impression of your company is a well-designed online form — instead of a standard email address — are going to think positively of your nonprofit. Forms can add a sense of legitimacy that you simply don’t get when you’re asking applicants to send direct emails.
  • Sortable information. Having your data collected and stored neatly has its perks. And with most online form building platforms, the information you collected can integrate with spreadsheets automatically so you can sort through fields based on your applicants’ salary expectations, locations, education, and more.

Consider Embedding the Form Directly on your Website

Embed an online formThe best people you could possibly imagine to work for your organization are those who are already supporters. So it makes sense then to include job application forms for posted jobs navigable on your website where visitors can take a look.

Most online form building platforms allow users to simply embed a form on their own site, that way you don’t have to use a standalone link that directs to a separate page. This way applicants easily can send a resume directly from your website

Avoid Redundancy

You’re already getting an applicant’s address from their resume, so why include it in the application form? There are plenty of fields that are required and will benefit your search, so make sure you’ve weeded out superfluous questions. You have to know that many applicants are applying for multiple jobs at a time; so if the form is particularly daunting, they may skip it altogether.

Every nonprofit seeks talented employees in their own way. But the added organization and professionalism from using a form instead of a standard email can make the process more efficient and potentially more fruitful.

Do you have much experience hiring new employees? What method did you use for collecting applications?

Chad Reid is Director of Communications for JotForm, a popular online form building tool and has previously worked in nonprofits. He currently lives in Oakland, California with his girlfriend and three cats.

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