Most basic job applications ask for facts such as your contact information, work history, educational experience and professional references. However, applicants often have difficultly portraying the entirety of their experience in such a limited format. Employers are aware of this and often include an "additional comments" section for applicants who need the space and opportunity to explain their qualifications in greater detail. You can take advantage of this extra freedom and latitude on the usually rigid job application form.
Confirm whether the additional comments area is meant as a subsection of a major section on the application. For example, many hiring managers want to know your reason for leaving each employer that you list in the work experience section. Don't skip or avoid these opportunities to explain away negatives in your past experience. In turn, the hiring manager may skip your application altogether if he has an uneasy feeling when seeing words like fired or terminated and no further details. In fact, human resources may request written explanation of the separation. Your response should be factual and unemotional.
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Preview the entire application form, beginning to end, before filling in any information. Then use additional comments to compensate for lacking or missing sections, after you have completed the obligatory work experience and education sections. For example, a job seeker might wish to include relevant volunteer experience on the application. Some employment experts discourage listing unpaid volunteer work in the work experience section alongside paid jobs. Job seekers who are unsure about how particular hiring managers view volunteer experience can use the additional comments section.
Advertisement Article continues below this ad VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCEBoard of Directors. Early Childhood Community Center. Served as Board secretary for five years. Perfect attendance at monthly meetings. Took minutes, filed correspondence and disseminated quarterly newsletter.
Employers want to know additional details that make you qualified for the job opening, especially compared with other applicants. Avoid listing hobbies or personal interests anywhere on the job application if they are unrelated to the position, including in the additional comments section. For example, a hiring manager might be impressed by an accountant who does amateur astronomy as a hobby. This activity involves elements of using basic science and technology, skills that are critical for gaining employment in the labor market. The application contains personal and professional information about you, but almost everything must tie back to how your experiences can benefit the employer.
Advertisement Article continues below this ad ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (For Renaissance Festival Actor Application) Special skills: juggling, karate, stage combat, yodeling, dialects, flexibility, gymnasticsManagers want employees who can perform job duties with competency, but they also want people who can write and communicate effectively as well. Use the additional comments section to show off your writing skills, using complete sentences and paragraphs if space permits. Check for correct spelling and usage of words using a dictionary. Normally, the cover letter is the job search document that conveys your writing skills, as a part of a total application packet submission, but in some cases the hiring manager may never read past the application. Maximize use of the additional comments space on the application, since this is often the first and only opportunity to impress hiring managers.
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