How to write a job application, step by step

Most applications say the same thing: that you are well organised, solution-oriented and a good team player, and that you are hereby applying for the position. The recruiter has read that sentence a thousand times. An application that gets read does something else. It answers one question, briefly and concretely: why you, for this particular job.

This guide takes you through the whole application, from the moment you open the job ad until you press send. If you would rather see finished examples first, skip to cover letters with structure and examples. If you are updating your CV at the same time, you will find the method in the guide on how to write a CV.

What an application really is

The CV and the application do two different jobs. The CV is the facts: where you have worked, what you can do, what education you have. The application is the argument: why those facts mean you can solve exactly their problem.

That is why an application that only retells the CV in full sentences is wasted. The reader already has the CV in front of them. The application should add what the CV cannot show: your judgement, your motivation, and the link between what you have done and what they need.

In Norwegian, the words «søknad», «søknadsbrev» and «motivasjonsbrev» mean the same thing in practice, and so do application, cover letter and motivation letter in English. Don't be confused when one ad asks for one and another ad for the other.

Before you write: read the job ad as a list of requirements

The best application starts with reading, not writing. Go through the job ad twice and look for three things:

• What the role actually involves. Not the title, but the tasks. Two jobs with the same title can be very different.
• What is a “must” and what is a “bonus”. You don't need to match everything. But your application should clearly answer the three or four must-have requirements.
• The tone. A playful start-up ad and a formal ad from a municipality should be answered differently. Mirror the tone, within reason.

Once you have read it, choose the two or three points where you match best. Leave the rest. An application that tries to cover everything proves nothing.

The structure that works

An application has four parts, and they fit on one page.

The opening

The first sentence decides whether the rest gets read. The most common mistake is to open with yourself: “My name is, I am, I am hereby applying.” Turn it around. Open with the job or the company, and show that you understand what they need.

Weak: “I am hereby applying for the position of customer adviser with you.”

Better: “You write that you want someone who takes ownership of the whole customer journey, not just the enquiry. That is exactly how I have worked for the last three years.”

The second one opens a conversation. It shows that you have read the ad, and that you have something relevant to say.

The body

This is where you prove it. For every quality or qualification you bring up, give one concrete example showing that you really have it. A claim without proof is just words.

Weak: “I am well organised and work well under pressure.”

Better: “In my last job I was responsible for the invoicing run at the end of each month. When the system failed two days before the deadline, I set up a manual routine that got everything out on time.”

Two or three paragraphs like that are enough. Choose examples that answer the must-have requirements in the ad.

The link to the company

One short paragraph about why them in particular. Not flattery, but something concrete: a product you use, a direction they have taken, a value that genuinely matters to you. This is the paragraph that sets a tailored application apart from a mass mailing.

The ending

End with a clear wish for the next step. Not “I hope to hear from you”, but “I would be glad to tell you more in an interview”. It is calmer, and it is clearer.

You usually don't need to include references in the application itself. The employer asks for them later, often after the interview.

The most common mistakes

• The generic application. The same text for everyone, with the company name swapped. Spotted immediately.
• Retelling the CV. If the application could be pasted under “experience” in your CV, it has not done its job.
• Too long. More than one page, and the most important points drown.
• The wrong company name. The classic copy-paste slip. Proofread, every time.
• Empty adjectives. “Dedicated, committed, solution-oriented.” Show it with an example instead of claiming it.

When the job isn't advertised: the open application

Many jobs are never advertised. An open application, where you contact a company you want to work for yourself, follows the same recipe, but you have to define which problem you solve for them. Be specific about what you can contribute, and make it easy for them to see where you fit in. How to find the right person and what to write, with a template you can copy, is in the guide on the open application.

Examples for your field

The structure is the same, but the language and the examples vary with the profession. Teachers will find a walkthrough with finished examples in the guide on the application for a teaching job.

If you are applying in another profession, you can find vacancies sorted by occupation and adapt the template to the requirements in each ad.

In summary

A good job application is short, concrete and tailored. It opens with the job, not with you. It proves two or three things with examples instead of claiming ten. And it ends with a clear invitation to a conversation. Do that, and you are already ahead of most of the pile.

Once the application is in place, the CV is the next step. See how to build a CV that gets read, or check your CV for free before you send it.