Use a word processor

When writing applications, I recommend that you draft your answers in a Microsoft Word document (rather than writing them directly within the relevant online portal), for four key reasons. Firstly, if an employer’s application portal crashes or the internet drops, you could end up losing all the work you have completed up until that point. You can mitigate this risk by writing your answers in a Microsoft Word document (and regularly saving that document) then pasting your completed answers into the application portal right at the end.

Secondly, by writing your answers in Microsoft Word, over time you will build up a bank of draft answers, which you can then use as a basis for answers to other application questions. I’m not suggesting that you copy/paste answers to other application forms however; it’s always essential that you properly tailor any existing wording to the questions you face, and use up as much of the allocated word count as possible. On that note, writing in Microsoft Word means you can also easily check the word count as you go, which can help to keep your answers concise and avoid you having to later go through the lengthy process of cutting out hundreds of words.

Thirdly, if you don’t keep a record of your application, you won’t be able to remind yourself of what you included if you’re later invited to interview. You’ll want to remind yourself of this, as if your application mentions (for example) a specific news story or a deal that the firm has advised on, you’ll likely want to carry out some additional research to refresh your memory in case your interviewer brings it up.   

Finally, if you write your answers in Microsoft Word, you can make at least some use of the in-built spell checker. You shouldn’t fully rely on it (as it doesn’t always pick up errors), but it should at least pick up on the more obvious errors.