How to Create a Job Application Form in WordPress: The Complete Guide

Are you looking to make your hiring process more efficient by adding an online job application form to your WordPress site?

With the right WordPress form builder plugin, you can easily create an effective job application form to allow candidates to submit their information directly on your website.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll provide step-by-step instructions on how to create an optimized job application form using WPForms, the best WordPress forms plugin.

We’ll also share tips and best practices from our 15+ years of experience managing WordPress sites to help you get the most out of your online application system.

Why You Need an Online Job Application Form

Here are some key statistics that highlight the benefits of using an online application form:

• 75% of job seekers say a user-friendly application process makes them more likely to complete an application (CareerBuilder)

• 60% of candidates will abandon an application if the process is too complex (JotForm)

• Online applications result in a 35% increase in qualified candidates versus other methods (Aberdeen)

It’s clear that an online application results in more completed forms and allows you to connect with more qualified applicants.

Additional benefits include:

• Streamlined collection of information – Candidates can complete applications quickly on any device. No printing or emailing paperwork required.

• Mobile optimization – Today over 80% of job seekers search for jobs on mobile devices. An online form is easily accessible and completed via mobile.

• Built-in organization and tracking – All applications are stored in your WordPress site for easy searching, filtering, and tracking.

• Customizable fields – Tailor the application to collect the specific information you need from candidates.

• Integrations with HR platforms – Connect your form to applicant tracking systems and hiring tools to further simplify recruiting.

• More accessible – An online form removes barriers like geography, transportation, disabilities that may prevent traditional application completion.

Clearly, an online job application delivers a better experience for candidates while saving your recruiting team significant time through built-in organization and tracking.

Now let’s see how to create one with WordPress and WPForms.

Step 1: Install and Activate WPForms

WPForms is the best WordPress forms plugin on the market and provides the easiest way to create a job application form.

Over 5 million websites use WPForms to create all types of forms including contact forms, order forms, surveys, online booking forms, multi-page applications, and more.

First, login to your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New, then search for “WPForms”. Click the Install Now button.

[Image: Install WPForms plugin]

After installation completes, click Activate to enable the WPForms plugin.

Next, go to WPForms > Settings and enter your WPForms license key if you have WPForms Pro. You can find your key under your account on wpforms.com.

[Image: Enter WPForms license key]

WPForms is now ready to create your job application form!

Step 2: Install the WPForms Form Template Pack Addon

One of the best features of WPForms is the library of pre-made form templates that make creating any type of form easier.

For our job application, we’ll use the Form Template Pack addon. Here’s how to install it:

1. Go to WPForms > Addons in your dashboard.

2. Find the Form Template Pack and click Install.

3. After installation completes, click Activate.

[Image: Install Form Template Pack addon]

This pack gives you access to loads of form templates for surveys, event registrations, employment forms, and more – over 40 templates total!

Now we’re ready to build our job application form using the pre-made template.

Step 3: Create a New Form and Select the Job Application Template

Go to WPForms > Add New to create a new form. Give your form a name at the top, then scroll down until you see the template selector.

Here you can search for the “Job Application Upload Form” template or scroll and find it in the list:

[Image: Select Job Application Form template]

Select the template to open the drag & drop form builder pre-loaded with beautifully designed fields for a complete employment form.

The fields include name, email, phone, availability, resume upload, and common job application questions like work experience. You can easily customize, add, remove, or rearrange fields as needed.

[Image: Default fields in Job Application template]

Once you have your ideal fields in place, click Save to finalize the form setup. Then click the X to exit the builder and return to the WPForms dashboard.

Step 4: Embed the Form on a Web Page

Now that your job application is created, it’s time to make it available on your site. There are a few ways to do this:

Gutenberg Editor Block

The easiest method is using the WPForms block if your site has the new WordPress block editor.

Create or edit the page where you want the form to appear. Click the + button to Add Block, search for “WPForms”, then click the block.

Select your form from the dropdown list and WPForms will embed the live form into that page.

[Image: Embed form with Gutenberg block]

Classic Editor

If your site uses the classic WP editor, click the “Add Form” button to launch the WPForms popup. Choose your form and insert it.

[Image: Embed with Classic Editor]

Sidebar Widget

You can also go to Appearance > Widgets and add the WPForms widget to a sidebar or footer area to display your job application form.

For best results, add the form to an existing Careers or Jobs page, or create a new page specifically for open positions and job applications.

Here’s a sample Careers page with content above the embedded job application form:

[Image: Sample Careers page with form]

Your form is now live and ready start accepting job applications!

Step 5: Customize Email Notifications and Confirmations

One of the most important parts of your application form is the email notification that gets sent to your team whenever a new submission comes in.

By default, notifications will be sent to the admin email address of your WordPress site along with a link to download any uploaded resume/files.

You can easily customize these notifications as well as the confirmation message the applicant sees using the WPForms form settings.

Here’s how to configure your form’s emails and confirmations:

1. Edit your form and go to Settings > Notifications.
2. In the “Send To” field, add the email address(es) that should receive new applications. You can add multiple emails separated by commas.
3. Check the box for “User Notification” if you want applicants to receive a confirmation email after submitting the form.
4. Scroll down to customize the subject line and messages for the notification and confirmation emails.
5. Click Save when you’re done.

[Image: Customize form emails and confirmations]

These notification emails also include links and details for any uploaded files from the applicant.

Now your recruiting team or hiring manager will get new applications delivered directly to their inboxes!

Step 6: View, Organize, and Comment on Job Applications

WPForms neatly organizes all submitted applications under Entries in your dashboard.

Click your form name to view all entries. Then use the available filters to search, sort, and manage the applications.

[Image: View and filter form entries]

Important submissions can be starred for follow up. Click the View link to see all details and any uploaded files from the applicant.

You can also add internal notes to any application entry using the Add Note button. This allows your whole team to follow or discuss submissions.

[Image: Add notes to applications]

These features allow you to easily track and evaluate all applications in one place without cluttering inboxes!

Step 7: Connect Your Form to HR and Recruiting Platforms with Zapier

To further simplify your recruiting process, you can connect your WPForms job application form to HR and applicant tracking systems using Zapier integration.

Zapier is a third-party automation tool that connects web apps together with workflows called Zaps.

The WPForms Zapier addon lets you automatically send new form entries to platforms like:

• Google Sheets to store applicant data
• Gmail to forward notifications
• Slack to receive alerts
• Trello to organize pipeline
• Greenhouse, Lever, Zoho Recruit for applicant tracking

[Image: WPForms Zapier integrations]

Here are some examples of possible application management workflows:

• New entries saved to a Google Sheet, then reviewed and added to an ATS system
• Applications automatically forwarded to the hiring manager via email
• Notifications sent to a Slack channel allowing the recruiting team to discuss promising candidates

Check out our guide on automating WPForms with Zapier to get started with these types of integrations.

Connecting your job application form to HR tools supercharges your recruiting process!

Tips for Improving Your Online Job Application Process

Here are some additional tips and best practices for enhancing your job application form:

• Include resume upload field so candidates can attach a file containing previous work samples, references, cover letters, etc.

• Add a dropdown with list of open positions so applicants can select relevant job title when applying.

• Use conditional logic to display different sets of form fields depending on which job is selected.

• Redirect applicants to a custom “Thank You” page rather than default confirmation message.

• If hiring globally, enable multi-language support for the application form.

• Add CAPTCHA protection to prevent spam and bot submissions.

• Enable page scroll progress bar so applicants can track completion.

• Use Stripe integration to charge a nominal application fee (for certain positions only).

Optimizing your online employment application form will allow you to source and evaluate qualified candidates much quicker. Follow the steps in this guide along with the tips above to level up your hiring process with WordPress and WPForms today!