Now you never need to leave the comfort of your own home to apply for jobs. With an online job application you simply plug in your information and hit submit. The number of companies asking you to fill out an application online is increasing, and you need to be prepared for what you are going to find.

Gone are the days where you dress up to collect applications, dress up again to drop them off, and then dress up the third time for the interview. With an online job application, you can find all of your job applications online and only have to dress up for your interview. However, there are a few different kinds of online applications and you will need some skills to fill them out.

First, you have to have basic computer and typing skills to fill out your online job application. Most online job applications are not necessarily difficult, but you should understand the basic difference between the tab and enter button along with how pull-down menus work. You will also need an e-mail address when filling out your online job application. You can get a free e-mail address through Yahoo! or Hotmail.

The most common online job application is the one that is submitted via the internet. You will need to plug in your information, which are not very different from paper applications. Typical fields in an online job application include your name, address, phone number, schooling, and job history. Most of these applications include a disclaimer that if you hit “submit” you are telling your potential employer that all of the information is accurate.

Another type of online job application is the one that you can download, but you need to print it out and mail it to your potential employer. This type of application benefits the potential employee that does not have the best typing skills. Many government agencies have online job application forms that need to be printed, because they may require a legal signature.

The last type of online job application is not really an application. It is more of a request for you to send in a cover letter and resume to a company. Often these applications will require you to put in basic information like your name, phone number, and address. Then there will be a place for you to either download a cover letter and resume or you can copy/paste your cover letter and resume. Many companies are moving away from allowing you to attach files to your online job application due to viruses.

One of the nice aspects of being able to fill out an online job application is that you can often take more time filling it out than you could if you were filling out an application in person. Most online job applications give you an ID and password so that you can stop and come back to your application. This allows you to really think through your answers and present yourself more professionally.