Jun 28, 2001 05:49 PM
4981 Views
Filling of Application forms??? Is it really so difficult a topic that it is listed here in advice section on MS?
Under all normal circumstances I would have thought otherwise, but I did realize that we all have to fill application forms in various stages of our life: getting admissions, applying for examination, getting certificates, procuring licenses and permissions, applying for jobs, giving feedback and this and that and that one too…phew!! Also there are certain precautions that need to be taken, failing which can cause great problems. One is stated from my personal life.
I was once filling a form for admission to Degree College when I passed by diploma. There was certain anxieties, that somehow I was pushing the pen fast…I mean I still do not know why I was hurrying. It could have been because I was 4th in Maharashtra and this meant that I could easily get into V.J.T.I. or Sardar Patel College in the city where I live (Mumbai)….just bragging!
So there I went ahh…the usual stuff - name, address, colleges in order of preference, courses in order of preference etc. And later I realized that I had goofed up. Firstly I had written my name as ''Ameet Sharad Choughule''. So what's wrong, you may ask? Actually the form clearly stated that write name beginning with surname. Secondly I had made a spelling mistake and then cancelled it and scribbled the correct version in the little space left and on top i.e. between two lines. This made my form messy. My dad screamed at me. I mean I couldn't miss such an critical admission because of erroneously filled form.
So this hard to get form ultimately landed in the dustbin and I had to go back to all the way to the Directorate of Technical Education (the next day), which is 1 hour 30 min from my place, in a crowded train and pay Rs. 250 to get a new form.
So what is the moral of the story.
1) Haste is waste
2) Look before you leap
There is the other usual stuff, which I repeat since it makes sense:
a) Keep the form on a nice flat surface and not on a sofa or bed while filling. (This one seems stupid advice but I did this one too…even Einstein had made two holes in a box big hole for the big cat and a small one for its kittens…just justifying my stupidity)
b) Use a nice pen. Try it out on some other paper to confirm. Ink pens are bound to leak or the considering the paper used for application forms in India, there is a high probability that ink will blot. Ball pens smudge. So use the gel pens like 'Nova' or 'Add Gel'.
c) Check what form you are filling (in case there are more than two forms to be filled simultaneously).
d) Check what is being asked in the form (such as photographs, attachments).
e) Know yourself well. I mean if you are type who is restless and cannot sit in one place for more than 5 mins, just sit with the form and pen. But if you are the type where you would like to get up only after completion of the form, then check the form thoroughly and get all your marksheets, job details, dates of joining and leaving a firm, certificates, passport, blood group number, medical details, social security number, insurance papers, PAN number, tax filing papers or other such relevant details. Not an important criteria but a matter of convenience.
And lastly I mention my favourite point, which is unique, in the sense that, it is not mentioned on MS or any other site (I believe) and is very very important and should be implemented before even attempting to fill the form. Rather it should be done immediately after buying or procuring the form. If you are curious enough…here goes -
Get one photocopy of the form (Zerox as some realize it) and fill it up first
