Lesson 16 — Activity 1: Reviewing Forms


One of the skills you will need in the workplace is the ability to fill out forms neatly and accurately. In Lesson 16, you will think about several situations in which various forms must be filled out completely and accurately to maintain benefits and employability.

There are many situations in the workplace and in your personal life in which you will be required to complete an application form or other types of forms to provide some of your personal information. You can become more efficient and successful in a variety of situations by learning how to complete different types of forms. Completing forms correctly will reduce problems later on.


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For example, you might want to go on a holiday to a country that requires a passport. Getting a passport can take several weeks or even longer. Therefore, you would want to be sure that the application forms are completed correctly. When you see a job that is advertised, you will want to be sure that there are no mistakes when filling in such items as telephone number, e-mail address, or other contact information. These are important facts that must be correct to allow for the employer to contact you. Even though completing these forms seems like a simple task, errors can become very costly, so you must take time and treat them seriously.

Take a minute to think about how many times you might fill in forms in the course of a week or month. 

  • job application form
  • passport application form
  • school forms
  • driver's license form
  • contest forms
  • bank forms
  • online forms to open an account (e.g., Facebook)

You can see that it's a skill that is used in everyday life.


Click on the tabs below to view different types of forms that you may have to complete.



Click here to see an example job application for Walmart.
Click here to see an example of a credit card application.
Click here to see an example of an online school application form. Colleges and trades schools often require your ASN (Alberta Student Number) which you can get from your teacher.
Click here to see an example of an auto-insurance form.
Click here to seen an example of an application to open an account with the Royal Bank of Canada.
Click here to see an example template of an online contest entry form.



What do you need to know to fill out forms?


  • One thing that you are commonly required to include on most forms is personal information that will allow the person, agency, or company receiving the form to contact you. The standard information you will be required to provide includes your name, telephone number, e-mail address, and mailing address. This may seem very simple but sometimes situations, such as a recent move or a change in telephone number, may cause you to not have all of the required information with you.
  • Some forms will require your legal name, as it appears on your birth certificate rather than a nickname. When filling out forms that are used by the government, banks, and schools, you are required by law to use your legal name.
  • There may also be times when you need to be careful not to include too much personal information on application forms. Application forms for such items as jobs, bank accounts, school registrations, and driver's licenses are kept confidential so that our information can not be seen or used by anyone. You should be especially careful about information on documents such as:
    • Social Insurance Number card
    • birth certificate
    • passport

For security reasons, never provide information to anyone about passwords and PINs (Personal Identification Numbers) for bank accounts, credit cards, computers, or anything else that may be password-protected.

When you complete an application, remember that the form is a way of communicating information. As with all forms of communication, you need to consider who your audience is and use an appropriate tone. The idea of tone might seem strange when you think of filling out a form, but keep in mind that the tone of your writing is similar to your attitude. You want to present a positive and respectful tone when filling out forms.

How can you project a positive tone when you are limited to filling in the blanks on a form with brief phrases and items of personal information? The following suggestions will help you to accomplish this task.

  • Read the entire form over carefully before writing on it.
  • If possible, take two copies of the form and do a rough copy first.
  • Use a blue or black ink pen to complete the form, unless the instructions state otherwise.
  • Ensure that each response is accurate.
  • Print responses as neatly as possible.
  • Check spelling.
  • Fill in the form completely; if there are sections of the form that do not apply, put "N/A" or "not applicable" in the blank.
  • Have someone trustworthy, such as a friend, parent, teacher, or co-worker read the form to check for mistakes or items that you may have left out.
  • Use an envelope to keep forms clean and professional.

Following these suggestions should provide a good first impression when your form is read by a possible employer.