Job Application Template: Free Form + Email Examples
By City Jobs · Updated June 10, 2026
Most job application templates are either a nine-page PDF from 2009 or a form-builder trying to sell you a subscription. You need three things: a clean application form, a short email to send with it, and a follow-up that doesn't sound desperate. All three are below, free to copy.
Employers, the form is yours too. Small businesses hand this exact format to walk-in applicants every day. Paste it into Word or Google Docs, put your business name on top, print it, done.
The basic job application form (copy and paste)
This is the standard one-page employment application: contact details, work eligibility, availability, work history, education, references, signature. An applicant can finish it in ten minutes, and it asks nothing an employer shouldn't ask.
EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION Position applied for: ______________ Date: __________ Full name: ______________________________________________ Phone: ______________ Email: _________________________ Address: ________________________________________________ Are you legally authorized to work in the US? Yes / No Are you 18 years of age or older? Yes / No Desired pay: ____________ Available start date: ________ Availability: Full-time / Part-time / Weekends / Nights WORK HISTORY (most recent first) 1) Employer: ______________ Title: ______________ Dates: ________ to ________ Reason for leaving: ______________ 2) Employer: ______________ Title: ______________ Dates: ________ to ________ Reason for leaving: ______________ EDUCATION School: ______________ Degree or diploma: ______________ Year: ______ REFERENCES 1) Name: ______________ Relationship: ______________ Phone: __________ 2) Name: ______________ Relationship: ______________ Phone: __________ I certify that the information above is true and complete. Signature: ________________________ Date: __________
What the form skips on purpose
No Social Security number, no date of birth, no salary history. An SSN belongs on tax paperwork after a hire, not on an application that sits in a drawer. Age questions stop at the over-18 check, which is the only version that's safe to ask. And a growing list of states, including California, New York, and Illinois, bars employers from asking about salary history at all, so the form asks for desired pay instead.
If you're an applicant and a form demands your SSN or bank details before any offer exists, stop. That's not how hiring works, and it's one of the oldest scam patterns going.
How to make it a printable Word or Docs form
Copy the block above, paste it into a blank Word or Google Docs file, and the underscores become writing lines when printed. Set the font to something plain at 11 or 12 points, keep one-inch margins, and it fits on a single page. For a fillable digital version, swap the underscores for text fields in Word, or just share the Doc with edit access.
Hiring for the role too? The form collects walk-ins; getting applicants is the other half. Posting on City Jobs is free, and direct posts get reviewed and carry a Verified badge.
Job application email template
When you apply by email, the note stays short. The resume does the heavy lifting; the email's only job is to say which role, attach the file, and give one real reason you fit.
Subject: Application for [Job Title] - [Your Name] Hi [Hiring manager's name], I'm applying for the [Job Title] role I found on [where you saw it]. My resume is attached. Two things worth knowing up front: [your strongest relevant experience], and [one specific reason you want to work at this company]. I can start [date] and I'm easy to reach by phone or email. [Your name] [Phone number]
The follow-up email, one week later
One follow-up, sent about a week after you apply, is reasonable and sometimes decisive. More than one starts working against you. The full timing playbook lives in our follow-up guide; here's the email itself.
Subject: Following up - [Job Title] application Hi [Name], I applied for the [Job Title] role on [date] and wanted to check if you're still reviewing applications. I'm still interested, and I'm happy to share anything else that would help. Thanks, [Your name]