5) In any area of form that allows you to provide extra information about yourself or your previous employment, use short punchy statements from your resume. If Application Forms has plenty space for that sort of information (most don't) then use bullet points and space statements.

6) Complete rest of Application Forms.

7) Make yourself a coffee.

8) After you have finished your drink, go through completed form carefully. Identify any mistakes that you have made.

(i) Check spelling. (ii) Check that non of boxes look crowded. (iii) Get a friend to read through Application Forms.

9) If you make any mistakes, erase mistake and add corrections.

10) If you need to, use other photocopies until you have a perfectly completed Application Forms.

11) Now carefully transfer that information using a Black ink Biro to original Application Forms.

Although these 11 steps are incredibly time consuming, when done correctly, they make a big difference to look of completed original.

Once you have completed Application Forms make a photocopy and ensure that you have a high quality covering letter to accompany it and you are done.

Think about things they might want to discuss on phone, advert says "informal discussion" what does that mean?

If you think it means what it says then you are kidding yourself. This will be a mini interview to see how you handle yourself on telephone and how quickly you think on your feet.

The applicant will have 1 - 3 years experience but obviously more would be ok, however salary might be less than an more experienced sales person might want.

If you had more than three years experience but needed job you might want to take time to come up with a positive reply to "you have more experience than we are looking for". You could try something like "I appreciate your concern but I'm sure that benefit to company of my experience will outweigh that concern, I'm sure that I'd be very happy working for Barnes Big Pills."

You may be asked about your previous experience in some detail, having your resume to hand would be useful so that you don't need to remember all dates and companies that you have worked for.

A pen and paper would be useful to make notes with, having to ask person at other end to wait while you get a pen and paper doesn't demonstrate a professional who is ready to make appointments or take orders. If everything goes well you would be writing down details of next step.

*Making call First of all introduce yourself and then establish who you are talking to before you launch into your main conversation, call might start like this:-

"Hello, Barnes Big Pills"

"Hello, my names Steve Richards, could I speak to Holly Wilson please?"

"Certainly, I'll put you through"

"Hello Mr Richards, Holly Wilson here"

"Please, Call me Steve, I'm calling about advertisement in Smallville Gazette for position of Sales Manager, could you tell me a little more about position please, I'm very interested?"

Now, I'm sure you will agree that this is a more professional approach to phone call and you it makes a more positive impression.

Notice that conversation was friendly but that although we know that we are speaking to Holly Wilson, I didn't call her Holly or Miss Wilson, I don't know if she is single or married. Calling her Holly might be over familiar at this stage, but I gave her permission to call me Steve.

This technique of taking a little bit of time to do some very basic research and preparation will pay dividends and if you sometimes experience FEAR remember what it is. To overcome that fear, prepare yourself by running through call in your head or with a friend. The more you practice more confident you will be.

Here's to your next interview.