How to cut an application answer to a word limit
Updated · 3 min read
You've written a great answer. It's 340 words, and the box says 250. Or you wrote it for one application at 250 words, and the next form wants 150. Cutting down without losing what makes it good is one of the most useful skills in any job hunt, because you'll do it constantly.
Know what the limit actually counts
- Words or characters? Some forms count characters, including spaces. 1,000 characters is roughly 150 to 180 words.
- Is it a hard limit? Many online forms simply stop you typing. Others let you go over and the assessor stops reading. Either way, treat the limit as a maximum.
- How close should you get? Aim for within about 10% of the limit. Far under suggests you didn't have much to say.
A five-step method
- Cut the Situation first. Background is usually the most bloated part. Get it down to one sentence.
- Remove repeated ideas. If two sentences make the same point, keep the stronger one.
- Delete filler words. "In order to" becomes "to". "I was able to" becomes nothing; just say what you did. "Really", "very" and "quite" can almost always go.
- Merge short sentences. Two short sentences about one action can often become one.
- Protect the Action and Result. These score the marks. Cut everything else before you touch them.
Read your answer and ask of every sentence: would the assessor notice if this went? If not, it goes.
Before and after
During the summer between my second and third year at university, I was working in a busy café in the centre of town, which got very crowded at the weekends, especially in the mornings. One of the problems we had was that the orders were often getting mixed up, which meant that customers were sometimes waiting for a really long time. I noticed that this was mostly because all of us were trying to do every job at once, so I decided that it would be a good idea to suggest we each had a station.
In a busy weekend café job, orders kept getting mixed up and customers waited up to 15 minutes. I noticed we were all trying to do every job at once, so I suggested we each own one station during the morning rush.
- Background cut from two sentences to one clause.
- "A really long time" became a specific number, which is shorter and stronger.
- "I decided that it would be a good idea to suggest" became "I suggested".
Keep every length you've written
Once you've cut an answer to 150 words, don't throw away the 250-word version. The next form might want it. Keeping a full version plus shorter versions of every answer means you can match almost any limit in seconds.
When to rewrite instead of trim
If you need to cut by more than half, trimming often leaves something choppy. At that point it's better to pick the single strongest action and result and write a short answer around them. A 100-word answer with one clear action beats a 100-word answer that squeezes in four.
Frequently asked questions
- Is it OK to go slightly over the word limit?
- No. Treat the limit as a maximum. Some forms cut you off, and going over can suggest you don't follow instructions.
- Should I use bullet points to save words?
- Only if the form clearly suits them. Most competency answers read better as short paragraphs, and some forms strip out formatting.
- How many words is 1,000 characters?
- Roughly 150 to 180 words, depending on how long your words are. Always check the form's own counter.