Job application form template with CV upload
A free job application form with CV upload, screening questions and a job board tracker. Candidates apply from any phone, with no account needed.
17 questions on 4 pages
Freelancer application form (free template)
When a big project lands, that same week is the worst time to start looking for help. A freelancer application form lets you build a bench of people before you need them. This template asks where each person is based and in which timezone, for a portfolio link and for the work they cover, from brand and UI design to copy, motion and paid ads. It asks about availability, and part-timers get a follow-up about weekly hours. Then they say how they charge: an hourly or a day-rate answer opens the matching rate question. They add the tools they use, one or two work links, an optional CV and whether they can invoice you as a business. Sign up for free, then share the form from your "work with us" page.
Free plan, free forever. Sign up and the template opens in your workspace.
What's in this form
16 questions on one page. Every question, in order:
Page 1: Work with us
| No. | Question | Answer type | Required? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Your nameShort answer, Required | Short answer | Required |
| 2 | EmailEmail, Required | Required | |
| 3 | Where are you based?Short answer, RequiredCity, country and your timezone. | Short answer | Required |
| 4 | Website or portfolioLink, Required | Link | Required |
| 5 | What do you cover?Checkboxes, RequiredSelect all that apply.Choices: Brand & identity, UI & product design, Web development, Mobile development, Copywriting, Illustration, Motion & video, SEO & paid ads, Project management | Checkboxes | Required |
| 6 | Years of experienceNumber, Optional | Number | Optional |
| 7 | What's your availability?Multiple choice, RequiredChoices: Full-time, Part-time, Occasional overflow work, Not available right now | Multiple choice | Required |
| 8 | Roughly how many hours a week?Number, Optional | Number | Optional |
| 9 | How do you charge?Multiple choice, RequiredChoices: Hourly, Day rate, Per project | Multiple choice | Required |
| 10 | Your hourly rate (USD)Number, Optional | Number | Optional |
| 11 | Your day rate (USD)Number, Optional | Number | Optional |
| 12 | What tools do you work in?Long answer, Optional | Long answer | Optional |
| 13 | A link to relevant workLink, Required | Link | Required |
| 14 | One more linkLink, Optional | Link | Optional |
| 15 | CV or portfolioFile upload, OptionalOptional if your portfolio link covers it. | File upload | Optional |
| 16 | Can you invoice as a business?Multiple choice, RequiredChoices: Yes, No, but I can register, No, I'd need to be paid as an individual | Multiple choice | Required |
How the logic works
- Shows “Roughly how many hours a week?” when “What's your availability?” includes “Part-time” or “Occasional overflow work”
- Shows “Your hourly rate (USD)” when “How do you charge?” is “Hourly”
- Shows “Your day rate (USD)” when “How do you charge?” is “Day rate”
What people see after sending
Thanks for putting your name in!
We'll keep your details on file and get in touch when a project needs your skills.
Built in
- Conditional logic
- File upload
Who it's for
- Design and web agencies that bring in specialists for busy months
- Studios building a subcontractor bench across brand, development and copy
- Solo consultants who pass overflow work to people they trust
- Marketing teams that hire independent contractors one project at a time
When to use it
- A month or two before a busy season, so you know who is free
- When you win a project that needs a skill your team doesn't have
- On a standing "work with us" page, so applications arrive all year
- When a freelancer recommends a friend and you want the details in one place
- Once a year, to refresh your bench and collect everyone's current rates
Make it yours
- Make the skills list yours. The nine options fit a typical design and web studio. A content agency might split copywriting into blogs, email and scripts; a development shop might list the frameworks it builds with. Fewer, clearer options make the list easier to sort later.
- Fix the currency labels. The rate questions say USD. If you pay in pounds or euros, rename both labels, so nobody converts in their head and you don't compare a rate in one currency with a rate in another.
- Build a short list with filters. In the responses table, add up to 10 conditions, for example everyone who covers motion and video and is open to overflow work. Export that list as a CSV file on any plan, or as Excel on Pro and Business.
- Ask for real work. One work link is required and a second is optional. If someone keeps their portfolio as a PDF, the upload question takes it, along with images: up to three files of 10 MB each. Nobody needs an account to apply or upload.
- Keep the "Not available right now" answers. Those people skip the hours question, but they still told you their skills and rates. Mark them for a check-in next quarter instead of deleting them.
- Send a short, honest reply. The form already asks for an email, so pick it as the address for the respondent email and write your own subject and body, for example how often you look at the bench. Turn on an email to yourself for each new response too, or post each one to Slack.
- Read "Can you invoice as a business?" as a heads-up, not a filter. It tells you how each freelancer expects to be paid, so whoever handles your accounts isn't surprised later. Payment rules differ from country to country, so ask your accountant if you're unsure.
- Invite only the people who need to see rates. Everyone in your workspace can read every response, rates included, so keep the form in a workspace for the people who hire.
Print it or edit it offline
The same questions, ready to print or edit.
Where the answers go
Every response lands in your HornetForms inbox. From there, send it wherever your team already works.
- Turn on an email to yourself for each new response, on every plan
- A confirmation email to the person who filled it in, when the form asks for their email
- A new row in Google Sheets, a message in Slack or Discord, or a page in Notion, free on every plan
- Connect with Zapier, or send signed webhooks to n8n, Make or your own app
- CSV export on every plan, and Excel export on Pro and Business
Questions people ask
What should a freelancer application form ask?
Ask for contact details, location and timezone, a portfolio, the skills they offer, years of experience, availability, how they charge and their rate, the tools they use, links to relevant work and how they expect to be paid. This template covers that in 16 questions, and the follow-ups appear only when they apply.
Is there a free subcontractor application form template?
Yes. You can use this template on the Free plan at no cost. If "subcontractor" or "independent contractor" fits your world better, rename the title and labels in the editor. People apply through your link and never need an account.
Can I download the contractor application form as a PDF?
Yes. This page has a PDF sized for US Letter, one sized for A4 and an editable Word file. Paper is handy at a meetup or a portfolio review; the online form picks the right rate question for each person on its own.
Should freelancers give a day rate or an hourly rate?
Let them pick. Some people quote by the hour, others by the day, and a forced choice gives you rates you can't trust. The template asks how each person charges first and then shows only the hourly or the day-rate question. Per-project freelancers can quote once they see a brief.
How do I find subcontractors for my business?
Start with people you have already worked with and ask them for names. Then share your application link in the communities, newsletters and job boards your field reads, and keep it on your own site. Because everyone answers the same questions, you can compare people side by side.
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Further reading
Proposal follow-up email: six templates and when to send them
Six proposal follow-up email templates with subject lines, a timing table for each one, and a free pipeline tracker that works out your follow-up dates.
Published10 min read- guides
- agencies
- service-businesses
Start from a template, finish with your form
Sign up for free, pick a template and change anything you like: questions, logic and design. The Free plan stays free forever, with unlimited responses.