Each guide begins with one question people actually search, such as what to put for desired salary or how long a background check takes, and tries to answer it fully on one page.
Where the facts come from
- Federal agencies for rights and rules: the FTC and CFPB for background reports, the EEOC for fair hiring, the Department of Labor for youth work and self identification forms, OPM for federal hiring.
- State police, state bureaus and attorneys general for each state’s criminal history checks.
- Exam boards for school letter formats.
- Everyday hiring practice for the advice on forms, letters and follow ups.
Drafting and checking
We use AI writing software to help gather research notes and produce first drafts. A person then rewrites the page, checks each rule, time limit and step against the official source, removes anything that cannot be confirmed, and writes the sample letters and answers so they sound like a real applicant.
The tools
The application tracker, blank application form, letter and email builders and background check time estimator run in your browser. They send nothing to us and save nothing.
Keeping pages current
Hiring laws change, especially state rules on criminal history and salary questions. Each page shows when it was last checked, and we update pages when an agency changes its process.
See also our editorial policy.