Many recruiters ask graduates to apply using a company application form. This enables an employer to compare applicants on a like-with-like basis in terms of their approach to and completion of a standard form. The use of application forms usually indicates a more transparent and scientific approach to recruitment on the part of the employer.
There is more likely to be a ‘job specification’, with notes provided on how to complete the application form. When you submit a CV, you are selling yourself to whoever reads your application form whose attention you need to capture. When you fill in an application form, imagine a systematic reader checking that you meet clearly set criteria.