When you ask for a job application, you have not begun seeking employment.  So the rules do not apply yet.  However, depending on the circumstances and the type of prospective employer, sending out the completed job application or a resume could trigger the seeking employment rules.  Make it your business to understand the legal consequences of job hunting and job discussions.  Consult with your ethics official before you begin your job search and immediately when you receive unsolicited offers or inquiries from a prospective employer who has a financial interest in matters that cross your desk.   

5 C.F.R. § 2635.603(b)(1)(ii)-(iii) states:   

…However, the employee has not begun seeking employment if that communication was:

    (A) For the sole purpose of requesting a job application; or
    (B) For the purpose of submitting a resume or other employment proposal to a person affected by the performance or nonperformance of 
the employee's duties only as part of an industry or other discrete class. The employee will be considered to have begun seeking employment 
upon receipt of any response indicating an interest in employment discussions; or

(iii) Made a response other than rejection to an unsolicited communication from any person, or such person's agent or intermediary, regarding possible employment with that person.