How to fill a Greenhouse job application, field by field

Greenhouse is the applicant tracking system behind the job pages of many technology companies and startups. Its applications are much shorter than Workday's: one page, no account, a few minutes. That makes it easy to rush, and the short form hides the questions that decide whether a person ever reads your resume.

How to tell you are on Greenhouse

Look at the address bar on the application page:

• job-boards.greenhouse.io/company/jobs/… (or the older boards.greenhouse.io) is a job page hosted by Greenhouse.
• A company's own site with gh_jid= in the link, such as careers.example.com/positions/123?gh_jid=123, is a Greenhouse form placed inside the company's page. Your application still goes to Greenhouse.

Our guide to telling which system a job uses covers the other common ones.

No account needed

You apply on the job page itself. There is no password to create, and nothing carries over from one company to another.

Greenhouse also offers job seekers an optional MyGreenhouse profile. You sign in with a code sent to your email, and it collects the Greenhouse applications you have made. When an employer has switched it on, an Autofill with Greenhouse button on the job page fills the form from that profile. Many employers have not switched it on, so do not expect the button everywhere.

The form, top to bottom

Most Greenhouse forms follow this order. The employer decides which fields are required (marked with a star).

1. Personal details: first name, last name, email, phone and usually country or location.
2. Resume/CV: "Attach" a file, or "Enter manually" to paste text. Accepted files are PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT and RTF.
3. Cover letter: the same two options. Often optional.
4. Links: usually a LinkedIn profile, sometimes a website or portfolio.
5. The employer's own questions: anything the company added, such as visa sponsorship, previous employment with them, notice period or salary expectations, preferred name.
6. Voluntary self-identification: on many US roles, questions about gender, race and ethnicity, veteran status and sometimes disability.
7. Submit application.

Attach a file, not pasted text

Recruiters open the file you attach, so attach your real resume as a PDF or DOCX with selectable text. "Enter manually" pastes plain text and loses your layout; use it only if you cannot attach a file.

Greenhouse reads the attached file into its candidate record, which recruiters can search by skills and job titles. A single-column resume with standard headings is read most reliably. If you are unsure how yours reads, try the free ATS checker or read why two-column resumes cause problems.

The questions that screen you out

The short form makes the employer's own questions easy to answer carelessly, and they matter most:

• Work authorisation and sponsorship. Many companies filter on these automatically. Answer for the country where the job is, truthfully.
• Location and relocation. If the role is in another city or country, say clearly whether you would move or need remote work.
• Salary expectations. Give a researched range where text is allowed. In India, see our guide to current and expected CTC.
• Free-text questions such as "Why are you interested in this role?" are read by people. Two or three specific sentences beat a pasted paragraph. Our guide to screening questions has examples.

The self-identification section

Many US employers invite applicants to share gender, race and ethnicity, veteran status and disability; companies with US government contracts are required to ask. The section states that completing it is entirely voluntary, the questions usually include an option to decline, and the forms say the answers are kept separate from your application and do not affect it.

Before you submit

Greenhouse does not let you edit an application after you send it. Check:

• Your email address, letter by letter. A typo here means you never hear back.
• Your phone number with its country code.
• Your LinkedIn link, pasted from your profile page.
• The attached file: the right resume, not last year's.

After you apply

You get a confirmation email, and every later update comes by email, so watch your spam folder. If you use MyGreenhouse, the application appears there too; employers who share its status show only whether it is active or inactive. To correct or withdraw an application, contact the company directly. Our guide to application status meanings explains what the usual labels tell you.

How Shortlist handles Greenhouse

Shortlist fills Greenhouse forms from your profile: contact details, links, your resume as the attached file, and answers to the employer's questions from what you have saved or suggested for you to review. Voluntary self-identification questions are filled only from a choice you saved, never guessed, and never sent to the AI. It stops before Submit so you check and send the application yourself.

FAQ

Do I need a Greenhouse account to apply?

No. Greenhouse applications are made on the job page without an account. MyGreenhouse is an optional profile for job seekers, used for autofill and to see your applications in one place.

Why is there no "Autofill with Greenhouse" button?

Each employer decides whether to switch it on. When it is off, you fill the form yourself or with another tool.

Can I edit my Greenhouse application after submitting?

No. Contact the company's recruiting team if you need to correct something or withdraw.

Do I have to answer the voluntary self-identification questions?

No. They are voluntary, usually with an option to decline, and the forms state that the answers are kept separate from your application.

Which resume file format should I use on Greenhouse?

A PDF or DOCX file with selectable text. Greenhouse also accepts DOC, TXT and RTF, but PDF and DOCX keep your layout and are read well.