Laid off? What to put on job applications this week
What to type in the end date, reason for leaving and currently-employed fields after a layoff, what each field is checking, and what to leave out.
Nathan Cole · · 9 minApplications Editor
Nathan Cole
Nathan explains what the application form is actually checking - screening questions, applicant tracking systems, and how many applications it really takes.
Nathan Cole · · 9 min
"Have you worked for this company before?" - what to answer
The former-employee question is a lookup, not a character test. Here is what the ATS does with your yes, and the two sentences to write next to it.
Nathan Cole · · 9 min
Does the ATS reject your resume automatically? What actually happens
Almost never because of the resume. The trigger is a rule attached to a question you answered, and the vendors document exactly how it fires.
Nathan Cole · · 9 min
Applying to jobs you're not fully qualified for: when it works
Missing two of eight bullet points rarely matters. Missing the one thing the form asks about ends it before a person looks. How to tell the two apart.
Nathan Cole · · 9 min
What happens after you click Submit on a job application
Your application becomes a record in a review queue. Here is what each system does with it in the first minute, who opens it, and when a reply is realistic.
Nathan Cole · · 9 min
How to explain an employment gap on an application form
A gap belongs in the employment history section as its own dated row with a short reason. Here is what the form checks, and the exact words to type.
Nathan Cole · · 9 min
"Desired salary" on an application: what to put in 2026
Put a range, not "negotiable". What the desired salary field does inside Workday and Greenhouse, and how to set the number from public BLS wage data.
Nathan Cole · · 9 min
How to track job applications without losing your mind
A job application tracker needs six columns and one rule. Here is what each column is for, why no ATS keeps the record for you, and when to close a row.
Nathan Cole · · 9 min
Will you now or in the future require sponsorship? How to answer
Answer it from your immigration status, not your plans. What each answer does inside the form, what it costs the employer, and the edge cases.
Nathan Cole · · 10 min
Greenhouse vs Workday vs Ashby: what the applicant sees
Three applicant tracking systems, three different forms: what each one asks for, what it keeps afterwards, and which one wants an account before you start.
Nathan Cole · · 9 min
What Workday does with your resume the second you upload it
It copies what it can into the form, skips two fields on purpose, and at some employers does not run at all. Workday's own documentation explains why.
Nathan Cole · · 5 min
How many job applications does it really take?
Nobody has a trustworthy number, including the sites that publish one. Here is what the federal data actually supports, and how to plan a week around it.
Nathan Cole · · 5 minThe best of the blog, once a week
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