iCIMS runs the careers pages of many large employers, from hospitals and universities to retailers and local governments. You can usually tell you are on one from the address, which contains icims.com, often as careers-company.icims.com.
Each employer has its own iCIMS site. The account you create belongs to that employer, so expect to create a new one for each company you apply to.
Before you start
- Your CV as a file, PDF or Word. iCIMS reads it to fill in parts of your profile.
- A cover letter, if the posting asks for one. Read the instructions first: some employers want the CV and cover letter combined into a single document.
- An email address and a password you will remember for this employer.
- Answers to the eligibility questions: work authorisation, availability, notice period.
- Around twenty minutes.
Step 1: create your account
After you press Apply, iCIMS asks you to sign in or create an account: usually your name, email address and a password. Some employers also let you sign in with a social account. If you have applied to this employer before, use the option to log back in rather than creating a second account with a different email address.
Step 2: upload your documents
You upload your CV next. Depending on the employer, you can choose it from your computer, Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive. iCIMS then reads the file and fills in some of your profile from it.
One document or two? Some employers ask for your CV and cover letter as one file. If yours does, put the cover letter first and the CV after it in the same document, then save it as a single PDF. In Word or Google Docs that is one file, two sections, and “Save as PDF” or “Download as PDF”.
Step 3: check your profile
The profile screen shows what iCIMS took from your CV: contact details, work history and education. Read it carefully, because this is the record the employer keeps. Typical problems are dates in the wrong place, two jobs merged into one, and a missing current job. Why job sites read CVs wrong explains what causes most of these.
Step 4: the employer’s questions
Next comes the employer’s questionnaire: eligibility to work, availability, experience with particular tools or licences, and sometimes a written question or two. Answer the eligibility questions exactly. Employers can use them to sort applications before anyone reads them.
Step 5: optional questions, and confirming
Many US employers add optional equal-opportunity questions about gender, race, veteran status and disability. They are voluntary, and you can decline. We explain them in our guide to self-identification.
Some employers finish by asking you to confirm that your answers are true, sometimes by typing your name as an electronic signature. Read what you are confirming before you do.
After you submit
You should see a message that your application was submitted, and receive a confirmation email. If nothing arrives, check your spam folder, then contact the employer. To check on an application or update your documents for a later one, log back in to the same employer’s iCIMS site.
When something goes wrong
- You forgot the password. Use the reset link on that employer’s sign-in page. Your account at one employer does not work at another.
- The upload keeps failing. Check the file type and size, and try a PDF with a plain file name.
- The form will not go through. See our guide to applications that won’t submit.
How Draftloop helps on iCIMS
- It is ready as each page loads, because iCIMS is one of the hiring systems it supports. When a page adds new fields without reloading, Draftloop fills those too.
- It fills from your Draftloop profile, which you have already checked, and it never overwrites something that is already in a field.
- It marks what it could not answer in amber, so you can see what is left.
- It attaches your CV as the original file, and checks that the page shows it.
- It leaves the important parts to you. Passwords, consent boxes, electronic signatures and the Submit button are always yours.