First, save your answers
Before you try anything, copy your longer written answers into a document. Refreshing the page, signing in again or switching browser can clear the form, and retyping a cover letter from memory is the worst part of this whole problem.
1. A required field you missed
The most common cause by far. Scroll up slowly and look for red text, or a field outlined in red. Required fields are usually marked with an asterisk. Check the places people miss: fields further up the page, sections that were collapsed, a second page in a multi-step form, and tick boxes at the very bottom, such as accepting the privacy notice.
2. A dropdown you typed in but didn’t pick from
Many forms use dropdowns that work like search boxes. Typing “United Kingdom” is not the same as choosing it: you have to click the option in the list. Until you do, the field counts as empty. Open each dropdown and make sure an option is actually selected.
3. Something in the wrong format
- Phone number: the form may want the country code chosen separately, or no spaces.
- Dates: month and year where it asks for them, in the order the form shows.
- Email: a stray space before or after the address is enough to fail.
- Web links: include https:// at the start.
- Number-only boxes: plain digits, with no currency symbol, commas or words.
4. An answer that is too long
Text boxes often have a character limit. Some show a counter, some cut you off, and some simply refuse to submit. If an answer is long, check for a limit near the box and trim it to fit.
5. A file that didn’t upload
Wait for the upload to finish: the file name should appear next to the field. If it doesn’t, check the size limit and the accepted file types, usually shown under the button. A PDF with a plain file name, without symbols or accents, is the safest choice. Password-protected PDFs are usually refused.
6. The CAPTCHA didn’t load, or expired
Many forms run a check that you are a person, often an “I’m not a robot” box. Ad blockers and privacy extensions sometimes stop it from loading, which leaves Submit doing nothing at all. Allow them on that page, or try another browser. The check also expires: if you ticked it, then spent several minutes on another answer, tick it again before submitting.
7. Your session timed out
Long forms can quietly sign you out if you take a while. If you are suddenly asked to sign in, or Submit takes you back to the start, that is usually why. Sign in again, and paste back the answers you saved.
8. A browser extension is getting in the way
Extensions that change pages can occasionally clash with a form. That includes autofill tools, ours among them. To test, open the application in a private window, where Chrome turns extensions off by default, and try again. If it works there, turn your extensions back on one at a time to find the one causing it.
9. The site is having a bad day
Sometimes the problem is theirs: the system is slow, under maintenance, or the job closed while you were filling it in. An error with a number in it, or a page saying something went wrong, usually means this. Wait an hour and try again.
10. You have already applied
Some systems refuse a second application to the same job. Search your inbox for a confirmation, and check the employer’s candidate page if they have one. On Workday, that is Candidate Home.
If nothing works
Don’t give up on the job. Find a contact on the careers page or the job posting, and send a short email with the job title and its reference number, your CV attached, and a line saying the form would not submit. A screenshot of any error helps. Recruiters want applications to reach them, and most will be glad you told them.
How Draftloop helps
- It marks what it couldn’t answer. Questions Draftloop recognised but could not fill are marked amber, which narrows down where the missing field is.
- It picks dropdown options from the form’s own list rather than typing text into them.
- It never types a range or words into a number-only box, so a site cannot turn your answer into a different number.
- It tells you when the site refuses your application. If the site turns your application away after you press Submit, Draftloop shows a notice that it was not sent and does not count it as applied, so you know to try again.
- It leaves the CAPTCHA to you, because that check is there to confirm a person is present, and you are.