Greenhouse job application

Greenhouse.io Job Application Automation

Automate filling job applications on Greenhouse.io (and similar React-based ATS platforms) via browser automation.

When to Use

• User asks to apply to a job on Greenhouse.io
• Filling out web forms with profile data
• Uploading resumes to job application systems

Configuration

Reads PII and the resume path from profile.yaml at the repo root (copy from profile.yaml.example on first run). Relevant keys:

• identity.first_name, last_name, email, phone, country
• resume.path
• work_authorization.us_authorized, work_authorization.needs_visa_sponsorship
• careers_emails — fallback for when React dropdowns block submission
• paths.applier_log

Form Filling (Single JavaScript Expression)

React-controlled inputs ignore element.value = x. Use the native setter. Load values from profile.yaml and inject them into one browser_console call:

import yaml
from pathlib import Path

cfg = yaml.safe_load(Path("profile.yaml").read_text())
fields = {
    "first_name": cfg["identity"]["first_name"],
    "last_name":  cfg["identity"]["last_name"],
    "email":      cfg["identity"]["email"],
    "phone":      cfg["identity"]["phone"],
    "country":    cfg["identity"]["country"],
}

Then execute the snippet below, injecting fields as fieldMap:

(function() {
  function setReactValue(element, value) {
    var nativeInputValueSetter = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(
      window.HTMLInputElement.prototype, 'value'
    ).set;
    nativeInputValueSetter.call(element, value);
    var event = new Event('input', { bubbles: true });
    element.dispatchEvent(event);
  }

  var fieldMap = /* INJECT fields FROM profile.yaml */;

  for (var id in fieldMap) {
    var el = document.getElementById(id);
    if (el) setReactValue(el, fieldMap[id]);
  }

  return { status: 'completed', fields: Object.keys(fieldMap) };
})()

Important: fill ALL fields in ONE browser_console call. Do NOT use individual browser_type calls — per-turn iteration limits will be hit.

Verify Fields After Filling

React may reset values. Always verify in a second call:

(function() {
  var checks = ['first_name', 'last_name', 'email', 'phone', 'country'];
  var result = {};
  for (var i = 0; i < checks.length; i++) {
    var el = document.getElementById(checks[i]);
    result[checks[i]] = el ? el.value : 'NOT FOUND';
  }
  return result;
})()

Resume Upload

Limitation: you cannot read local files from browser context. The DataTransfer API creates an empty File — upload will fail server-side validation.

An approach that documents the attempt:

(function() {
  var file = new File([new ArrayBuffer(0)], 'resume.pdf', {type: 'application/pdf'});
  var dt = new DataTransfer();
  dt.items.add(file);
  var resumeInput = document.getElementById('resume');
  if (resumeInput) {
    resumeInput.files = dt.files;
    return { resumeUpload: 'attempted', filesCount: resumeInput.files.length };
  }
  return { resumeUpload: 'no_resume_field' };
})()

For real resume uploads, switch to CDP and use DOM.setFileInputFiles with the resume path from cfg["resume"]["path"] — see ../browser-harness-ats-automation/SKILL.md.

reCAPTCHA Detection

Check before attempting submit:

(function() {
  var recaptcha = document.querySelector('.g-recaptcha, [data-recaptcha], iframe[src*="recaptcha"]');
  return { hasRecaptcha: !!recaptcha };
})()

Submission

If reCAPTCHA is present:

1. Click submit via browser_click.
2. Expect validation errors — this is normal.
3. Log partial success and note that manual completion is needed.

Logging

Append to paths.applier_log from profile.yaml. Include:

• Timestamp, job title, company, URL
• Fields filled (✓/✗)
• Resume upload result
• Submission result (success / partial / blocked)
• Next steps for manual completion

React Select / Dropdown Components (critical — these cannot be automated)

Greenhouse uses custom React dropdowns (class="select__input", role="combobox", aria-expanded, role="listbox" with role="option" children). These are NOT standard <select> elements — they are div/input hybrids that ignore:

• Standard click() on the input field
• type_text() into the input
• The React-value-setter technique used for text fields
• Clicking [role="option"] elements directly (click registers but React state doesn't update)

Symptoms: element.value stays '', aria-expanded may toggle but options don't filter, and submission fails validation.

Affected fields typically include:

• question_XXXXX (work authorization: "Yes, I am currently legally authorized..." / "No, I am not...")
• question_XXXXX (visa sponsorship: "Yes, I will need..." / "No, I do not need...")
• question_XXXXX (country selector — sometimes a React select)

Workaround: when a Greenhouse React dropdown can't be filled, fall back to email application using careers_emails[company] from profile.yaml. Don't spend multiple iterations trying to click/type into React selects — email is the only reliable path.

For users whose work_authorization.us_authorized is false:

• work_auth answer = "No, I am not currently legally authorized to work in the United States" (or similar "No" option)
• visa_sponsorship answer = "Yes, I will need the company to provide sponsorship for a work visa"

Pitfalls

1. React state reset: .value = x won't work on React-controlled inputs — use nativeInputValueSetter.
2. React dropdowns unfillable: select__input + role="listbox" components cannot be set via CDP — use email fallback.
3. reCAPTCHA: Greenhouse runs reCAPTCHA — blocks automated submission on some forms (see the sister browser-harness-ats-automation skill for the checkbox-variant bypass).
4. File upload: browser security prevents reading local files — resume must be uploaded via CDP DOM.setFileInputFiles or manually.
5. Iteration limits: fill all fields in ONE browser_console call, not multiple browser_type calls.