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A field’s type in current_step.fields sets the JSON shape of its answer. The rules below cover every field type on API contract 2026-08-31, followed by the failure and correction codes an application can return.
Auto Apply is coming soon. Build against the sandbox today with a sandbox key; live applications need Jobo approval (see Access).

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Field shape

Every field has field_id, type, label, required, and requires_answer. options, non-empty constraints, format, and sensitive: true appear only when they apply; empty metadata and sensitive: false are omitted. Values already on the ATS form are not exposed. required describes the ATS form. requires_answer says whether you must send a value on this step. Send every field with requires_answer: true, and optional fields only when the candidate gave a value. Send each field ID once, and never send unknown IDs or IDs from another application or step.

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Scalar answer values

Each answer is { "field_id": "the-returned-id", "value": ... }. Send JSON values of the right type, not strings containing JSON. A typeahead also accepts the provider-native shape {"query":"MIT","selection":{"value":"...","label":"..."}} when you already have a valid selection. Do not fabricate native IDs. Omit unanswered optional fields instead of sending empty strings or null. false and 0 are real answers, so don’t drop them with a truthiness check. A required field you can’t answer needs candidate input, not a guess.

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File answers

Jobo downloads the file from the URL you supply. The API accepts no local path or multipart upload. The URL must:
  • Be HTTPS on port 443 and publicly reachable. Localhost and private-network URLs are rejected with unsafe_file_url.
  • Download the file without browser cookies or a login page.
  • Stay valid through upload and retries.
  • Serve a file within the platform’s 10 MiB download limit, any returned file constraints, and the ATS’s allowed formats. An ATS may set a smaller limit.
A signed object-storage URL works without making the file permanently public. Treat signed URLs as credentials: keep them out of your logs and away from other users. The demo app has its own 5 MB PDF upload limit.

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Education and work history

A repeated ATS section is one repeating_group field, not flattened children:
The answer is an ordered array of items keyed by item_fields[].key. Typeahead children take the actual answer directly:
Work-history groups use the same shape. This example assumes the returned item_fields include every key shown; omit any key the actual schema does not list:
Group rules:
  • item_fields varies by ATS, which may add children such as country, state, contact permission, graduation status, or hours per week. Unknown item keys are rejected.
  • The array is the complete desired group state, in order. It is capped by the provider’s limit and a platform maximum of 100 entries.
  • group_type is one of education, work_experience, certification, website, language, skill, or other.
  • When is_current is true, end_date must be null or omitted.
  • Nested validation errors carry field_id, item_index, field_key, code, and message.
Address, phone, and voluntary self-identification stay scalar fields. Self-identification fields carry sensitive: true, and Jobo never infers their answers. Build answers from the displayed label, provider field ID, type, options, and constraints, not from inferred semantic metadata.

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Failure and correction codes

Terminal applications expose failure: {code, message, retryable}. Stable failure codes include: retryable is authoritative for each failure. submission_unconfirmed is not safely retryable, because the employer may already have the application. Until the correction limit runs out, file and ATS value problems come back in command_errors instead, with codes such as unsafe_file_url, file_upload_failed, invalid_file_type, ats_field_rejected, and ats_fill_failed. Answer with a complete corrected snapshot for the step.