Why some applications need you

Auto Apply submits only open forms — no login and no CAPTCHA — and only when it can fill every required field truthfully. It never tries to get past a protection. When it can't finish, it stops and marks the application Needs you, with one of these reasons:

• CAPTCHA — "The form is behind a CAPTCHA — it stopped rather than try to get past it."
• Account needed — "The form needs an account — sign in and finish it yourself." Employers using systems such as Workday, iCIMS or Taleo usually need an account, so those applications are marked yours to send from the start.
• A required field it couldn't answer — it never guesses. It answers from your Application Profile, so a question you haven't answered there, or an unusual drop-down, is left to you.
• A screening answer it wasn't sure of — it won't submit an answer it isn't confident in.
• Submit didn't go through — the employer's page didn't confirm the submission, so it's worth doing by hand.
• Employer's own system — "Ready to send — this employer takes applications through their own system, so the last step is yours."

Finishing one yourself

Open the posting, and use the tailored résumé and cover letter already prepared. With the browser extension, you can press its toolbar button on the application page to fill in what it knows, then review and press the employer's submit button yourself.