Troubleshooting

Getting help with Login/Password

Q: I’ve applied to another UC Campus before. Do I need to create a new account for UCSC?

A: Yes. Although you might have applied to other UC’s, our jobs portal is separate, so you will need to set up and register as a new user for UCSC. Also note that if you applied to a job at UCSC prior to June 2020 and have not applied to a job since then, you will need to create a new profile in our jobs portal. We implemented new software that did not allow transfer of the old candidate profiles over, so this scenario does require the creation of a new profile.

Q: I am an alumni of UCSC, who would now like to apply for a staff position. Do I use the internal or the external applicants link?

A: You should use the “external applicant” link. The internal link is only for current employees of UCSC.

Q: When I try to log in, the password field is auto-filled with a row of asterisks. How can I get around this feature to log in?

A: The asterisks are a security feature that "masks" the user password. It is not auto-filling any information, but is populating the asterisks so that your password is not shown on the screen. Because the asterisks do not have any data associated with them (as an auto-fill would), you can type in your password as normal and select "Next" or "Submit". The data that you type in will supersede the asterisks you see on your screen and it should not require you to reset your password.

Q:  I'm having difficulty logging into the application portal.

A: Make sure that you are using both the correct Username and Password. Select Forgot Password/Username at login, and an automated email should be sent to your email address on file. Alternatively, your application may have not been submitted properly. Double check email address in profile or check spam folder.

Q:  I'm having difficulty logging into the application portal. I’ve confirmed that my username is correct, but my password isn’t working.

A: If you have applied to a job with another UC through their application system, your password may have expired on one of the other platforms. You'll need to log into the other UC account to reset the password in that portal. Once that password is current, you can return to our jobs portal to log in as normal. Even though the passwords are separate, the password expiration feature spans all the UC’s that use the TAM system.

If you are having extensive problems with logging in, please reach out to hiring@ucsc.edu.

Application and Attachments

Q: If I leave my application unfinished, will it save my place?

A: Yes and No. If you do not save your draft before being logged out, you will likely lose the data. It’s best to save a draft of your application as you move through the process so that you will not lose any data. Your draft application will be saved in the “My Applications” tab in your account and you will be able to finish and submit it at a later date.

Q: Am I able to edit a submitted application?

A: Once your application is submitted, you are not able to edit it. The only workaround is to withdraw the previous application, and re-apply, ensuring you make the necessary changes before you submit the new application. Now that you have applied to one job, your information is saved in your profile, making it relatively easy to reapply. Whenever we receive multiple applications from the same applicant, we only route the most recent application. Be mindful of the IRD - if you withdraw your application after the IRD, we cannot guarantee that your newly edited application will be routed for consideration.

Q: What if I need to change my contact information after I submit an application?

A: If you need to update your name, e-mail address, phone number or other contact information AFTER you submitted an application, please email hiring@ucsc.edu to assist with this request to ensure that the hiring unit receives the most current information.

Q: While filling out a job application, I get an error and cannot enter the information. The error pop-up window states: Invalid value -- press the prompt button or hyperlink for a list of valid values (15,11). Help!

A: If you are typing in the information versus using the magnifying glass, this might be the issue, as it is expecting a specific value versus the free text. Please click on the magnifying glass for options, or if you have provided this information on your resume, you do not need to provide it in the formatted application.

Q: When I try to attach my cover letter and resume, I get an error message that says the file name is too long and displays a long and complicated name that is not my file's name. How do I proceed?

A: Try clearing your browser cache and renaming the file, or ensuring the file extension (.docx or .pdf) are not in the document title. After you have completed these steps, please try submitting the attachment again.

Q: I’m trying to upload a PDF document and it isn’t working. 

A: The system has issues with some images and fonts, as well as signatures from software like Docusign. Trying to attach a document that has images, unique fonts or signatures can sometimes cause issues. You can try simplifying your document by converting your pdf to a work document, removing these items or changing your font, and then saving as a new pdf document.

Q:  Can I upload multiples of the same type of document?

A: Yes, although this sometimes causes errors. If you experience issues uploading multiple documents separately, merge the documents separately and attach as one file.

General Tips

• Always save your work - you may end up losing data if you get interrupted and the system times out
• If the system is acting weird, try using a different browser (firefox works best) or clearing your cache.
• If you get an error indicating that the data being added conflicts with existing data, this is most likely due to multiple active sessions of the jobs portal being open at the same time. It’s best to only have one active instance of the jobs portal open at a time.
  • If you need to visit another section of your application, try to do this search in the same window (using the back or next button or clicking on name of section at the top of the screen) so that you do not have two windows open at the same time - the system is not smart enough to jump back and forth to the different pages you are navigating in separate windows
  • If you want to have multiple instances of the website open, you can open them in different browsers to avoid this issue

Uploading a resume and cover letter

You can attach a resume or cover letter by uploading your files at Step 2 - “Applying:Resume”. There are some nuances to attaching your materials successfully, so if you are having trouble, please read the guidance below:

• Only Word, PDF, and text forms such as .rtf, .odt, .txt are allowed.
• Google docs are not compatible with our system.
• We recommend that you convert your documents to pdf’s prior to uploading them so you can see the final formatting that the hiring unit will see - some formatting does not translate well when converted to pdf, so this is an opportunity to adjust as needed.
• When converting a document to a pdf for upload, you should remove the file type abbreviation in the title - for example, if you converted a .docx file to a pdf, you will want to remove the “.docx” from the file name.
• If you have issues uploading one or more documents, resulting in either an error message or the web page timing out, we suggest you merge the documents you’d like to upload and attach them as one document.
• We do not recommend uploading files to your “My Activities” tab. This can be problematic for anyone applying for more than one position - trust us… this is not a good option, though it might seem easy peasy.