Who it’s for: ATS administrators and recruitment users with vacancy permissions
Platform: Sense ATS
Available on: Elite tier and above, or Professional tier with ATS add-on
Before you begin
Make sure you have:
☑️ Access to Sense ATS
☑️ Permission to create or manage vacancies
☑️ A suitable pipeline template already created in ATS > Settings > Pipelines
☑️ The vacancy details, including role name, location, department, employment type, pay, schedule, and closing date
☑️ Details of anyone who should be added to the hiring team
☑️ A draft vacancy advert, or enough information for AMI to help create one
🖊️ Note: ATS access and permissions are currently managed by Sense Workplace Support. Self-service permission management through Sense Portal is confirmed on the product roadmap and is currently in development.
Overview
The vacancy setup flow is used to create, edit, and copy vacancies in Sense ATS.
You can use it to:
create a new vacancy from scratch
edit an existing vacancy
copy an existing vacancy to create a similar new vacancy
add vacancy details
select a pipeline template
add a hiring team
write or generate a vacancy advert
save the vacancy as a draft
save, publish, or submit the vacancy for approval, depending on your permissions and workflows.
💡 Tip: Copying a vacancy is a useful way to create a new vacancy when an existing role is closely aligned. The copied vacancy opens with the original details already filled in, so you can update only the parts that need to change.
Navigation path
To create a new vacancy:
ATS > Vacancies > Add
To edit or copy an existing vacancy:
ATS > Vacancies > More actions (…) > Edit
or
ATS > Vacancies > More actions (…) > Copy
Ways to open the vacancy setup flow
There are three ways to open the vacancy setup flow.
Action | Where from | What it does |
Add |
| Starts a blank new vacancy. |
Edit |
| Opens an existing vacancy so you can update its details. |
Copy |
| Creates a new vacancy using an existing vacancy as the starting point. |
🖊️ Note: Editing updates the existing vacancy. Copying creates a separate new vacancy when saved.
Create a vacancy
Go to ATS > Vacancies.
Click Add.
Complete each step in the vacancy setup flow (see step guidance).
Save the vacancy.
The vacancy setup flow includes:
Vacancy details
Vacancy setup
Hiring team
Vacancy advert
Step 1: Vacancy details
Use the Vacancy details step to enter the key information about the role.
Complete the fields as needed:
Field | Description |
Vacancy name | The name of the role. Required. |
Description | Internal description. This is hidden from the vacancy advert. Required. |
Location | Select an existing location or choose + Add new option to add a new one. |
Department | Select an existing department or choose + Add new option to add a new one. |
Employment type | Select an existing employment type, such as full time, or choose + Add new option to add a new one. |
Pay | Enter the salary or pay rate. |
Shift/Schedule | Enter the working hours or schedule. |
Closing date | Select the vacancy closing date using the date picker. |
Internal vacancy | Select this if the vacancy should be listed internally only. |
🖊️ Note: If completed, Location, Employment type, Department, Pay, and Shift/Schedule appear in the left-hand information panel on the vacancy advert.
Internal and external vacancies
The Internal vacancy checkbox controls whether the vacancy is listed internally or externally.
Setting | Result |
Internal vacancy selected | The vacancy appears on the internal vacancy board and internal RSS feed. |
Internal vacancy not selected | The vacancy appears on the external vacancy board and external RSS feed. |
💡 Tip: RSS feeds are managed separately in ATS > Settings > RSS feeds. See the existing RSS feeds article for full RSS feed guidance.
Click Next to continue.
Step 2: Vacancy setup
Use the Vacancy setup step to select the pipeline template for the vacancy.
Open the Pipeline dropdown.
Select the pipeline template you want to use.
Click Next.
The pipeline is required.
🖊️ Pipeline templates and vacancy pipelines
Pipeline templates are created in ATS > Settings > Pipelines.
When you select a pipeline template for a vacancy, that vacancy gets its own vacancy pipeline. You can later manage that vacancy-specific pipeline from:
ATS > Vacancies > [select vacancy] > Pipeline tab > Edit pipeline
Editing a vacancy pipeline only changes that vacancy. It does not update the original pipeline template.
Step 3: Hiring team
Use the Hiring team step to add the people who should be involved in the hiring process for this vacancy.
Open the Hiring Manager(s) dropdown.
Select one or more users.
Click Next.
Hiring team members added to a vacancy can access that vacancy and its associated applicants, depending on their ATS permissions.
🖊️ Note: Hiring managers added to a vacancy only have access to that vacancy and its applicants by default. They do not automatically gain access to unrelated vacancies or applicant records unless they also have broader ATS permissions.
Step 4: Vacancy advert
Use the Vacancy advert step to create the advert shown to applicants.
You can either:
write the advert manually using the editor
use AMI to draft the advert
ask AMI to create a standard vacancy advert template that you can then edit.
Write the advert manually
Enter the advert content directly into the editor.
You can use the editor controls in the toolbar to format the advert as needed.
Use AMI to draft the vacancy advert
To ask AMI to help write the advert:
Click the AMI icon in the lower-right corner of the vacancy advert editor.
Enter a prompt explaining what you want the advert to include.
Submit the prompt by clicking the send icon or pressing Return on your keyboard.
Review the draft AMI provides.
Edit or accept the advert content as needed.
Example prompt:
Write a vacancy advert for a full-time Delivery Driver based in Ashford. Include a friendly introduction, key responsibilities, required driving licence C1, DBS requirement, working hours, pay, and a short section about why someone would want to work here.
💡 Tip: For longer vacancy adverts, draft your AMI prompt somewhere else first, for example notepad or Word, then paste it into AMI when ready.
Save the vacancy
When you have finished the vacancy advert, choose one of the available save options.
Option | What it does |
Save as draft | Saves the vacancy so you or another hiring team member can return to it later. |
Save | Saves the vacancy and either approves/publishes it or sends it for approval, depending on your permissions and workflows. |
What happens after saving
By default, vacancies added to ATS are automatically approved.
If your organisation uses the ATS vacancy approval workflow via Automate, vacancies created by users without ATS administrator permissions can be sent for approval instead.
Result | What it means |
Approved / Open | The vacancy has been approved and can appear on the selected vacancy board. |
Pending approval | The vacancy is waiting for review by someone with approval permissions. |
Rejected | The vacancy was declined through the approval workflow. |
Draft | The vacancy has been saved but is not ready to publish or submit. |
🖊️ Note: The ATS vacancy approval workflow is currently available as a custom workflow for Enterprise customers. It may become available as a Library workflow in future.
Edit a vacancy
Use Edit when you need to update an existing vacancy.
Go to ATS > Vacancies
Find the vacancy.
💡 Tip: If you have a large number of vacancies, switch to Table view. Table view includes a search box, column filters, and more detailed vacancy information, which can make it easier to find the vacancy you need.
Open the More actions (…) menu.
Select Edit.
The vacancy setup flow opens with the existing details already filled in.
Update the required steps.
Save the vacancy.
You can use the step list on the left-hand side to jump directly to a specific step.
🖊️ Note: The edit vacancy flow does not include the Vacancy setup step for selecting a different pipeline template. To manage the pipeline already attached to a vacancy, open the vacancy directly and go to Pipeline tab > Edit pipeline.
Copy a vacancy
Use Copy when you want to create a new vacancy based on an existing one.
Go to ATS > Vacancies.
Find the vacancy you want to copy.
💡 Tip: If you have a large number of vacancies, switch to Table view. Table view includes a search box, column filters, and more detailed vacancy information, which can make it easier to find the vacancy you need.Open the More actions (…) menu for the vacancy.
Select Copy.
The vacancy setup flow opens with details copied from the original vacancy.
Update the vacancy details as needed.
Save the vacancy.
The copied vacancy becomes a separate vacancy when saved.
💡 Tip: Copying is useful for repeat roles, similar vacancies, seasonal recruitment, or vacancies where the advert and hiring process are mostly the same.
What applicants see
What applicants see depends on whether AMI-assisted application screening has been set up from the vacancy’s Interview tab.
💡 Tip: To preview the vacancy as an applicant, go to ATS > Vacancies, open the vacancy’s More actions (…) menu, and select Copy vacancy link. Open the copied link to view the vacancy listing and check the applicant experience.
🖊️ Note: The current ATS tab is called Interview, but it is used to configure AMI-assisted application screening.
If AMI-assisted application screening is not set up
The vacancy listing includes two tabs:
Overview
Application
Applicants can open the Application tab, enter their details, upload their CV and optional covering letter, and submit their application.
Vacancy advert showing Overview and Application tabs
Standard Application tab (for applications where AMI-assisted application has not been set up).
If AMI-assisted application screening is set up
The vacancy listing includes a Start application with AMI button.
Applicants can click Start application with AMI to start the AMI-assisted application flow.
AMI can then guide the applicant through:
CV upload
contact detail confirmation
personal detail confirmation
optional additional information, such as a cover letter or LinkedIn URL
vacancy-specific screening questions.
If the applicant uploads a CV, AMI can extract personal and contact details from the CV and ask the applicant to confirm them.
If the applicant does not upload a CV, AMI asks them to provide the required details manually.
After creating a vacancy
After a vacancy has been saved, you can manage it from ATS > Vacancies.
You can:
open the vacancy overview
update the vacancy status
edit, copy, close, reopen, or delete the vacancy
copy the vacancy link
summarise the vacancy with AMI
manage applicants
manage the vacancy pipeline
set up AMI-assisted application screening from the Interview tab
Summary
Use the vacancy setup flow to create, edit, or copy vacancies.
Remember:
Add creates a new vacancy from scratch.
Edit updates an existing vacancy.
Copy creates a new vacancy based on an existing one.
The selected pipeline template becomes a vacancy-specific pipeline.
The Hiring team controls who is involved in the vacancy and who can access it, depending on permissions.
The Internal vacancy checkbox controls whether the vacancy is listed internally or externally.
Vacancies are automatically approved by default, unless an approval workflow is configured.
AMI can help draft the vacancy advert and, after the vacancy is created, support application screening from the Interview tab.
FAQs
Click to see answers to frequently asked questions
Click to see answers to frequently asked questions
Q: Can I copy an existing vacancy to create a new one in ATS?
A: Yes, you can copy an existing vacancy to create a new one. Open the vacancy’s More actions (…) menu and select Copy. The vacancy setup flow opens with details copied from the original vacancy. When saved, it creates a separate new vacancy.
Q: What is the difference between Edit and Copy for a vacancy in ATS?
A: Edit updates the existing vacancy in ATS. Copy creates a new vacancy in ATS using the original vacancy as a starting point.
Q: When creating a vacancy in ATS, where do the pipeline options come from?
A: Pipeline options come from the pipeline templates created in ATS > Settings > Pipelines. When you set up a vacancy, you select one of these templates to use as the vacancy’s base pipeline, which can later be edited in the vacancy overview.
Q: Does editing the vacancy pipeline update the original pipeline template?
A: No, editing the vacancy pipeline within a vacancy overview does not update the pipeline template. After a pipeline template has been selected for a vacancy, the vacancy has its own pipeline. Editing that vacancy pipeline does not update the original pipeline template.
Q: What does the Internal vacancy tickbox do within the vacancy setup flow?
A: The Internal vacancy tickbox controls where the vacancy is published. Select it to list the vacancy on the internal vacancy board/feed. Leave it unticked to treat the vacancy as external and publish it to the external vacancy board/feed.
Q: Why did my vacancy go to Pending approval in ATS?
A: If your vacancy has gone to Pending approval, your organisation may use an ATS vacancy approval workflow. If so, vacancies created by users without ATS administrator permissions may be sent for approval before they can be published.
Q: Can AMI write the vacancy advert for me in ATS?
A: Yes, AMI can draft a vacancy advert for you. In the Vacancy advert step, click the AMI icon and ask AMI to draft the advert. You can then edit or accept the result.
Q: What is the Interview tab in ATS vacancies used for?
A: The Interview tab is currently used to set up AMI-assisted application screening. This lets AMI guide applicants through CV upload, contact detail confirmation, and vacancy-specific questions. It also provides scoring and application insights for recruiters to review.