Creating and publishing an apply online vacancy (vX)
Source: gov.uk (2025-09-01)

The process for recruiters to review, publish and update an apply online vacancy in Civil Service Jobs vX.

Creating a vacancy

Select the Create new vacancy button and complete the Create New Vacancy form:
- select a template to load the remaining sections of the form
- questions marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory
- you must complete all mandatory fields before saving
- the system will timeout after 60 minutes of inactivity
- once saved, you can edit any details before posting
- questions highlighted in green will be visible to candidates in the job advert or application form
- If you select Save before completing all mandatory fields, incomplete ones will be highlighted as errors.
There is separate guidance for creating an advert-only vacancy (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/create-and-publish-job-adverts).

Some sections will have pre-set answers, which you can override.

Non-standard eligibility

Only select Yes when there is an exceptional business need, such as advertising an internal job on promotion.

Success profiles

The sift and interview evaluation forms are dynamic, and change depending on which Success Profiles you select within the vacancy. Make sure these are correct.

Turning off onboarding actions

You can turn onboarding access off in the Pre-employment check forms section:
- Remove entries shown in the New entrant notification check (NEN) field, and select Not Applicable from the dropdown.
- Remove entries shown in the Posting request check field, and select Not Applicable from the dropdown.
- Select Save.
You can turn off onboarding actions at any time before the ‘Provisional Offer’ status. To do this, follow the Editing a vacancy (#editing-a-vacancy) steps.

Adding or removing panel members
- Select the Panel tab.
- Select Add Participant.
- Enter the user’s name in User / Profile.
If the user has no account, they must request one (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/accessing-the-civil-service-jobs-vx-system) before you can add them.
- Select the user’s Category, for example Recruiter or Vacancy Holder. You can only select categories that have been assigned to the user’s profile.
- Select Is Coordinator and Can view applications as appropriate.
- Add Participant
- You can also Edit or Remove a user’s access in the Panel tab.
The vacancy may need to reach a certain status before some users can access it.

Sending to recruitment

When your vacancy is ready to be advertised, select Send to recruitment.

Welsh language support

You have the option to provide a Welsh version of your advert. This will allow Welsh-speaking candidates to see the job details and apply in Welsh.

You will need to obtain the Welsh translation of the advert yourself.
- Free text fields visible to candidates have a Translate button. Use this to enter the Welsh version of the same content
- Use the Job Preview to see the advert from a candidate’s perspective, and ensure that all relevant fields have been translated
Posting a vacancy created by a recruiter
- On the Summary tab, check that the Preferred Go Live Date and Preferred Vacancy Closing Date are correct. To change these, select Edit,then Save the changes.
- On the Vacancy Forms tab, check all information is correct. To make a change, select Edit, then Save any changes.
- Select the Preview advert button from the right hand side of the Vacancy Forms tab and check the layout of the advert in a new window.
- Return to the vacancy and select the Mandatory fields checked button.
- Select the External Postings tab.
- Select the Add button.
- From the Destination list, select Post to Civil Service Jobs.
- Select Next.
- Enter the Live Date.
- Enter the Posting Closing Date - use 23:55 for the closing time.
- Select Next.
- On the New Posting screen, select Next.
- Select the Post vacancy button to change the vacancy status
A confirmation email will be sent to the Vacancy Holder, saying that the vacancy has been posted.

Setting a vacancy to publish on a date in the future
- On the Summary tab, set Preferred go live date to be today, or in the past.
- In External Postings set the Live Date to be your future date.
Posting a vacancy created by a vacancy holder

Reviewing the vacancy
- Select the Vacancies awaiting recruitment review button on your Dashboard.
- Use Filter to find the vacancy you want to post
- On the Summary tab, check that the Preferred Go Live Date and Preferred Vacancy Closing Date are correct. To change these, select Edit, then Save the changes.
- Select the Vacancy Forms tab followed by Edit to review the vacancy.
- Check the vacancy holder has provided appropriate approval.
- Insert any standard wording used by your department.
- Check any attachments in the Further information section, and add more if needed.
- Complete all remaining mandatory fields.
- Select Save.
- Select the Preview advert button from the right hand side of the Vacancy Forms tab and check the layout of the advert in a new window.
If the vacancy holder has not provided all required information, select Vacancy Holder Update Needed. This will create an email which you can edit before selecting Send Correspondence.

Once the vacancy holder has updated the vacancy, it will return to the Vacancies awaiting recruitment review list on your dashboard.

Posting the vacancy
- Select the Mandatory fields checked button.
- Select the External Postings tab.
- Select the Add button.
- From the Destination list, select Post to Civil Service Jobs.
- Select Next.
- Enter the Live Date.
- Enter the Posting Closing Date - use 23:55 for the closing time.
- Select Next.
- On the New Posting screen, select Next.
- Select Post vacancy to change the vacancy status.
A confirmation email will be sent to the Vacancy Holder, saying that the vacancy has been posted.

Setting a vacancy to publish on a future date
- On the Summary tab, set Preferred go live date to be today, or in the past.
- In External Postings set the Live Date to be your future date
Checking your posting

Confirm your advert has been correctly posted by searching Civil Service Jobs (https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi).

If your vacancy is using Internal or Across Government approaches you will need to log in as a civil servant to see it.

Vacancies posted from the vX system will have a unique reference number allocated when the vacancy was created.

Editing a vacancy

Corrections can be made before or after a vacancy has been posted.

Find the vacancy
- Use the Search box at the top of the page to enter the vacancy title or ID number.
- Go to the vacancy.
Make the changes
- In the Summary or Vacancy Forms tab, select the Edit button
- Make your corrections.
- Save any changes.
Update the posting

If the vacancy has already been posted:
- Select the External Postings tab.
- Highlight the table row and select the Edit button.
- If you have edited dates in your vacancy, ensure the posting dates still match.
- Select Save.
Check your posting has updated correctly by searching Civil Service Jobs.

Copying a vacancy

You should only consider copying a vacancy when the original is very recent, and where the settings and text are expected to be the same.

In most cases you should create a new vacancy (#creating-a-vacancy) as many of the standard settings and default text will already be included.

Find the original vacancy
- Use the Search box at the top of the page to enter the vacancy title or ID number.
- Go to the vacancy.
Select and copy
- Select Copy from the menu bar, then confirm.
- In the Summary tab, select Edit.
- Edit the Vacancy Title, Preferred go live date and Preferred vacancy closing date to reflect your new vacancy.
- Follow Creating a vacancy (#creating-a-vacancy) to review, edit, and send to a recruiter.
Withdrawing a vacancy

Apply online vacancies will automatically close when they reach their closing date and time.

Advert only vacancies will be removed from view for candidates automatically when they reach their closing date and time. They will show as active to recruiters or advert-only users so you may wish to manually close them after that point.

If you need to remove a vacancy before the closing date you must check whether it has any active applications.

Check for applications

Before you withdraw the vacancy, you must ensure all candidates are either at ‘Campaign Withdrawn’ or another terminal status, and then you must update the vacancy posting.
- Find the vacancy using the search box
- Under the vacancy, go to Applications
- Check whether you have any active candidates
Where you need to update their status:
- Go to the list of applications
- Select one or more applications in the table
- Select Status, then Other status
- From the list of statuses, select Campaign Withdrawn, and tick the automatic actions box
- This will send the candidate an email informing them that the vacancy has been withdrawn.
Update the posting

If the vacancy has not reached the closing date, updating the vacancy status alone will not prevent applications from being submitted. The External Postings tab must be updated to remove the vacancy and prevent applications.
- Select the External Postings tab
- Highlight the table row, and select Edit
- Update the closing date to the current date and time
- Select Save
The posting status will still show as online, but candidates will be unable to view it. Check that the advert is not visible on Civil Service Jobs before you make any further changes to the vacancy.

Update vacancy status
- Select the Confirm vacancy withdrawn button
Help and support

Contact the Product and Support Team if you have a technical problem: xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx).