Published March 9, 2026

How to Pull Screening Questions from an ATS and Embed Them in Your Product Using Unified's ATS API

February 25, 2026

Screening questions are often defined inside the ATS.

If you're building:

A custom apply flow
A sourcing portal
A talent CRM
A recruiting automation layer
A candidate engagement product

…you need to:

Pull screening questions from the ATS
Render them dynamically in your product
Collect structured responses
Push those responses back into the ATS
Attach them to the correct application

This guide walks through that full read + structured write-back workflow using Unified's ATS API.

The Mental Model

The workflow looks like this:

Retrieve the job from the ATS
Extract job.questions[]
Normalize question types
Render a dynamic form in your UI
Create (or retrieve) the candidate
Create the application
Attach answers[] to the application

The ATS remains the system of record.

Your product becomes a structured front-end for screening.

Step 1: Retrieve the Job Object

Screening questions live on the job object.

Endpoint

GET /ats/{connection_id}/job/{id}

Node SDK Example

const job = await sdk.ats.getAtsJob({
  connectionId,
  id: jobId,
  fields: '',
  raw: '',
});

Screening Question Structure

From the AtsJob model:

questions: [
  {
    id: string,
    question: string,
    required: boolean,
    description?: string,
    prompt?: string,
    type:
      'TEXT' |
      'NUMBER' |
      'DATE' |
      'BOOLEAN' |
      'MULTIPLE_CHOICE' |
      'FILE' |
      'TEXTAREA' |
      'MULTIPLE_SELECT' |
      'UNIVERSITY' |
      'YES_NO' |
      'CURRENCY' |
      'URL',
    options?: string[]
  }
]

Each question includes a unique id.

That id is what you will later use as question_id when writing answers back to the application.

Step 2: Normalize Question Types

Your frontend should normalize ATS question types into your own UI schema.

Example mapping:

ATS Type	UI Component
TEXT	Single-line input
TEXTAREA	Multi-line input
NUMBER	Numeric input
DATE	Date picker
BOOLEAN	Checkbox
YES_NO	Radio buttons
MULTIPLE_CHOICE	Single select dropdown
MULTIPLE_SELECT	Multi-select control
FILE	File upload
URL	URL input
CURRENCY	Currency field

Render dynamically based on:

type
required
options[] (when applicable)

Do not hardcode question definitions. Always trust the job object.

Step 3: Collect Candidate Responses

Your form should produce a structured payload like:

[
  {
    "question_id": "q_123",
    "answers": ["Yes"]
  },
  {
    "question_id": "q_456",
    "answers": ["5"]
  }
]

Important:

answers is always an array of strings
Even for single-value questions
Maintain order but rely on question_id for mapping

Step 4: Handle FILE-Type Questions

For FILE questions, responses must be represented as a string.

Unified's ATS Application model expects:

answers[].answers[]: string[]

For file-based questions, supply:

A publicly accessible file URL (recommended), or
A document ID if the downstream ATS requires pre-upload

Typical workflow:

Upload the file via the Document endpoint
Capture the returned document_url or id
Use that value as the answer

Upload File

POST /ats/{connection_id}/document

Example:

const doc = await sdk.ats.createAtsDocument({
  connectionId,
  atsDocument: {
    filename: 'resume.pdf',
    type: 'RESUME',
    candidate_id: candidateId,
    document_data: base64EncodedFile,
  },
});

Then in your answers:

{
  "question_id": "file_q_001",
  "answers": ["https://your-storage.com/file.pdf"]
}

or:

{
  "question_id": "file_q_001",
  "answers": ["document_id_789"]
}

File handling requirements vary by integration. Always confirm provider expectations.

Step 5: Create the Candidate (If Needed)

Before attaching answers, ensure the candidate exists.

const candidate = await sdk.ats.createAtsCandidate({
  connectionId,
  atsCandidate: {
    first_name: 'Jane',
    last_name: 'Doe',
    emails: [{ email: 'jane@example.com', type: 'WORK' }]
  },
});

Or dedupe first using:

query: 'jane@example.com'

Step 6: Create the Application With Answers

You can attach screening responses during application creation.

Endpoint

POST /ats/{connection_id}/application

Example

const application = await sdk.ats.createAtsApplication({
  connectionId,
  atsApplication: {
    candidate_id: candidate.id,
    job_id: job.id,
    answers: [
      {
        question_id: "q_123",
        answers: ["Yes"]
      },
      {
        question_id: "q_456",
        answers: ["5"]
      }
    ],
    status: "NEW"
  },
});

Alternatively, you can update answers after application creation:

await sdk.ats.updateAtsApplication({
  connectionId,
  id: application.id,
  atsApplication: {
    answers: [
      {
        question_id: "q_123",
        answers: ["Yes"]
      }
    ]
  }
});