Accessibility and keyboard shortcuts

Our approach to accessibility

HireWise should work for everyone looking for a job or hiring for one. We design and test the site to meet WCAG 2.2 level AA, and we check every release with a keyboard and at least two screen readers.

If something doesn’t work for you, please tell us through the contact page. Reports from real users have led to more than 40 fixes this year alone.

Display settings

You can change how HireWise looks under Settings > Accessibility. These settings are saved to your account and apply on every device where you sign in.

1. Open Settings > Accessibility.
2. Choose the options that suit you:
   • Theme: Light, Dark or Match system.
   • Text size: Default, Large (112%) or Extra large (125%).
   • Reduce motion: turns off animations and smooth scrolling.
   • Underline links: shows an underline on every link, not just on hover.
3. Click Save.

Tip: If you’re not signed in, HireWise follows your operating system’s settings for dark mode and reduced motion automatically.

Using HireWise with a keyboard

Every part of the site can be used without a mouse.

• Press Tab to move forward and Shift + Tab to move back.
• Press Enter to follow a link or activate a button.
• Press Space to toggle checkboxes and filters.
• Press Esc to close menus, dialogs and the search panel.

A Skip to main content link appears when you press Tab for the first time on any page.

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcuts are available on the jobs page and in your dashboard. Press ? at any time to see the full list.

Action	Windows and Linux	macOS
Open search	Ctrl + K	Cmd + K
Focus the search field	/	/
Next job in the list	J	J
Previous job in the list	K	K
Open the selected job	Enter	Return
Save or unsave a job	S	S
Go to Applications	G then A	G then A
Go to Settings	G then S	G then S
Show all shortcuts	?	?

Single-letter shortcuts are turned off automatically while you are typing in a text field.

Turning shortcuts off

Some screen reader and voice control users prefer to disable single-key shortcuts, as they can conflict with other commands.

1. Go to Settings > Accessibility.
2. Switch off Single-key shortcuts.
3. Shortcuts that use Ctrl or Cmd will remain active.

Using a screen reader

• Every page has a single h1 heading, and sections use a logical heading order, so you can navigate with your screen reader’s heading commands.
• Job cards are announced with the title, company, location and salary in that order.
• Status changes, such as “Job saved” or “Application submitted”, are announced without moving your focus.
• Forms show errors next to the field and in a summary at the top, and both are linked.

Documents and attachments

When you upload a CV, we recommend a tagged PDF or a Word document so employers using assistive technology can read it. Employers can ask for alternative formats, and candidates can request reasonable adjustments to the interview process directly from the application page.

For more help, browse the help center or read the frequently asked questions.