Before you start
You'll need a Citizen Account. If you haven't made one yet, see How to Create a Citizen Account.
Have a short paragraph in mind describing your qualifications and why you want to serve. You can always update it later.
Step 1: Open Account Settings
Click your initials or avatar in the top-right corner of the site.
Go to your My Account dashboard.
Under Quick Actions, click Account Settings.
[IMAGE: My Account dashboard with the Quick Actions card highlighting the "Account Settings" button]
Step 2: Go to the Application tab
Account Settings is organized into tabs.
[IMAGE: Account Settings page showing tabs across the top: Profile, Email, Contact, Application, Theme]
Click the Application tab.
Tab | What it controls |
Profile | Your name, avatar, and password |
Your email address and notification preferences | |
Contact | Your address and phone number |
Application | The defaults used when you apply for a seat |
Theme | Light or dark mode |
Step 3: Fill out your Application Profile
You'll see a form with five fields. All of them are optional, but the more you fill in, the less you'll have to type each time you apply.
[IMAGE: Application Profile form showing Employer, Occupation, Race or Ethnicity, Qualifications rich-text editor, and Reason for Applying rich-text editor]
Employer — your current company or organization.
Occupation — your job title or role.
Race or Ethnicity — an optional demographic field governments use to track the diversity of their applicant pool.
Qualifications — describe your relevant experience, skills, and background. Use the formatting toolbar to add bold text, lists, or line breaks if they help you organize your answer.
Reason for Applying — explain why you're interested in serving on a board or commission. A single paragraph is usually enough; you can always tailor it per application later.
Step 4: Save your profile
Click Save at the bottom right of the form.
[IMAGE: Bottom of the Application Profile form showing a "Save" button on the right]
You'll see a confirmation toast: "Application profile saved."
That's it — your defaults are stored.
How this shows up when you apply for a seat
Next time you start a seat application, the following fields will already be filled in from your Application Profile:
Employer
Occupation
Race or Ethnicity
Qualifications
Reason for Applying
[IMAGE: Seat application form with the Qualifications and Reason for Applying fields pre-filled with sample text from the Application Profile]
You can always edit any field on a specific application if you want to tailor your answer for that particular board — your Application Profile stays unchanged unless you update it yourself.
Contact info (email, phone, address) comes from the Contact tab in Account Settings, not from the Application Profile. Make sure that's current too.
Common questions
Can I save multiple jobs or education entries? Not at this time. The Application Profile is a single default set — think of it as your standard "elevator pitch" answer. If you want to highlight different experience for a specific board, edit the application itself after starting it.
Will updating my Application Profile change applications I've already submitted? No. Submitted applications capture your answers at the moment you submitted them. Changing your profile later only affects new applications you start after the update.
Do I have to fill out every field? No — every field is optional. Even saving just your Qualifications and Reason will speed up future applications significantly.
What's next?
How to Apply for an Open Seat — use your new profile to apply in just a few clicks.
How to Track Your Seat Applications — check the status of applications you've already submitted.
Need help?
If your Application Profile isn't pre-filling correctly on a new application, try saving the profile again and starting a fresh application. If the issue continues, reach out to Govinity support.