How to Apply to Cleveland Clinic (2026): Step-by-Step
Cleveland Clinic's hiring volume is in nursing, nursing support, allied health, pharmacy, and facilities across Ohio, Florida, and its other locations, alongside physicians and administrative staff. Job pages sit on jobs.clevelandclinic.org, but the application runs in Workday at ccf.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com, and that is the only place status is shown. What applicants do not expect: Cleveland Clinic has had a nonsmoking hiring policy since 2007, so the post-offer physical includes a cotinine (nicotine) test alongside the controlled-substance screen, and background checks are run by a third-party vendor, Certiphi.
Where the Cleveland Clinic application lives
Official careers site: jobs.clevelandclinic.org. Applications run on Workday.
- Application status (Workday) — The Workday candidate home where you apply, sign in, and see each application's stage.
- Nursing — New graduate RN residency and the Nurse Associate externship for final-year students.
- Talent Community — Job alerts only; it does not create a Workday account.
Step by step: applying to Cleveland Clinic
- Search jobs.clevelandclinic.org by career area. Each posting lists a requisition number and job code, which helps when following up with HR.
- Click Apply Now. You move to Workday, sign in or create a candidate account tied to your email, and upload a resume that Workday parses into work history and education.
- Complete the Workday questions, including license and certification fields. RN postings require an active state license and AHA BLS; new-grad roles accept under one year of experience.
- Track progress in Candidate Home on ccf.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com. The Application Status link on the careers site goes directly there.
- Expect a recruiter phone screen, then manager and often peer interviews. New graduate nurses join a residency curriculum with a success coach after hire.
- After the offer: Certiphi background check, controlled-substance and cotinine testing at the pre-placement physical, and proof of annual flu vaccination or an approved exemption.
What a Workday application is like
- Every employer has its own Workday tenant, so you create a separate candidate account (email + password) for each company, even if you have applied through Workday elsewhere.
- "Autofill with Resume" parses your PDF or DOCX into the form. It regularly splits job titles, dates and bullet points wrong — check every field of My Experience before moving on.
- The form runs in stages (My Information, My Experience, Application Questions, Voluntary Disclosures, Self Identify, Review). Nothing saves until you finish a stage, and sessions time out.
- Once submitted, an application cannot be edited. Withdraw and re-apply if you must change something while the posting is open.
- Status lives in Candidate Home under My Applications. Later applications to the same company can reuse your saved details ("Use My Last Application").
Tips from Cleveland Clinic applicants
- Nicotine users should quit well before the physical. Policy documents describe rescinded offers and a 90-day wait before reconsideration after a positive cotinine result.
- Keep one Workday account. The Talent Community on the careers site is a separate mailing list and will not show applications.
- Search for New Graduate RN postings rather than a program page; residency spots are posted as ordinary jobs by hospital and shift.
- For accommodations during the application or interview, call the HR Service Center at 216.448.2247 or email HRServiceCenter@ccf.org.
How long the Cleveland Clinic process takes
Indeed reports range from one to three weeks for operations roles to about three months for nursing, and the physical, drug and nicotine screen, and background check after the offer typically add a few weeks. Most people describe a phone screen followed by one or two interviews, sometimes with peers.
Before you hit submit
Two quick wins: check your resume against the posting with the resume keywords for your role, and attach a tailored letter — see the cover letter examples by role. Decide your answers to the standard screening questions once — see desired salary and work authorization — and keep a record in a tracker.
Apply faster
Cleveland Clinic applications run on Workday, which JobRizzer autofills. Install the extension, open the Cleveland Clinic application, and JobRizzer fills the standard fields from your profile — you review every field and click submit yourself.
FAQ
Does Cleveland Clinic hire smokers or test for nicotine?
Cleveland Clinic has had a nonsmoking hiring policy since 2007. Its published conditions-of-employment documents, written for clinical trainees, describe a cotinine test at the pre-placement physical that detects nicotine from any tobacco product, with offers rescinded on a positive result and reconsideration possible after a negative test 90 days later. Check the posting for your state, since those documents are Ohio-based.
What background check does Cleveland Clinic run?
Job postings state that background checks are initiated by a third-party vendor, Certiphi, after an offer is made, and that every offer is followed by testing for controlled substances. Clinical onboarding documents also mention fingerprinting and license verification. Employment stays conditional until results return, so have prior addresses, employer details, and license numbers ready.
What ATS does Cleveland Clinic use?
Cleveland Clinic runs applications on Workday. Apply on the official careers site (jobs.clevelandclinic.org) for the most reliable experience.
How long does a Cleveland Clinic application take?
Most online applications take 15–45 minutes of manual entry. Autofilling the standard fields can cut that to a couple of minutes of review.
Does JobRizzer auto-submit my Cleveland Clinic application?
No. JobRizzer fills the form; you review every field and submit yourself. It never auto-submits or mass-applies.