Job Application Status Decoder — What Does That Status Mean?
Application statuses use confusing language. “Process Complete” usually means rejected, not finished. Paste the status you see — or your whole portal status table — and get a plain English translation of every line.
Type or paste the status exactly as you see it — or browse a system — and the decoder explains what it actually means and what to do next.
How the decoder works.
Type or paste the status exactly as it appears — the tool normalizes it and matches it against the status labels and common recruiter-email phrasing used by major applicant tracking systems. Each match includes a verdict, a tone indicator, a pipeline position, and a recommended action.
Statuses are based on how each system typically labels application stages. Employer configurations vary — some companies customize status labels or disable the candidate portal entirely.
The statuses that trip people up most.
Workday “In Progress” is the most-Googled application status — and the vaguest. It means your application sits in an open stage of the process, not that anything specific is happening to it.
Workday “Process Complete” does not mean your application was successful. It means the hiring process for that role has ended — usually because the position was filled.
Workday “No Longer Under Consideration” is a rejection. It is role-specific, not a ban — you can apply to other roles at the same employer.
“Under Review” on most systems means someone has opened your application, not that you have an interview. It is a neutral state.
If you applied through Lever or Ashby, you will not see a status page. All updates come through email from the recruiter.
Every status the decoder knows.
The same data the tool uses, laid out so you can scan it without opening the form.
Workday
| Status | What it usually means | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Received | Your application has been submitted and is in the system. It has not been reviewed yet. | Not a decision yet |
| In Progress | The most-Googled Workday status — and the vaguest. It means your application sits in an open stage of the process, usually with a recruiter or the HR queue. It is not an interview and not a rejection; it mostly means "still open." | Still in the running |
| Under Review | A recruiter or hiring team is looking at your application — or has at least been assigned it. It does not guarantee an interview. | Still in the running |
| Screen | You are in — or queued for — a screening step, typically a recruiter review or a short phone screen before interviews. | Still in the running |
| Assessment | The process includes a test or questionnaire at this stage — a coding challenge, personality inventory, or skills check. | Still in the running |
| Under Consideration | You are being evaluated for the role. It often means you passed an initial screen — a slightly more active state than "Under Review." | Still in the running |
| Sent to Department | A recruiter passed your application to the hiring team or department for review. You cleared at least the first HR filter. | Still in the running |
| Interview | You have been selected for an interview. The scheduling email arrives separately — check spam. | You moved forward |
| Offer | You have been selected for an offer. Details come by email or a recruiter call. | You moved forward |
| No Longer Under Consideration | Your application has been rejected. The role is filled, closed, or the team decided not to move forward with you. Recruiter emails that say they are "moving forward with other candidates" mean the same thing. | Rejected for this role |
| Not Selected | A rejection — the employer chose other candidates for this role. "We will keep your resume on file" is the polite version of the same message. | Rejected for this role |
| Process Complete | The hiring process for this role has ended — usually because the position was filled, sometimes because the requisition was closed. It does NOT mean your application succeeded. | Rejected for this role |
| Inactive | Your application is no longer active. Employers usually set this when the requisition closes or when applications are dispositioned in bulk — functionally a rejection. | Rejected for this role |
| On Hold | The hiring process is paused — budget freezes, reorganizations, or seasonal delays. Not a yes and not a no. | Paused, not rejected |
| Withdrawn | You — or the employer on your behalf — withdrew the application from consideration. | Out of the running |
| Talent Pool / Shortlisted | You are in a keep-warm pool — the employer marked you as a candidate worth holding for this or future roles. It is a positive state, NOT a rejection — do not confuse it with "not shortlisted." | Still in the running |
| Offer (External) | The candidate-facing label for the offer stage — an offer has been generated or extended on this application. | You moved forward |
| Hired | The requisition closed with you in it — the terminal good outcome. | You moved forward |
| Status | What it usually means | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Application sent | LinkedIn delivered your application to the employer. Nothing has been opened or decided. | Not a decision yet |
| Application viewed | Someone at the employer opened your application. That is all it means — a look, not an evaluation, and definitely not an interview signal. | Not a decision yet |
| Resume downloaded | Someone pulled your resume file out of the applicant list — a better sign than "viewed," because it usually means a human wants a closer look or is sharing it internally. | Still in the running |
| Application rejected | The employer marked your application as rejected — or you got the email version of it. LinkedIn rejections are usually automated. | Rejected for this role |
Indeed
| Status | What it usually means | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Applied | Your application was sent to the employer. Indeed does not know whether anyone has seen it yet. | Not a decision yet |
| Reviewed | The employer marked your application as reviewed. It means a look happened — not a decision. | Not a decision yet |
| Viewed | The employer opened your application or resume. A look — not an evaluation. | Not a decision yet |
| Not selected by employer | The employer actively marked you as not selected — a real rejection, not silence. | Rejected for this role |
| Hired | The employer marked the role as hired. If it was your application, you already know — otherwise the role is filled. | You moved forward |
USAJobs
| Status | What it usually means | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Received | The agency received your application. Nothing has been evaluated yet. | Not a decision yet |
| Reviewed | HR screened your application for eligibility and minimum qualifications. A process checkpoint — not a hiring-manager read and not a decision. | Not a decision yet |
| Referred | You passed the HR eligibility and qualification screen, and your application went to the hiring manager — the strongest pre-interview signal on USAJobs. | You moved forward |
| Not Referred | Your application did not make the referral list — you missed an eligibility requirement, or you were not rated among the best qualified. | Rejected for this role |
| Selected | The agency chose you for the role. A tentative offer — conditional on background checks — typically follows. | You moved forward |
| Not Selected | Someone else got the role — a final decision for this announcement. | Rejected for this role |
Greenhouse
| Status | What it usually means | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Application Submitted | Your application has been received. Greenhouse employers often show no further status updates. | Not a decision yet |
| In Review | Your application is being reviewed by the hiring team. | Still in the running |
| Rejected | Your application was not selected. Greenhouse usually sends an email notification for this. | Rejected for this role |
| Hired | The position has been filled. If it was you, you already know — otherwise it is a role-level ending. | Rejected for this role |
Taleo (Oracle)
| Status | What it usually means | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Submitted for Review | Your application has been received and is awaiting review. | Not a decision yet |
| Under Review | Your application is being evaluated by the hiring team. | Still in the running |
| Process Complete | The hiring process has ended — usually the role was filled. It does NOT mean your application was successful. | Rejected for this role |
| Not Retained | Your application was not selected. This is Taleo's way of saying "rejected." | Rejected for this role |
| Offer | You have been selected for an offer. Check your email for details. | You moved forward |
iCIMS
| Status | What it usually means | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Submitted | Your application has been received. | Not a decision yet |
| Under Review | Your application is being evaluated. | Still in the running |
| Not Selected | Your application was not chosen for this role. | Rejected for this role |
SuccessFactors (SAP)
| Status | What it usually means | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| New | Your application landed in the system and is waiting in the initial queue. | Not a decision yet |
| In Process | Your application is active somewhere in the pipeline. Like Workday's "In Progress," it mostly means "still open" rather than a specific step. | Still in the running |
| Forwarded | A recruiter passed your application to the hiring manager or interview team. | Still in the running |
| Interview | You are at — or past — the interview step. | You moved forward |
| Offer | You are in the offer step — drafting, approval, or delivery. | You moved forward |
| Rejected | A rejection for this role. | Rejected for this role |
Oracle Recruiting Cloud
| Status | What it usually means | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| New | Your application was received and sits at the start of the pipeline. | Not a decision yet |
| In Progress | The default state of an open ORC application in almost any phase — it means "not closed," not a specific step. | Still in the running |
| Screening | Your application is in the screening phase — recruiter or HR review before interviews. | Still in the running |
| Interview | You are in the interview phase. | You moved forward |
| Offer | You are in the offer phase — drafting or internal approval. | You moved forward |
| Rejected | A rejection for this role. | Rejected for this role |
SmartRecruiters
| Status | What it usually means | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Submitted | Your application has been received. | Not a decision yet |
| In Review | Your application is being reviewed. | Still in the running |
| Rejected | Your application was not selected. | Rejected for this role |
| Offer | You have been selected for an offer. | You moved forward |
Workable
| Status | What it usually means | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Applied | Your application is in the pipeline's first stage. | Not a decision yet |
| Reviewed | Your application was looked at and moved past the initial inbox — or simply marked as read. | Not a decision yet |
| Phone screen | You are at the screening step — usually a short recruiter call before interviews. | Still in the running |
| Interview | You are in an interview stage. | You moved forward |
| Offer | You reached the offer stage. | You moved forward |
| Not shortlisted | The employer moved you out of the pipeline — a rejection for this role. | Rejected for this role |
BambooHR
| Status | What it usually means | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Application received | Your application is in. | Not a decision yet |
| Under review | Someone at the company is looking at your application. | Still in the running |
| Interview | You are at the interview step. | You moved forward |
| Hired | Marked as hired. | You moved forward |
| Not selected | A rejection — often delivered by an automated email rather than the portal itself. | Rejected for this role |
Lever
| Status | What it usually means | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| No status portal | Lever does not provide a candidate-facing status page. All updates come through email from the recruiter — silence tells you nothing either way. | Nothing to decode — no portal |
Ashby
| Status | What it usually means | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Submitted | Your application has been received. Ashby typically does not show detailed status updates. | Not a decision yet |
| Rejected | Your application was not selected. | Rejected for this role |
Other portals & employer career sites
| Status | What it usually means | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Under Construction | On custom and regional portals this usually means your application exists as a draft or is still being assembled — submitted to the system but not yet into the review workflow. | Not a decision yet |
| Technical Discussion Completed | Seen on Indian IT-services portals (Wipro and similar). A technical interview or discussion round has finished — you cleared that step or it is awaiting the next one. | Still in the running |
| Currently Reviewing All Applications | A batch-review status used on some employer portals (Lockheed Martin and similar). Applications are reviewed together after a collection period rather than one-by-one. | Not a decision yet |
| Pending Review | Your application is queued for a human or automated review — the same stage most portals call "Under Review" or "In Review." | Not a decision yet |
| Invalid Status / Status Set Error | This is an employer-side configuration error in SAP SuccessFactors — a status the form expects is missing from the employer’s status set. It is not a status about your application and not a rejection. | Portal error, not your application |
Common questions.
What does “In Progress” mean on Workday?
It means your application is sitting in an open stage of the process — usually with a recruiter or the HR queue. It is the most-Googled Workday status precisely because it says so little: not an interview, not a rejection, just “still open.” Some employers leave applications in it until the role is filled.
Does a stuck status mean rejection?
Usually not. Portal statuses only move when a recruiter manually updates them, and many never do — applications sit in “Under Review” or “In Progress” until the requisition closes and everyone is swept to a rejection status at once. A frozen status is a stale portal, not a hidden decision. Past four weeks, keep applying elsewhere either way.
What does “application viewed” mean on LinkedIn?
Someone at the employer opened your application — that is all. It is not an evaluation and not an interview signal, and most viewed applications are never contacted. “Resume downloaded” is a slightly stronger sign: a human pulled your file for a closer look or to share internally.
What does “Referred” mean on USAJobs?
You passed the HR eligibility and qualification screen and your application was sent to the hiring manager — the strongest pre-interview signal in federal hiring. It still does not guarantee an interview, and contact can take weeks.
Nothing is sent or stored.
This tool is a static lookup that runs in your browser. What you type is not transmitted or stored. Analytics may record that the tool was used, subject to consent, but never the status text you entered.
Waiting on a response? See our guide on Workday application friction and the follow-up email generator.
Record it where your applications already are.
Every application you fill with Jobsistant is in your tracker with its company, role, job link and date. Move it to Interviewing, Rejected or Ghosted when the status changes, and let the next form fill from your profile while you wait.
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