Workday Application Status Meanings: In Progress, In Process & More (2026)

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You applied. You got the confirmation email. Now you're checking the Workday portal between meetings, during lunch, one more time before bed. The status reads "In Progress" — and it hasn't moved in 11 days.

Here's what nobody tells you: that label was never designed to communicate with you. Workday is enterprise HR software built for recruiters, not candidates. The status you're staring at is a tiny, often-outdated window into a workflow with dozens of internal stages you'll never see. The same "In Progress" that means "recruiter is scheduling your interview" at Company A means "nobody has opened your file" at Company B.

Workday is used by over 5,000 organizations globally — named a Leader in Gartner's 2025 Magic Quadrant for Talent Acquisition — and each one configures its recruiting workflow differently. Some update statuses in real time. Others batch-update once a week. Some display "In Progress," others show "In Process." Both mean the exact same thing.

Refreshing that portal won't change the label. But knowing what it actually means — and what to do instead — will.

Those status labels on the Workday portal? They weren't built to keep you informed. They're the candidate-facing edge of an internal workflow — and what you see is a fraction of what's actually happening.

Every Workday portal looks slightly different, but the statuses fall into consistent categories. Here's every label you're likely to encounter, what it actually signals, and what to do about it.

Active / open statuses

• Application Received — Workday confirmed your submission exists. This is the earliest status: it means the system logged your materials. No human has looked at anything yet. Your move: verify your resume and attachments uploaded correctly — phone submissions sometimes silently fail.

• In Progress / In Process — your application is alive in the pipeline. This is the broadest, most frustrating label. It covers everything from "just submitted" to "recruiter has your resume on their shortlist" to "waiting on a VP to approve headcount." "In Process" is the same status, different wording. Your move: don't over-interpret. Set a follow-up date and work on your pipeline.

• Under Review / Review in Progress — the application entered a screening phase. This sometimes means a recruiter is actively reviewing a batch of candidates, but it doesn't guarantee your specific resume has been read. At many companies, this label triggers automatically when the application passes knock-out questions. Your move: slightly better signal than generic "In Progress," but treat it the same way.

• Under Consideration — similar to "Under Review." Some companies use this as a mid-stage label after initial screening. It suggests your application survived the first filter, but it's not a promise of an interview. For more on this status across different systems, see: Application Under Consideration: What It Really Means.

• Active Candidate — the first genuinely positive label. It usually means you've moved past initial screening and are being actively considered for next steps. Not a guarantee, but significantly better than generic "In Progress." Your move: prepare for a recruiter screen.

Assessment & screening statuses

• Screening / Screening Phase In Process — the employer is running initial filters: automated knock-out questions, minimum requirements checks (location, work authorization, experience level), or recruiter review of resumes. This is the sieve stage — you're being evaluated against job requirements, not against other candidates yet.

• Assessment / Assessment In Progress — the employer sent a skills test, questionnaire, or video interview. If you haven't completed it, do it immediately — assessments often have deadlines. If you have completed it, this status means results are being reviewed. Check your email and spam folder.

Interview statuses

• Interview / Interview In Progress / Scheduling — an interview is happening or being scheduled. This should be accompanied by a direct email. If you see this status but have no email, check spam and then reach out to your recruiter contact.

Pending & waiting statuses

• Pending — your application is waiting on an internal action: a manager approval, a headcount sign-off, a scheduling step that hasn't been triggered yet. This is limbo, not a signal in either direction.

• Hire In Progress — you're in late stages, typically post-offer or pre-onboarding. Strong signal. But don't resign from your current job until you have written confirmation of the offer and a start date.

Offer & pre-employment statuses

• Offer / Offer Extended — you received a formal offer through Workday. Check your email and the portal for compensation details and documents to sign. Accept in writing inside the system — and don't resign from your current role until you have a confirmed start date.

• Background Check — the employer initiated a background check (criminal history, employment verification, education verification). This typically takes 3–7 business days but can stretch to 2–3 weeks for thorough checks. The vendor (Sterling, HireRight, etc.) may contact you — respond immediately to avoid delays.

• Reference Check — the employer is contacting your references. This usually happens after final interviews and before or alongside a formal offer. Give your references a heads-up. A quick text goes a long way.

• Pre-Employment — you're in pre-employment processing: background checks, drug screening, I-9 verification, or onboarding paperwork. Follow any instructions sent to your email immediately — delays on your end directly delay your start date.

• Hired — the process is complete. You've been formally added to the system as an employee. You should have a confirmed start date and onboarding instructions. If you see "Hired" but haven't received onboarding details, contact your recruiter or HR.

Closed statuses

• Not Selected / Inactive / Closed — the employer closed your application. This is a rejection, a filled role, or a canceled requisition. If you received no email, the company may be sending batch notifications — check back in a few days. For more context: No Longer Under Consideration: What It Means.

• Process Completed / Review Completed — the review cycle for this requisition is finished. A decision was made. Check your email for the outcome. If nothing arrives within a week, the role was likely filled and the rejection notification is delayed or was never sent.

• Withdrawn — the candidate withdrew. If you didn't withdraw, double-check your account — accidental withdrawals happen more often than you'd think, especially on mobile.

• Moved to Another Req — your application was transferred to a different job requisition. This can be positive (the recruiter thinks you're a better fit elsewhere) or neutral (the original role was restructured). Check your email, and follow up with the recruiter if nothing arrives within a few days.

For a similar breakdown on another major ATS, see: Greenhouse Application Status Meaning or iCIMS Application Status Meaning.

But knowing the labels is only step one. The harder question is what those labels can't tell you — and that's where most candidates get stuck.

Here's what Workday's product team will never put on a slide deck: the candidate portal is an afterthought. Those status labels were built for recruiters to track their workflow. You seeing them is a side effect, not a feature.

That means "In Progress" is not a message to you. It's a database state.

What "In Progress" (or "In Process") can reliably tell you:

• Your application exists in the employer's system
• It hasn't been marked "inactive," "closed," "not selected," or equivalent
• You weren't auto-rejected by knock-out questions (location, work authorization, salary range)

What it absolutely cannot tell you:

• Whether a recruiter has opened your resume
• Whether the hiring manager has seen your profile
• Whether you're in the top 5 or bottom 50 of the applicant pool
• Whether the role is effectively paused behind the scenes
• Whether "In Progress" simply means you passed automated screening without any human involvement

Think about what those numbers mean together. 73 people applied. 3 get interviews. The other 70 will see "In Progress" for weeks — until someone batch-closes the requisition, often weeks after the role is already filled.

That covers what the label means. But there are actually three different labels that candidates confuse constantly — and the differences between them are smaller than you think.

You've probably searched some version of "In Progress vs In Process Workday" at 11pm. Here's the answer that'll save you from searching again.

Bottom line: "In Progress" and "In Process" are the same status with different wording. "Under Review" sometimes means your application moved one step further into active screening — but at many companies, all three labels are used interchangeably for any open application. If you want a deeper look at "Under Review" specifically: Application Under Review: What It Means.

So if the label can't tell you where you stand, what is actually happening behind that "In Progress" screen? Five scenarios — and only one of them is unambiguously good news.

Behind every "In Progress" label, one of five things is actually happening. The portal can't tell you which one. But understanding the possibilities changes how you respond.

Scenario 1: Your application is sitting in an untouched queue

This is the most common scenario — especially for high-volume roles. You passed automated knock-out questions (location, work authorization, shift availability), and your application joined a queue that a recruiter hasn't opened yet. "In Progress" means "received and not rejected by the robot." Nothing more.

Signs this is your situation:

• You received a confirmation email and nothing else
• The role is still posted on the careers site
• It's been fewer than 10 business days
• The company is large (1,000+ employees) with high application volume

Scenario 2: A recruiter is actively screening the batch

The recruiter is working through applications — reviewing resumes, checking minimum qualifications, building a shortlist. Your application is "In Progress" because it hasn't been dispositioned yet. That could mean it's on the maybe pile. Or it could mean it simply hasn't been opened.

Scenario 3: You advanced internally, but the portal didn't update

Some Workday configurations keep a single "In Progress" label across many internal stages. The portal only updates when a final decision is made. Your recruiter may have moved you to "Phone Screen" internally while the portal still reads "In Progress." This is especially common at large enterprises that configure minimal candidate-facing updates.

Scenario 4: The role is frozen, paused, or waiting on approvals

The requisition is technically "open" in Workday, but the hiring team is waiting on budget approval, an internal transfer, or a headcount decision. Nobody is reviewing applications. Your status will sit at "In Progress" indefinitely until someone either restarts hiring or closes the req.

This happens more than companies will ever admit.

Scenario 5: You completed a step and the system is waiting for the next one

If you submitted an assessment, answered supplemental questions, or completed a questionnaire, Workday may keep your overall status at "In Progress" while internal tasks proceed behind the scenes. You've done your part — the system is waiting on a recruiter action or an automated workflow trigger.

Knowing the scenarios is useful. But staring at the portal won't change which one you're in. Here's the system that actually moves things forward.

Every time you refresh the Workday portal, you're spending energy on the one thing guaranteed not to move your application forward. The portal updates on the employer's schedule, not yours. Here's where to put that energy instead.

That timeline gives you the system. But before you send that follow-up, there's a critical question most candidates skip: should you follow up at all?

A bad follow-up doesn't just fail to help. It actively moves you down the pile. Recruiters managing hundreds of applicants will deprioritize candidates who create unnecessary inbox noise — and the line between "showing interest" and "showing poor judgment" is thinner than you think.

Do not follow up when:

• It's been fewer than 5 business days and no faster timeline was stated. Recruiters managing 20+ open requisitions won't have reviewed your batch yet. An early follow-up signals impatience, not enthusiasm.
• You have no real contact — no recruiter email, no referral, no hiring manager connection. Cold-messaging the company's general HR inbox rarely works and often goes to a monitored-but-never-responded-to alias.
• The posting is still actively collecting applications — common for evergreen roles and large companies that leave requisitions open for 30+ days.
• Your message would be a generic "checking in" with no specific value, context, or referral. This is the follow-up recruiters complain about most.

What to do instead when you have no contact:

1. Find the recruiter or hiring manager on LinkedIn (search "[company name] recruiter" + the job function)
2. Send one specific connection request or InMail with a 2-sentence pitch
3. Mention the role title, date you applied, and one concrete reason you're a fit
4. Then move on to other applications

For more on how to respond when timelines go silent: How Long to Hear Back After a Job Application.

Ready to send? Here are the exact words that work.

Stop drafting from scratch. These three templates cover the most common follow-up situations. Replace the brackets, send once, and move on.

Subject: [ROLE TITLE] application — brief follow-up

Hi [RECRUITER NAME],

I applied for the [ROLE TITLE] position on [DATE] and wanted to follow up to confirm my application is in the right place.

I'm particularly interested in [SPECIFIC DETAIL: the team's work on X / the product's approach to Y / the role's focus on Z]. Quick snapshot of relevant fit:

• [Metric-driven proof point #1 — e.g., "Led a 12-person team that reduced onboarding time by 40%"]
• [Proof point #2 — e.g., "8 years in enterprise SaaS with direct HCM platform experience"]

Is there a timeline for next steps, or anything else I can provide?

Best,
[YOUR NAME]
[LINKEDIN URL] | [PORTFOLIO URL if applicable]

Subject: Referred by [REFERRER NAME] — [ROLE TITLE] application

Hi [RECRUITER NAME],

[REFERRER NAME] suggested I reach out regarding the [ROLE TITLE] role. I applied on [DATE] and wanted to share a quick note in case it's useful during screening.

Why I'm a strong fit:
• [Proof point #1 — specific, measurable]
• [Proof point #2 — relevant to the role's core challenge]
• [Proof point #3 — differentiator or domain expertise]

If the team is still hiring for this position, I'd appreciate any guidance on next steps or timing. Happy to jump on a brief screen at your convenience.

Thanks,
[YOUR NAME]
[LINKEDIN URL] | [PORTFOLIO URL]

Hi [NAME] — I applied for the [ROLE TITLE] position at [COMPANY] on [DATE] and wanted to connect. I have [X years] in [RELEVANT DOMAIN] and am specifically drawn to [SPECIFIC THING ABOUT THE ROLE/COMPANY]. Is there a preferred contact for recruiting updates on this position? Happy to share a brief summary of fit. Thanks!

Prepared by

Careery Team

Editorial Policy→

Reviewed by

Bogdan Serebryakov

Researching Job Market & Building AI Tools for careerists since December 2020