Greenhouse Application Statuses Explained: What Each Status Means

Published: September 22, 2026

Quick answer: how do Greenhouse candidate statuses work?

Current Greenhouse candidate updates are shown through MyGreenhouse only when an employer chooses to share them. An application is active by default; when application statuses are enabled, Greenhouse marks a rejected application inactive. Employers can also publish standardized candidate-facing stages, including In review, while keeping internal stage names private.

Candidate-facing item	What it can tell you
Active	The application has not been marked inactive in the shared portal.
Inactive	The employer enabled status sharing and the application was marked inactive after rejection.
In review	A published candidate-facing stage; it does not promise an interview.
Task	An action such as scheduling, a form, or a test may need your attention.

What does Active mean?

Active means the application is active in MyGreenhouse. It is a high-level state, not a real-time description of recruiter activity. Active alone does not show your rank, who has read your application, or the next action.

What does In Review mean?

In review is a current standardized candidate-facing stage that an employer can publish in MyGreenhouse. It must map to at least one internal Application Review stage, but candidates do not see the employer's internal name. It signals that the employer chose to expose that stage—not a guaranteed interview.

What other stages might you see?

The employer chooses applicable stages, their order, and the descriptions candidates see. A task may also appear for availability, self-scheduling, a test, a form, or a survey. Respond to a task by its stated deadline; it is more actionable than interpreting a broad status.

What changed with Greenhouse candidate statuses?

Greenhouse's current MyGreenhouse model separates a simple application status from optional candidate-facing stages. Status sharing can mark rejected applications inactive; stages can map internal workflow steps to a standard set of names and descriptions. Older or legacy setups can continue displaying their existing names, so candidates may not see the same terminology at every employer.

What can employers customize?

Employers decide whether to share application status, tasks, and stages. They select departments and internal-stage mappings for published stages, and can customize the stage description. They can therefore show more, less, or different detail than another Greenhouse employer.

Why might your status appear stuck?

The employer may not share every update, may be working in an internal stage hidden from candidates, or may not have changed the shared label. Applications submitted through Indeed, LinkedIn, or another third-party site might not appear in MyGreenhouse at all. An unchanged portal is not an event log.

When should you follow up?

Follow the timeline in an employer message or stage description. If no timeline was shared, one concise check-in after one to two weeks can be reasonable through the employer's appropriate contact channel. Greenhouse directs candidates with status questions to the company they applied to; continue other applications while you wait.