Under Review vs. Under Consideration: What’s the Difference?
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Under review usually means an application is in an evaluation workflow. Under consideration usually means the candidate remains in consideration for the role. The meanings overlap, and neither label has a universal position ahead of the other.
| Status | General meaning | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Under Review | Your application is being evaluated or is queued for evaluation | A person has read it, or you passed screening |
| Under Consideration | Your application remains in consideration for the opening | You are shortlisted, ranked highly, or selected for an interview |
This comparison concerns the labels. A recruiter’s specific message can provide information that the label does not contain.
Which status is further along?
You cannot rank them reliably without knowing the employer’s workflow. One employer might reserve under consideration for candidates who passed a screen. Another might use it for all applications that have not been closed. A third might keep under review visible across several steps.
This is a configuration issue, not just inconsistent wording. Workday allows employers to choose possible next stages and override stage labels. That means an apparent sequence of words is not a shared standard across organizations. Workday’s Job Application business process documentation explains those controls.
For the definition of each state, use Pending and Under Review and Application Under Consideration. This article focuses on comparing the two, rather than replacing either reference.
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Does either status mean you are shortlisted?
Neither establishes shortlisting by itself. Shortlisting is a selection decision; these labels are summaries that may be assigned before such a decision.
Consider two examples:
- A recruiter says you have been selected for an interview, while the portal still says under review. You have an interview invitation regardless of the broad label.
- The portal changes to under consideration with no accompanying message. You know the displayed status changed, but you do not know whether interview selection occurred.
These examples show why the message accompanying a change matters. They are not a claim that one label always hides a particular internal stage.
Under Consideration after Under Review
A change in this direction may represent a new stage or an update to the way the employer categorizes active candidates. Look for a task, email, screening request, or recruiter explanation arriving at the same time.
If there is no other information, the defensible conclusion is limited: the application is still presented as being considered. Do not infer that you passed a test, reached a hiring manager, or moved into a final candidate group unless the employer confirms it.
Under Review after Under Consideration
The reverse change is not automatically a demotion. A record can be routed for a different review, returned for another decision, or displayed under a broader public label.
You do not need to invent a positive explanation either. The change is ambiguous until the employer describes the next step. If you are already in contact, ask: “Does this change require anything from me, or is it an internal review step?”
How other statuses fit into the comparison
| Nearby label | Useful distinction |
|---|---|
| Application In Progress | A broad active workflow label; it need not mean recent movement |
| Hiring Manager Review | Usually identifies manager-level evaluation, without promising an interview |
| No Longer Under Consideration | Usually closes consideration for this particular role |
Read the In Progress reference and Hiring Manager Review reference for those meanings. If you are comparing in progress directly with under review, use the separate In Progress vs. Under Review article.
If the wording contains “no longer,” do not overlook it: No Longer Under Consideration communicates a substantially different state.
Is either a good sign?
An active application is generally preferable to an explicit rejection, but it is not enough to predict selection. The useful distinction is between continued possibility and evidence of a specific next step. The good-sign interpretation guide develops that distinction.
An interview invitation, assessment request, or recruiter question gives you something concrete to act on. A broad label mostly tells you how the system currently classifies the application.
What may happen next?
Depending on the employer, the next event could be a screening conversation, request for information, manager evaluation, interview, continued waiting, or closure. Do not treat that list as a required sequence.
Use the employer’s stated timetable for follow-up. If no timetable exists, ask for the next expected step when you have a contact route. Keep the exact requisition number in your notes so you do not confuse an update on one role with a separate application.
Sources
- Workday: Configure the Job Application Business Process, for configurable stage paths and labels.
The general meanings and practical examples are Waiting States’ interpretation, not a universal ATS glossary.