What Happens After You Apply on Workday?

Published: June 13, 2026

After you apply on Workday, your application usually becomes a record in the employer's recruiting workflow. Workday is often the portal you use to submit and check status, but the employer controls the steps, wording, timing, and decisions behind that portal.

That is why two companies can both use Workday and still show different statuses, timelines, or update patterns.

Workday is the portal, not the whole hiring team

Workday is commonly used as an applicant tracking and talent acquisition system. For candidates, it may look like one standardized process: create an account, fill out forms, upload a resume, answer questions, and check an application status.

Behind the scenes, the employer may have its own recruiter queues, hiring manager review steps, approvals, interview stages, background check steps, and offer workflows. The visible label is only a summary of where your application sits in that employer's setup.

If the portal says job application under review, that usually means the application is active or queued for review. It does not necessarily mean a recruiter is reading it at that exact moment.

Common Workday statuses and what they usually mean

Workday status labels vary by employer, but these are common patterns.

Submitted

Submitted usually means the application was received by the portal and attached to the job requisition. It is often the first stable status after you finish the application.

At this point, the application may still be waiting for parsing, knockout-question checks, recruiter assignment, or batch review.

Under review

Under review usually means the application is in an active or queued evaluation workflow. That can include automated screening, recruiter review, or a waiting queue before someone compares your application with the role requirements.

For a platform-specific breakdown, see Workday application under review. For the broader meaning, compare job application under review.

In progress

Application in progress can mean the record is moving through a broader workflow. In some employer setups, it may appear while review, interview, approval, or routing steps are not finished.

This label is usually less specific than direct recruiter contact. A message, interview request, assessment, or document request matters more than the label by itself.

Under consideration

Application under consideration usually means you have not been removed from the process for that role. It can still be broad. Some employers use it before recruiter review, some use it after initial screening, and some use it as a general active-state label.

Recruiter review

Recruiter review usually means the application is being checked by recruiting or talent acquisition before it moves to a manager, shortlist, rejection, or next-step queue.

This can include checking minimum qualifications, screening answers, work authorization questions, location, salary range, or fit with the job description.

Hiring manager review

Hiring manager review usually means the application has moved past an initial screen and is being reviewed by the person or team closer to the role. It is often a more specific signal than a generic "under review" label, but it still does not promise an interview.

Hiring manager review can take time because managers may compare several candidates, wait for recruiter notes, or review applications in batches.

No longer under consideration

No longer under consideration usually means active consideration for that role has ended. It is often a rejection-adjacent status, even if no separate rejection email has arrived yet.

If a status changes from active review to a closure label, see under review to not selected for the broader pattern.

Offer and background-check steps

Late-stage Workday statuses may involve approvals, offer drafting, compensation review, or screening. Offer pending approval usually means the company is waiting on internal signoff before written terms can be released. Background check pending usually means a screening step has started or is waiting for completion.

These steps are usually more concrete than early application labels, but they are still not final until the employer completes the required approvals and written terms.

Why Workday updates can lag

Workday status updates often depend on employer actions. A recruiter may review applications without changing every visible candidate label right away. A hiring manager may give feedback by email, meeting, or internal note before the candidate portal changes.

Common reasons the label stays unchanged include:

high application volume
batch review by recruiters
delayed hiring manager feedback
approval steps before interviews or offers
changes to the job requisition
a role being paused while the posting remains visible

The practical rule is simple: direct contact matters more than small status wording changes.

What to do while your Workday application is waiting

If the status is submitted, under review, in progress, or under consideration, it is usually reasonable to keep the application active and continue applying elsewhere.

One concise follow-up can make sense if a role is still open and you have heard nothing after about one to two weeks. If a recruiter gave a specific timeline, wait until that timeline passes.

Repeated messages asking what a Workday label means usually do not add much, because the recruiter may not control the exact candidate-facing wording.

When a Workday status is a stronger signal

Some statuses are stronger than others.

Active or ambiguous labels include:

submitted
in progress
under review
under consideration
recruiter review
hiring manager review

Stronger closure labels include:

no longer under consideration
not selected
inactive
requisition closed
position filled

Even then, the status usually applies to that specific job requisition. It does not necessarily mean you cannot apply to another role at the same company.

Sources

Workday - Login Help, noting that users need their company's unique sign-in page and should contact HR or IT for job application information: https://www.workday.com/en-us/signin.html
Workday - Talent Management product page, listing talent acquisition as a Workday capability: https://www.workday.com/en-us/products/human-capital-management/talent-management.html
Jobscan - 2025 Applicant Tracking System usage report, including Workday and other ATS context: https://www.jobscan.co/blog/fortune-500-use-applicant-tracking-systems/