Common statuses and useful next steps
- Draft or incomplete: Your application may not have been submitted. Open the portal, finish required fields and confirm submission before the deadline.
- Submitted or received: The system recorded your application. Save the confirmation; it does not prove a recruiter has read it.
- In progress or in process: Often a broad workflow label. It can stay unchanged while the employer is taking steps internally.
- Under review or under consideration: Generally indicates an application is in a review or consideration stage. The exact stage and whether it differs from another label depend on the employer.
- Interview or assessment: Follow the actual invitation and instructions; a portal status alone may not be an appointment.
- Not selected or no longer under consideration: Usually indicates the application is closed for that opening. Check any employer message for clarity.
- Withdrawn: The application was withdrawn; if you did not request it, ask the employer whether it can clarify.
Why two portals can use the same words differently
Employers customize recruiting workflows and candidate-facing labels. One employer’s “under review” may be another’s “in progress.” Do not infer a precise ranking, personal review, or interview date from a label alone. Emails, direct contact and formal invitations provide stronger evidence.
How long should you wait?
Check the closing date, any stated timeline and your spam folder. If a named recruiter has provided a timeline, wait until it passes before a brief follow-up. Otherwise, a week or two after applying is a reasonable starting point for some roles, not a universal deadline. Respect instructions not to contact the employer. Our follow-up guide includes a sample email.
What if the status stays unchanged?
Record the date, status and application ID. A stale portal does not establish the hiring decision. If the listing is refreshed, compare IDs before applying twice; see what to do when a job is reposted. Keep looking at other suitable opportunities while you wait.
What does it mean when a job posting disappears after an interview?
A removed listing is not a hiring decision. The employer may have stopped accepting new applicants, reached a scheduled closing date, paused the requisition or filled the role. The public page alone cannot tell you which explanation applies—or whether you are still being considered.
Keep your interview invitation and requisition ID. If the recruiter gave you a timeline, wait until that date passes, then ask: “I noticed the posting for [role, ID] is no longer visible. Is my application still under consideration, and has the timeline changed?” Respect instructions not to contact the employer, and do not submit a duplicate application just because a board refreshes the title. See our follow-up guide and reposted-job checks.
Sources
Indeed: application follow-up; James Madison University: checking an application status.