Job Application Status Meanings: How to Read Under Review, In Progress, and No Longer Considered

You applied two weeks ago. The candidate portal still says Under Review. Another application changed from Application Received to In Progress overnight, but no recruiter contacted you. A third says No Longer Considered before the job posting has even closed.

These labels look precise. They usually are not.

Job application statuses are names attached to steps in an employer’s recruiting workflow. The same phrase can mean something different at another company, and a status change may reflect a recruiter action, an automated rule, or simple recordkeeping. The label is useful evidence, but it is not a reliable forecast.

Quick answer

Start by identifying what the label describes. Candidate actions, individual candidacy, and the job opening itself are different records.

Candidate action status

Application or candidacy status

Job or requisition status

A requisition is the employer’s record for a specific opening, often identified by a job or requisition number.

Your application status and the job’s status can move independently. An employer can stop considering your application while continuing to accept or review other candidates for the same requisition. A job that remains open does not mean your candidacy remains active.

Trust direct communication more than portal wording. An interview invitation, recruiter question, assessment request, or written decision carries more information than a generic status label.

Why job application status meanings vary

An applicant tracking system (ATS) supports the employer’s process. It does not impose one universal public dictionary.

Official employer and government guidance shows how much the definitions can differ:

• Workforce Singapore says that on MyCareersFuture, an application changes to Under Review when the employer downloads the resume
• UAB Human Resources describes Under Review, Additional Screening, In Progress, and Under Consideration as active parts of its own hiring process, with possible contact for top candidates
• USAJOBS separates a job status from an individual application status and sends applicants to the hiring agency’s system for the latest details

These examples demonstrate variation. They do not create a shared status dictionary across employers or ATS platforms. The MyCareersFuture rule, for example, cannot be applied to every portal that displays Under Review.

What each application status can tell you

Draft or Not Submitted

The application has not reached the employer as a completed submission. This often happens when a multi-page application was closed before the final certification or confirmation page.

Check for:

• A submission confirmation page
• A confirmation email
• A submitted date in the candidate portal
• Any required section still marked incomplete

Do not count a draft as an application in your weekly results. If the role is still open, finish it or deliberately archive it.

Submitted or Application Received

The ATS recorded the application. That is all you can safely conclude.

Application Received does not prove that a recruiter opened the resume, that the resume passed screening, or that the role is actively moving. Some employers leave applicants in this status until they advance or close the requisition.

Save the confirmation email and submission date. If you tailored the resume, record the exact version now. It becomes difficult to reconstruct that information after several similar applications.

Under Review or Under Consideration

The application is still associated with a review step or queue. A person may be reading it, the system may have routed it, or the employer may use the label for every eligible submission.

This is usually a neutral-to-active status, not an interview promise. It also is not a hidden rejection. Applicants regularly ask how long Under Review lasts because it can remain unchanged for days or months. The status alone cannot answer that question.

Look for stronger signals:

• A recruiter viewed or contacted you
• The employer requested missing information
• An assessment or interview appeared
• A named contact gave you a timeline

Without one of those signals, keep applying elsewhere.

In Progress

In Progress can refer to two very different situations.

Before a submission confirmation, it may mean that the application is still incomplete. After a confirmed submission, it may mean that the employer placed the record in an active, employer-defined workflow.

Before interpreting the label, check:

• Whether there is a submitted date
• Whether you received a confirmation email
• Whether the portal still shows Finish Application
• Whether the status changed after an assessment, interview, or document request

Only after confirming submission should you treat In Progress as evidence that the record is not visibly closed. Do not translate it into passed screening unless the employer says that directly.

If the status changed after an interview or document request, record both events. The surrounding event is more informative than the label by itself.

Assessment or Interview

This status should match a concrete request. Check email, spam, the portal inbox, and any action center for a deadline.

An assessment label without instructions may mean the invitation is delayed, expired, or stored elsewhere in the portal. Contact the recruiter or listed support channel if a deadline is approaching and the required action is missing.

After an interview, the portal may stay at Interview, return to In Progress, or never change. Ask about the decision timeline during the interview and save the answer.

No Longer Considered or Not Selected

Treat the candidacy as closed for that requisition unless a more recent direct communication says otherwise. The wording usually does not reveal whether the cause was a knockout answer, qualifications, timing, an internal candidate, a hiring pause, or another applicant.

Check the requisition number before assuming the company rejected you entirely. Large employers may have several openings with nearly identical titles. One application can close while another remains active.

If the portal conflicts with a scheduled interview, active assessment, or recent recruiter message, ask once for clarification. Otherwise, preserve the record, look for a pattern across comparable roles, and move the application to a closed stage.

Withdrawn

The candidate or employer system recorded the application as withdrawn. If you did not withdraw it, contact the employer once to clarify. The label can result from a candidate action, an incomplete process, or an employer-side update.

Background Screening or Pre-Employment

The employer has started a conditional verification or pre-employment step. This is a stronger signal than Under Review, but it is not the same as an unconditional final offer. Complete requested actions by their deadlines and rely on written terms for any conditions.

Offer or Offer in Progress

An offer workflow may have started. Rely on the written offer, stated conditions, compensation, start date, and response deadline rather than the portal label alone.

On Hold

The requisition or hiring process may be temporarily paused. It does not necessarily mean rejection, but it provides no reliable restart date. Keep searching while preserving any direct update from the employer.

Job Closed, Filled, or Canceled

These labels describe the job requisition more than the applicant.

• Closed may mean applications are no longer accepted
• Filled usually means the employer selected someone
• Canceled or Withdrawn may mean the employer stopped the search

A closed posting does not automatically mean every submitted applicant was rejected. Review your individual application status and direct messages separately.

What a status update time does not prove

A portal update does not necessarily show when a recruiter reviewed your application.

The timestamp may reflect:

• A candidate action
• An automated screening rule
• A workflow transition
• A batch update
• Internal recordkeeping
• A delayed candidate-facing update

Do not interpret a midnight status change as proof that a recruiter read the resume at midnight or that you advanced ahead of other candidates.

Which signal should you trust?

Trust the most recent, role-specific communication that contains a decision, deadline, or requested action. When signals conflict, use this order:

1. The most recent formal decision or requested action
2. A current interview, assessment, document, or offer deadline
3. A recent direct update from a recruiter or hiring manager
4. Employer-specific portal guidance
5. A generic application status
6. Advice about the same label at another company

Recency and specificity matter more than the communication channel alone. For example, an old Application Received label does not cancel a recruiter-scheduled interview. An old interview invitation also does not override a newer formal decision.

When should you follow up on a job application?

Follow-up timing should depend on the last real interaction, not only the portal label.

West Virginia University Career Services recommends sending a post-interview thank-you message within 24 hours. Colorado College advises asking about the expected timeline during the interview and allowing some room when hiring runs late.

A thank-you message and a status-update request are not the same message.

• Send the thank-you promptly after the interview
• Ask for a status update after the stated timeline has passed
• Do not use the thank-you note to pressure the employer for an immediate decision

One clear follow-up is better than a sequence of just checking in messages. Include the role, interview or application date, your continued interest, and one direct question about next steps or timing.

A short follow-up email that asks for useful information

Subject: Follow-up on Data Analyst application, requisition 4821

Hi Maya,

Thank you again for speaking with me on July 8 about the Data Analyst role. I remain interested, especially after learning how the team is rebuilding its reporting workflow.

You mentioned that the team expected to decide on next steps by July 15. Has that timeline changed?

Best,

Jordan Lee

The requisition number prevents confusion. The specific discussion detail makes the message recognizable. The final question asks for information the recruiter can actually provide.

Stop refreshing the portal and start recording events

A portal status is one data point. Your own application history is more useful when it records what happened around that status.

For each role, keep:

• Company and exact job title
• Requisition number
• Job source and original URL
• Application date
• Employer’s exact portal label
• Date first observed
• Date last checked
• Status source, such as portal, email, recruiter, or hiring manager
• Latest direct employer event
• Your normalized application stage
• Resume version submitted
• Recruiter or referral contact
• Interview and assessment dates
• Promised decision date
• Next action and follow-up date
• Who owns the next action
• Final outcome

This record answers questions the ATS cannot:

• Which sources produce recruiter replies?
• Which resume version reaches interviews?
• How long does this employer usually take to respond?
• Are applications stalling before or after recruiter screens?
• Which active roles need action this week?

Do not treat a stale status as a precise measurement. Record it as last observed, then distinguish it from direct contact and completed events.

Keep the employer label, but normalize your own stage

Do not let every employer’s vocabulary determine your tracker.

Store the raw employer label in notes. Set your working stage from the latest real event. This gives you one pipeline across employers without pretending their internal workflows are identical.

Use FrogHire.ai Job Manager for the full application cycle

FrogHire.ai does not decode or control an employer’s internal ATS status. Job Manager keeps the role, submitted resume, application stage, notes, contacts, follow-ups, and timeline together. Use notes to preserve the employer’s exact portal label and direct updates, then maintain your own working stage.

FrogHire.ai Job Manager keeps viewed, saved, and applied roles in one dashboard with application stages, resumes, notes, contacts, follow-ups, and timelines. When a recruiter replies weeks later, you can recover the job context and the resume tied to that application instead of searching old tabs and download folders.

The advantage is not a more confident interpretation of Under Review. It is a more reliable record of what actually happened:

1. Save the role while the job description is available.
2. Attach the resume version used for that role.
3. Record the submission and direct employer contact.
4. Set the next action from the latest real event.
5. Move the role through the full application, interview, offer, or closed cycle.

That history also makes a weekly search audit possible. If the pipeline has many submissions but no recruiter screens, review targeting and resume evidence. If interviews start but do not advance, work on interview performance rather than sending more applications with the same approach. See our guide for diagnosing 100 job applications with no interviews.

Run a weekly application-status review

Review passive applications once a week. Check more frequently only when:

• An assessment may be pending
• An interview or offer action is expected
• A portal contains a stated deadline
• The employer told you to watch for an update

1. Reconcile new messages

Update interviews, assessments, rejections, and recruiter requests from your inbox. Check spam for time-sensitive links.

2. Separate active work from waiting

Active work has a next action you control. Waiting means the employer owns the next step. Do not create fake urgency around a status you cannot change.

3. Follow up where a real timeline passed

Prioritize interviewed roles and direct recruiter conversations. A generic online submission with no contact usually has less follow-up value.

4. Close dead records

Archive withdrawn roles, duplicate requisitions, expired drafts, and clear rejections. A clean pipeline makes genuine opportunities easier to see.

5. Review the pattern

Compare applications by role family, source, resume version, and stage reached. Ten well-recorded applications can teach you more than 100 company names in a spreadsheet with no outcomes.

If a posting itself looks questionable or keeps reappearing, use the separate job-posting verification workflow. Application status and hiring activity are related, but neither proves the other.

Frequently asked questions

Does Under Review mean I passed the ATS?

Not reliably. It may mean the application entered a review workflow, but employers define and trigger statuses differently. Wait for a direct next step before assuming you passed screening.

Does Under Review mean a human viewed my resume?

Not universally. On some platforms, it may be triggered by a specific employer action, such as downloading the resume. At other employers, it may be a general workflow label. Use employer-specific guidance and direct communication before assuming a person completed a substantive review.

Is In Progress a good sign?

It is usually better than a clearly closed status, but it does not confirm an interview or shortlist. Read it together with direct messages, assessments, and interviews.

How long can an application stay under review?

There is no universal limit. Hiring volume, approvals, interview schedules, employer configuration, and delayed status updates can all extend it. Continue applying while you wait.

What does No Longer Considered mean?

Your candidacy is no longer active for that requisition. The label usually does not explain why. Verify the requisition number before updating your tracker.

Why did my application status change after the interview?

The employer may have moved the record to another internal step or updated the candidate-facing label. Ask the recruiter about next steps rather than decoding the label alone.

Can I be rejected while the job is still open?

Yes. Your candidacy can close while the employer continues reviewing or accepting other applicants for the same requisition. Track the job status and your individual application status separately.

Why did my application status change without an email?

The portal may have recorded an automated rule, workflow transition, batch update, or internal action that did not require candidate communication. Treat the new label as one signal and check whether it creates a deadline or requested action.

Should I follow up while my application is under review?

Follow up when you have a relevant contact and a reasonable reason, especially after an interview timeline has passed. Do not send repeated messages only because a portal status has not changed.

Can FrogHire.ai update an employer’s application status automatically?

FrogHire.ai does not control the employer’s ATS. Use Job Manager to maintain your application stage, timeline, notes, contacts, resume version, and follow-up based on the information you receive. Record the employer’s exact label and direct updates in notes when that context matters.

Make the next action clearer than the status

Under Review is not a plan. Neither is In Progress.

Record the application once, preserve the job and resume context, and base the next action on direct evidence. If a recruiter gave you a date, follow up after it passes. If an assessment is due, complete it. If there has been no contact, keep the role in the pipeline and continue searching.

Use FrogHire.ai to keep the role connected to its application history instead of rebuilding the story each time an employer replies.