What "in process" and "in progress" mean on a job application
Part of our job application status guide: Workday · iCIMS · Taleo · Jobvite · SuccessFactors
Both mean the same thing: your application is open in the employer's pipeline and hasn't been closed out. Neither one confirms that a person has read it. Which word you see depends on the application system and on how the employer set up its labels, not on where you stand.
That's the whole answer for most people. The rest of this page covers what the words mean in each system, why they can sit unchanged for months, and the two things that do tell you something.
Is there a difference between "in process" and "in progress"?
No. They're two labels for one state, "open." In Workday, each employer chooses the stage and status wording candidates see, so one company's "In Progress" is another's "In Process" and a third's "Under Review." Jobvite and SuccessFactors employers configure their candidate-facing labels the same way.
What the label hides is the detail. A University of Wisconsin HR guide for Workday describes the three layers an employer sees on your application: a status (Active or Inactive), a stage such as Screen or Interview, and a step inside that stage such as Resume Screen or Phone Screen. The status and stage reach your Candidate Home; the step doesn't. So "In Progress" can cover everything from "nobody has opened it" to "the interview panel is being scheduled," and you can't tell which from the word.
What "in process" means in each system
| System | What you see | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Workday | In Progress, In Process, or an employer's own label | Open. Moves to Under Consideration, Not Selected, or Process Completed when a recruiter changes the stage. Workday statuses. |
| Jobvite | In Process | Open. Some employers use it as the blanket label for anything not yet declined or hired, so it can cover screening and interview scheduling alike. |
| Taleo | In Progress or Under Review (employer labels); Completed (default) | "Completed" is Oracle's default and means submitted. Oracle documents three defaults and lets employers add the rest. Taleo statuses. |
| SuccessFactors | In Progress | Open somewhere in the employer's workflow. Under Review, Reviewed, or Screened mark a first confirmed look. SuccessFactors statuses. |
| iCIMS | Received, then In Review | iCIMS employers rarely use "in process." Received means stored; In Review means the team has queued or started a look. iCIMS guide. |
| SmartRecruiters | New, then In Review | New means unopened. In Review means a recruiter opened it and is screening. |
| Greenhouse | Usually nothing | Greenhouse shows no status unless the employer turned on a candidate portal. No status is normal, not a bad sign. |
How long does "in process" last?
There's no set time, and the status itself won't tell you when it will change. It moves only when someone on the recruiting team changes the stage, and some teams never update the candidate view at all. Applicants report two patterns: a status that stays "In Progress" for weeks and then jumps straight to an interview invitation by email, and one that stays there for months while the role is filled without a word. A frozen status is more often a team that doesn't maintain its portal than a message about you.
Three checks that cost nothing:
- Is the posting still up? If the job disappeared from the careers site and your status didn't change, the requisition closed and your record wasn't updated.
- Is the withdraw button still there? In most systems it disappears when you've been dispositioned or the role closed. That's more reliable than any status word.
- Did the status ever change? A move from Received or Submitted to In Process means a person touched the record. If In Process is what you saw from the moment you applied, nobody has necessarily opened it.
Does "in progress" mean someone read my resume?
No. In every system that uses the label, it means the application is open. Human review is a separate stage, and not every employer surfaces it. Where an employer does show it, the words are Under Review, In Review, Reviewed, or Screened. Where it doesn't, you'll find out a person read your resume when one of them emails you.
What to do while it says "in process"
- Keep applying elsewhere. The status gives you no reason to wait.
- Don't resubmit. A second application to the same posting creates a duplicate record and, in iCIMS and Workday, can split your history across two profiles.
- One email after about two weeks, if the posting is still up. Short, to the recruiter named on the posting or on LinkedIn, asking whether the role is still active. A second email doesn't help.
- Use the time on the next application. Most rejections happen at the screen, before any status you'd recognize. The fix is the resume you submit next, not the status you're watching now.
Check the next one before you submit it
Notch compares your resume against the job posting and shows which requirements it covers, partly covers, or misses, so the application that sits "in process" next is the strongest one you could send.
Try Notch FreeFrequently asked questions
Is there a difference between "in process" and "in progress" on a job application?
No. Both mean the application is open in the employer's pipeline and hasn't been closed. Which word you see depends on the system and the employer's label settings, not on where you stand.
Does "in progress" mean someone read my resume?
No. In every system that uses it, "in progress" means the application is open. Human review is a separate stage, and not every employer shows it. Applicants report sitting in "in progress" for weeks and then getting an interview, and sitting in it for months and never hearing anything.
How long does an application stay "in process"?
There is no fixed time. The status changes only when someone on the recruiting team moves the application to another stage, and some teams never update the candidate view at all. If the posting is still up after two weeks, one short email to the recruiter is reasonable.
Is "in process" better than "received" or "submitted"?
Only where the same employer uses both. A move from "received" to "in process" means a person touched the record. If "in process" is the status you saw from the start, it carries no extra information.
Related guides
- Job application status meanings, by system: every status, including the ones that mean no
- What "not retained," "not selected," and "closed" mean
- iCIMS application: status meanings, errors, and how to apply
- Taleo job application: every step, statuses, and errors
- Why Workday makes you re-enter your resume
Last updated November 3, 2026. Sources: Workday admin guide on candidate-facing stage and status labels; University of Wisconsin HR guide to the Workday candidate view by application status; Oracle Taleo Enterprise documentation on job submission statuses; SAP Knowledge Base on SuccessFactors requisition closure. Applicant-reported patterns are described as such.