--- title: "SuccessFactors Application Status Meanings: Lookup Table" description: "SuccessFactors statuses are employer-written labels on three SAP status types. This table decodes In Process, In Review, Forwarded and rejections." canonical: https://www.jobfinder-ai.com/blog/successfactors-application-status-meanings author: "Dhrumil Barot" author_bio: "Dhrumil is a job search and hiring outreach expert. Dhrumil built Jobfinder AI so applications reach the hiring managers who decide, not an inbox nobody reads." published: 2026-11-12 updated: 2026-11-12 --- # SuccessFactors Application Status Meanings: Lookup Table By [Dhrumil Barot](https://www.jobfinder-ai.com/about#founder), Founder. Published 2026-11-12. Updated 2026-11-12. 11 min read. What every SAP SuccessFactors application status means, from In Process and In Review to Forwarded and No longer under consideration, sourced from SAP's own documentation. On this page: - [SuccessFactors status lookup table](https://www.jobfinder-ai.com/blog/successfactors-application-status-meanings#successfactors-status-lookup-table) - [How does SuccessFactors decide which status you see?](https://www.jobfinder-ai.com/blog/successfactors-application-status-meanings#how-does-successfactors-decide-which-status-you-see) - [What does "In Process" or "In Review" mean on SuccessFactors?](https://www.jobfinder-ai.com/blog/successfactors-application-status-meanings#what-does-in-process-or-in-review-mean-on-successfactors) - [Forwarded and Invited to Apply: when a recruiter picks you](https://www.jobfinder-ai.com/blog/successfactors-application-status-meanings#forwarded-and-invited-to-apply-when-a-recruiter-picks-you) - [Is "no longer under consideration" final?](https://www.jobfinder-ai.com/blog/successfactors-application-status-meanings#is-no-longer-under-consideration-final) - [Why does my SuccessFactors status not change?](https://www.jobfinder-ai.com/blog/successfactors-application-status-meanings#why-does-my-successfactors-status-not-change) - [Can you withdraw and resubmit a SuccessFactors application?](https://www.jobfinder-ai.com/blog/successfactors-application-status-meanings#can-you-withdraw-and-resubmit-a-successfactors-application) - [What should you do at each stage?](https://www.jobfinder-ai.com/blog/successfactors-application-status-meanings#what-should-you-do-at-each-stage) - [FAQ](https://www.jobfinder-ai.com/blog/successfactors-application-status-meanings#faq) **TL;DR:** Every SuccessFactors application status is a label the employer wrote on top of one of three SAP status types: In Progress (still being processed), Disqualified (rejected) or Onboard (successful). "In Process", "In Review" and "Under Consideration" all mean you are in an In Progress status and not rejected; they do not tell you which step you are on. Use the table below to decode the label, then judge your chances by time and by direct contact, not by the portal. SuccessFactors application status meanings come down to one design choice by SAP: each status has an internal label that recruiters see and a separate candidate label that you see on the Jobs Applied page of the career site ([SAP Help](https://help.sap.com/docs/successfactors-recruiting/setting-up-and-maintaining-sap-successfactors-recruiting/applicant-status-settings)). SAP's own training says it is "common to use 'In Progress' or something similar for candidate processing statuses," so a recruiter can see "Interview" while you see "In Progress" ([SAP Learning](https://learning.sap.com/courses/sap-successfactors-recruiting-recruiter-experience-academy/creating-applicant-statuses-for-candidate-application_ca99f6d9-933b-403d-9a8e-1e1a903cc9f2)). So a status that has not changed for 21 days or more is normal, and the only label that is reliably final is a rejection, a withdrawal or a hire. ## SuccessFactors status lookup table This table maps the labels candidates most often see in SAP SuccessFactors to the status type behind them. The exact wording is set by each employer, so match on meaning, not on spelling. | Label you may see | Status type behind it | Is it final? | What to do | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Applied, New Application, Application Received | Default (system status every applicant passes through) | No | Nothing for 7 days; check spam for the confirmation email | | In Process, In Progress | Any In Progress status, from screening to offer approval | No | Keep applying elsewhere; follow up after about 21 days | | In Review, Under Review | In Progress, usually screening or hiring manager review | No | Follow up after about 21 days; prepare for a phone screen | | Under Consideration | In Progress, generic label | No | Same as In Process | | Interview, Assessment, Reference Check | In Progress, an employer-defined step | No | Watch your inbox; reference checks may email you a form | | Offer, Offer Extended | In Progress, offer statuses | No, until you accept | Expect direct contact from the recruiter | | Hired | Hired category (subtracts an opening) | Yes | Onboarding starts | | Forwarded | System status; you are not an applicant yet | No | You will not see this; wait for an Invite to Apply email | | Invited to Apply | System status after a recruiter forwards you | No | Finish the application from the email link while the job is posted | | No longer under consideration, Not selected, Disqualified | A Disqualified status | Yes, for this requisition | Apply to other roles; ask for feedback once | | Requisition Closed, Position closed | System status for applicants left in progress when the job closes | Yes | The job is gone; look for a reposting | | Withdrawn, Application Withdrawn | Withdrawn By Candidate | Yes, unless you resubmit while the job is posted | Resubmit only if you withdrew by mistake | Three facts make the table work. SAP's base status set gives every configurable status one of three types: In Progress, Disqualified or Onboard ([SAP Help](https://help.sap.com/docs/successfactors-recruiting/setting-up-and-maintaining-sap-successfactors-recruiting/configuring-base-status-set)). Every applicant passes through the Default status at least once, which SAP says is "labeled New Application, Applied, or similar" ([SAP Help](https://help.sap.com/docs/successfactors-recruiting/setting-up-and-maintaining-sap-successfactors-recruiting/additional-statuses)). And the candidate label is limited to 100 characters, with up to 1,000 characters of Next Step Text shown beside it. ## How does SuccessFactors decide which status you see? Your portal shows the candidate label of whatever status the recruiter placed you in. Each status in SuccessFactors Recruiting has these fields, all set by the employer in Admin Center under Edit Applicant Status Configuration: - **Internal Label:** what recruiters and hiring managers see in the talent pipeline. - **Candidate Label:** what you see in the Status column of Jobs Applied (or Careers, Job Management for internal candidates). - **Next Step Text:** the Next Step column next to it, often blank or a generic line. Employers usually write one generic candidate label for many internal steps. Here is how a typical setup collapses six internal statuses into two labels. ![Six internal SuccessFactors statuses shown to the candidate as two labels](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/cn4g0q2b/production/a363c5de1490e1dcaebfb5aec8f1b35a939b5ee8-1344x548.png) *Illustrative setup; each employer writes its own labels.* Employers can also group statuses. SAP's training gives the example of Phone-screening, Interview 1 and Interview 2 grouped under one "Interview" status group, and a single requisition template can only use one status set, so an executive role with four interview rounds needs a different template from a role with two ([SAP Learning](https://learning.sap.com/courses/sap-successfactors-recruiting-recruiter-experience-academy/creating-applicant-statuses-for-candidate-application_ca99f6d9-933b-403d-9a8e-1e1a903cc9f2)). Two jobs at the same company can show you different labels for the same stage. The video below is an administrator's walkthrough of this exact screen. It is aimed at implementers, but the middle section shows where the candidate label is typed in. Watch on YouTube: [SAP SuccessFactors RCM Applicant Status Configuration and Status-triggered emails.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaRYUEx4ykE&t=155s) (Master Guide 2 SAP ) An SAP SuccessFactors consultant opens a standard applicant status set in Admin Center, shows the system statuses SAP delivers, the custom in-progress and disqualification statuses each employer defines, and the separate internal label, candidate label and next step text fields. - [2:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaRYUEx4ykE&t=179s) System statuses delivered with the product - [3:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaRYUEx4ykE&t=231s) Custom in-progress statuses for your process - [4:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaRYUEx4ykE&t=280s) Custom disqualification statuses - [6:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaRYUEx4ykE&t=374s) Internal label versus candidate label - [7:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaRYUEx4ykE&t=420s) Next step text shown to the candidate ## What does "In Process" or "In Review" mean on SuccessFactors? "In Process" and "In Review" mean you sit in an In Progress status: you applied, you passed any automatic prescreening questions, and nobody has rejected you. They do not confirm that a human has read your resume, and they can stay the same from screening through interviews. SAP describes the In Progress type as "Use when the candidate's application is being processed." That is the whole meaning SAP guarantees. An employer could show "In Review" only after a recruiter screen, or from the moment you apply. If you have been invited to interview and the portal still says "In Process", you are moving forward; the email outranks the label. ## Forwarded and Invited to Apply: when a recruiter picks you Forwarded means a recruiter attached your existing candidate profile to a job you did not apply for. SAP's documentation is precise about what that does and does not do ([SAP Help](https://help.sap.com/docs/successfactors-recruiting/setting-up-and-maintaining-sap-successfactors-recruiting/forward-candidates-to-requisition)): - You get no email when you are forwarded. - Forwarded candidates "aren't considered applicants", so the job does not appear in your Jobs Applied list. - The recruiter cannot disposition (reject) you while you are only forwarded. The next step is Invited to Apply. When a recruiter moves you there, you receive an "Invite Candidate to Apply" email with a link, and you can apply only while the requisition is posted ([SAP Help](https://help.sap.com/docs/successfactors-recruiting/setting-up-and-maintaining-sap-successfactors-recruiting/invite-forwarded-candidates-to-apply)). If you ignore it, the recruiter can send a re-invite. If you got one, treat it as a warm lead: someone already picked you out of the database. ## Is "no longer under consideration" final? Yes, for that one requisition. A rejection label sits on a status of the Disqualified type, which SAP defines as "Use when the candidate's application has been rejected." It does not affect other jobs you applied to at the same employer. There are several ways to land there: 1. **Auto Disqualified.** You failed a prescreening question, either a disqualifying answer or a score below the passing mark. This happens the instant you submit. Shared Health Manitoba's guide notes recruiters can move you back into the pipeline if you answered a question in error ([Shared Health](https://sharedhealthmb.ca/files/sf-talent-pipeline-overview.pdf)), so a polite note to the recruiter is worth sending if that happened. 2. **A manual rejection.** A recruiter or hiring manager moved you to one of the employer's own disqualification statuses ("Do Not Proceed" in the Shared Health pipeline). 3. **Requisition Closed.** The job closed while you were still in an In Progress status. 4. **Hired on Other Requisition.** You were hired into a different job at the same company. SAP's Auto Disqualified entry adds that there is "no functionality that supports status disqualification reasons" ([SAP Help](https://help.sap.com/docs/successfactors-recruiting/setting-up-and-maintaining-sap-successfactors-recruiting/applicant-statuses-predefined-by-system)), which is one reason rejections arrive without explanation. Rejection emails can also lag the status. A rejection can be manual, automatic or API-based, and employers can switch on Delay Emails to Disqualified Candidates (in hours) for all three, and no email goes out at all if the disqualification status has no candidate-facing template or the job owner's account is inactive ([SAP Help](https://help.sap.com/docs/successfactors-recruiting/setting-up-and-maintaining-sap-successfactors-recruiting/sending-e-mail-notifications-to-disqualified-candidates)). If you are re-qualified before the delay ends, no rejection email is sent. With an illustrative delay of 72 hours, a recruiter who rejects you on Monday at 9 a.m. triggers an email on Thursday at 9 a.m., and moving you back before then cancels it. So the portal can show a rejection before your inbox does, or a rejection can come with no email ever. ## Why does my SuccessFactors status not change? Your status does not change because recruiters move you only when they choose to, and most steps are optional. SAP lets employers mark a status as Required; any status not marked Required can be skipped, and the employer can ask for a comment when it is ([SAP Help](https://help.sap.com/docs/successfactors-recruiting/setting-up-and-maintaining-sap-successfactors-recruiting/applicant-status-settings)). Shared Health Manitoba's SuccessFactors guide says plainly that "the majority of Talent Pipeline status segments are optional" and that Offer is the only one its hiring leaders must use. Here is that real pipeline, left to right, condensed: ![A real SuccessFactors pipeline from new applicant review to hired](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/cn4g0q2b/production/c8efb831035732a4812d14a84b5a02b830ad2492-1344x326.png) *Shared Health Manitoba, 2020. Only Offer is mandatory for hiring leaders.* At that employer you could be shortlisted and interviewed while never leaving New Applicant Review in the system. Add a generic candidate label on top, and weeks of real activity show up as no change at all. The median time to fill was 44 days for nonexecutive roles and 45 days for executive roles in SHRM's 2025 benchmarking report ([SHRM](https://www.shrm.org/content/dam/en/shrm/research/2025-recruiting-benchmarking-report.pdf)), measured in calendar days. A status unchanged for 21 to 42 days is ordinary. Our guide to [what "under consideration" means on a job application](https://www.jobfinder-ai.com/blog/what-does-under-consideration-mean) compares the same label across Workday, Taleo and USAJOBS, and the [iCIMS "currently being considered" guide](https://www.jobfinder-ai.com/blog/icims-currently-being-considered) covers the equivalent wording on iCIMS portals. ## Can you withdraw and resubmit a SuccessFactors application? You can withdraw any application that has not been disqualified, at any time, and it moves to Withdrawn By Candidate. You can resubmit it only while the job is still posted ([SAP Help](https://help.sap.com/docs/successfactors-recruiting/setting-up-and-maintaining-sap-successfactors-recruiting/additional-statuses)). On resubmission your prescreening answers are scored again, so you land back in Default or straight in Auto Disqualified. Employers cannot disable either button. | Requisition | Your status | Can you withdraw? | | --- | --- | --- | | Open | Not yet qualified | Yes | | Closed | Qualified | Yes | | Open | Disqualified | No | | Closed | Disqualified | No | Withdraw only when you have accepted another offer or the role no longer fits. Withdrawing does not erase you: employers covered by Title VII keep application records for at least one year ([29 CFR 1602.14](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/29/1602.14)). For a clean way to do it, see [how to withdraw a job application](https://www.jobfinder-ai.com/blog/how-to-withdraw-a-job-application). ## What should you do at each stage? Act on time and contact, not on the label. A practical rule set: 1. **Applied or New Application, first 7 days:** confirm you received the "Thank you for applying" email, which SAP recommends employers send on entry to Default. If it is missing, check spam. 2. **In Process, In Review or Under Consideration, after about 21 days:** send one short follow-up to a named recruiter or the hiring manager with the job title, requisition ID and date you applied. Our [job application follow-up guide](https://www.jobfinder-ai.com/blog/how-to-follow-up-job-application) has templates. 3. **Interview or Reference Check:** reply to scheduling emails within 24 hours, and follow up 5 days after an interview if you hear nothing. At Shared Health, the reference check status emails you a request to add references to your candidate profile. Do it the same day. 4. **No longer under consideration:** if a prescreen answer was a mistake, tell the recruiter once. Otherwise move on. 5. **45 days with no movement and no reply:** treat the role as unlikely and keep your pipeline full. The real problem with any applicant tracking portal is that it is a one-way channel. JobFinder AI finds roles that match your resume, tracks where each application stands, and helps you reach the hiring manager directly, so a SuccessFactors status that has not moved in a month is not your only line to the team. You can [try JobFinder AI here](https://app.jobfinder-ai.com/). If your applications keep stalling at the first step, [why applications disappear into the ATS black hole](https://www.jobfinder-ai.com/blog/ats-black-hole-what-to-do-instead) covers what to change. ## FAQ ### What does "In Review" mean in SuccessFactors? "In Review" means your application is in an In Progress status and has not been rejected. Employers write that label themselves, so it may appear right after you apply or only after a recruiter screen. It does not confirm a hiring manager has read your resume. ### What does Forwarded mean in SuccessFactors? Forwarded means a recruiter attached your candidate profile to a job you did not apply for. You get no email and the job does not show in Jobs Applied. If the recruiter wants you, you receive an Invite to Apply email with a link, and you must complete the application while the job is posted. ### Is "no longer under consideration" final on SuccessFactors? Yes, for that requisition. It sits on a Disqualified status, which SAP defines as an application that has been rejected. The one common exception is an automatic disqualification caused by a wrong prescreening answer, which a recruiter can manually reverse. ### Why does my SuccessFactors application status not change? Most statuses are optional, so recruiters can interview you without moving you in the system, and employers often show one generic label such as In Process for many internal steps. Judge progress by emails and calls, and follow up once after about 21 days. ### How long does a SuccessFactors application stay "In Process"? There is no SAP time limit. The status lasts until a recruiter moves you or the requisition closes, at which point remaining in-progress applicants can move to Requisition Closed. With a median time to fill of 44 days in SHRM's 2025 data, 30 days in "In Process" is normal. --- Written by [Dhrumil Barot](https://www.jobfinder-ai.com/about#founder). Dhrumil is a job search and hiring outreach expert. Dhrumil built Jobfinder AI so applications reach the hiring managers who decide, not an inbox nobody reads. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bdhrumil), [X](https://x.com/fyidhrumil)