Greenhouse application status: what candidates see (2026)

Greenhouse shows candidates much less than Workday or Taleo. Greenhouse itself will not tell you your status: its support site says it is "solely a processor of candidate applications" and asks you to contact the company you applied to. The only place you can see a status is MyGreenhouse, a free candidate account you sign into with your email and a one-time code. There, an application shows as Active, Inactive, or "Not sharing updates" if the employer chose not to share. Inactive means the company closed the application, usually after a rejection. The recruiter's stages, from Application Review to Offer, stay internal. Emails from the hiring team remain the best signal.

Greenhouse application status at a glance

Everything below is what Greenhouse documents for candidates. Greenhouse does not publish a longer list of candidate statuses, so be wary of any guide that lists ten or more.

Can you check your application status on Greenhouse?

Yes, but only if the employer allows it, and only at a high level. There are three places people look.

1. Greenhouse support: no

Greenhouse's article on candidate inquiries is short: Greenhouse "will not share the status of any candidate application", and "If you have any questions regarding the status of an application, please reach out to the company to which you have applied." Writing to Greenhouse support will not get you an answer.

2. MyGreenhouse: the email-based status check

MyGreenhouse is Greenhouse's candidate account. Greenhouse describes it as "a free job application tracker for roles at companies hiring with Greenhouse", and says that "After you apply, you can check each application's status."

How the sign-in works, according to the MyGreenhouse FAQ for candidates:

• Go to my.greenhouse.com and enter your email, or continue with Google, Apple or LinkedIn. "MyGreenhouse is password-free."
• You get "a single-use security code" by email. Codes are "single-use and time-limited", and if you requested several, "only the most recent one will work."
• If the code does not arrive, check spam and request a new one after 10 minutes.
• "Accounts are never created automatically." You have to sign up yourself, even if you applied to many Greenhouse employers.

Applications are matched by the email you used to apply. The FAQ lists reasons an application may be missing: you applied with a different or incorrect email, or through "LinkedIn, Indeed, or other third-party sites", and Greenhouse "can't change the email on an application after it's submitted."

3. The employer: yes

For anything beyond Active or Inactive, the employer is the only source. The FAQ says: "If you have questions about an application, contact the company directly." The same goes for withdrawing.

What candidates can see, and what they cannot

Greenhouse is clear about the limits. From the candidate FAQ:

• "You'll only see application updates and tasks if the hiring company chooses to share them."
• "You may see a high-level status, but not every step or decision in the hiring process."
• "If your status hasn't changed, it may mean the hiring team hasn't shared a new update."
• "MyGreenhouse and Greenhouse Support can't see a company's internal hiring decisions or contact recruiters for you."

On the employer side, Greenhouse's article on MyGreenhouse application tracking says an admin switches status sharing on in the Greenhouse settings, and candidates then see "whether their applications are active or inactive." Nothing more detailed is shared through that setting.

What does "Active" mean on Greenhouse?

"Active" is the starting point. The FAQ says "Your applications are Active by default." It stays Active while the company has not closed it, whether nobody has opened it yet or you are in final interviews. So Active is neutral. What to do: keep applying elsewhere and watch your inbox for messages from the recruiter or a scheduling tool.

What does "Inactive" mean on Greenhouse?

There are two ways an application becomes Inactive, and only one is about the employer's decision.

When the company closes it. For employers that share status, Greenhouse's employer documentation says applications are updated to Inactive "after you've rejected the candidate", specifically:

• after the employer sends a rejection email,
• after a scheduled rejection email is sent, or
• 4 days after the date of the rejection, if no email is scheduled or sent.

The same article notes that "Candidates are not notified about the change"; you see it the next time you open your applications.

When you do it yourself. You can move an application to Inactive to clean up your view. The FAQ warns that this "doesn't change your application with the company, and you can't undo it." It does not withdraw you.

What to do: if you did not move it yourself, treat it as a rejection for that job. If the employer sends a rejection email, it usually goes out just before the status changes. Apply to other roles at the company if they fit.

What does "Not sharing updates" mean?

It means "that company doesn't share status updates in MyGreenhouse, so your status there won't change." It says nothing about your application. Rely on direct emails, and contact the company if you need an update.

The stages recruiters see (and you do not)

Inside Greenhouse Recruiting, each job has an interview plan made of stages. Greenhouse's interview plan overview says: "Each interview plan, by default, starts with the Application Review stage and ends with an Offer stage. Everything in between those two stages is up to you." Employers add their own stages in between; Greenhouse gives application review and face-to-face stages as common examples.

What this means for you:

• Your application usually starts in Application Review, where a recruiter or hiring manager reads it.
• Moving between stages does not change what you see in MyGreenhouse. You stay Active.
• You learn about a new stage when the team contacts you: a scheduling link, a test invitation or a call.
• If the employer rejects you, and it shares status, you move to Inactive after the rejection email or within a few days.

Because the stage names are chosen by each employer, there is no reliable public list of "Greenhouse statuses" with fixed meanings. Treat any label that does not come from Greenhouse's documents or the employer as a guess.

How long each stage usually takes and when to follow up

Greenhouse publishes no timelines, and each employer runs its own process. The documented timing is narrow: a shared rejection turns your application Inactive when the rejection email goes out, or 4 days after the rejection if no email is sent.

Practical rules:

• Active with no contact: keep applying elsewhere. If the posting gives no timeline, one short follow-up to the recruiter after a couple of weeks is reasonable.
• After an interview: follow up once, a few business days after the date they gave you.
• Inactive: do not follow up on the decision. If you interviewed, a brief thank-you and a request for feedback is fine.
• Not sharing updates: use email or LinkedIn to reach the recruiter if you need an answer.

Checklist for Greenhouse applicants

• Apply with one email address and sign up for MyGreenhouse with that same email.
• Check your spam folder for security codes and recruiter emails.
• Read "Active" as neutral and company-set "Inactive" as closed.
• Do not move applications to Inactive unless you are sure; you cannot undo it.
• Tailor your resume for Greenhouse employers with our guide to an ATS-friendly resume for Greenhouse, and test it with an ATS resume checker.
• Apply4Me tracks the status of every application in one place, and AI auto-apply helps you keep applying while you wait.

If you also apply through Workday, its portals show far more detail; see Workday application status meanings.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check my application status on Greenhouse?

Sign up or sign in at my.greenhouse.com with the email you used to apply, and enter the one-time code sent to you. If the employer shares status, you will see whether the application is Active or Inactive. For details, contact the company. Greenhouse support will not share application status.

What does "Inactive" mean on Greenhouse?

If the company set it, the application is closed, which for employers that share status happens after a rejection email or 4 days after the rejection. If you moved it to Inactive yourself, it only tidies your view and does not withdraw you.

What does "Active" mean on a Greenhouse application?

It is the default status. It means the company has not closed your application. It does not mean someone has reviewed it, and it does not change as you move between interview stages.

Why does my Greenhouse application say "Not sharing updates"?

The employer does not share status in MyGreenhouse, so the status there will never change. It is not a judgement on your application. Watch for emails from the hiring team.

Does Greenhouse tell you when you are rejected?

MyGreenhouse does not notify you when your status changes to Inactive. Whether you get a rejection email depends on the employer. For employers that share status, the application turns Inactive when the rejection email is sent, or 4 days after the rejection if none is sent.