SuccessFactors Application Status: In Progress Explained

SAP SuccessFactors runs hiring for a lot of large companies, governments and health systems. Its candidate side is usually a career site with the employer’s branding, a candidate profile, and a section called Jobs Applied. That’s where you see a status, and very often the status is “In Progress.”

This post explains why that label is so vague, what the other common SuccessFactors statuses mean, and what to do at each stage. The usual warning applies more than ever here: each employer chooses the wording you see, so treat every meaning below as “usually,” and trust your email over the portal.

What does “In Progress” mean on SuccessFactors?

“In Progress” on SuccessFactors means your application is open and in the employer’s active pipeline. It doesn’t tell you which stage.

The reason is how SuccessFactors stores statuses. Every applicant status in an employer’s setup has two names: an internal label that recruiters and hiring managers see, and a candidate label that controls what you see in Jobs Applied. SAP’s support documentation says not every internal status needs to be visible to candidates, and uses this exact example: a status recruiters see as “Interview” shows to the candidate as “In Progress.”

So when you see In Progress, you could be in screening, waiting for a hiring manager, or between interview rounds. The useful reading is “not closed yet.”

SuccessFactors statuses at a glance

Most of the specific labels above come from the City of Toronto, which runs its hiring on SuccessFactors and publishes the statuses its candidates may see. Its not-selected label, for example, is “Proceeding with other Candidates at this time.” Your employer’s wording may differ.

What does “Forwarded” mean in SAP SuccessFactors?

“Forwarded” is the status that confuses people most, because it sounds like progress. In SuccessFactors, a forwarded candidate is someone that a person at the company added to a job requisition, rather than someone who applied. SAP’s documentation describes a forwarded candidate as a non-applicant who “has been added to this job but has not yet applied for it.”

That has two practical consequences:

• You need to apply. The recruiter typically sends an Invite to Apply email. Until you complete that application, you’re not formally a candidate for the job.
• It may not show in Jobs Applied. SAP notes that a forwarded application only appears in your Jobs Applied list after you’ve been invited and have applied. If someone told you they “forwarded your profile” and nothing shows up, check your email for the invite.

The City of Toronto describes its “Invited to Apply” status the same way: recruiter outreach, and the candidate isn’t considered to have submitted an application yet.

How to check your status on a SuccessFactors career site

1. Go to the employer’s careers page and sign in. Your account belongs to that employer’s career site, so each company needs its own login.
2. Open your candidate profile. Depending on the site’s version, look for a Jobs Applied section on the profile page, or a Job Management tab with Jobs Applied inside it.
3. Each job shows its title, the status and a date. Unsubmitted applications live separately, often under Saved Applications.

Two details from the City of Toronto’s applicant guide are true of many SuccessFactors employers: saved applications can’t be seen by hiring managers until you click Apply, and once you’ve applied you can’t edit the application. Toronto also tells applicants that time-sensitive emails such as testing and interview bookings go to the address on the account, so check your spam folder.

Why your SuccessFactors status isn’t changing

• Many internal steps share one candidate label. You can move from screening to a first interview without In Progress changing at all.
• Statuses move only when someone moves them. Recruiters often update the shortlist and leave everyone else until the job closes.
• The posting can outlive the search, or the reverse. If the posting has vanished and your status hasn’t moved in weeks, assume it’s stalled, keep it on your list, and stop checking daily.

How to withdraw a SuccessFactors application

On most SuccessFactors career sites, open Jobs Applied (Services Australia’s guide puts it under the Job Management tab), find the job, open the Actions menu next to it, and choose Withdraw Application. The status changes to something like “Withdrawn by Candidate.”

Employers can hide the withdraw button, and SAP’s support notes show that whether you can apply again to the same job afterwards depends on the setup. So only withdraw when you’re sure, and if there’s no button, email the recruiter. After an interview, an email is the polite route anyway.

When to follow up

• About two weeks after applying, or a week after an interview, one short message to the recruiter or hiring manager is reasonable.
• Use email or LinkedIn. The career site doesn’t usually let you message anyone.
• Quote the job requisition ID from the posting, plus the exact title.
• If you were forwarded, reply to the person who forwarded you once you’ve completed the application, so they know to look for it.

Keeping one list across every portal

SuccessFactors is rarely the only system in a job search. Every one uses different words for the same few stages, which I’ve covered for Workday, iCIMS and Taleo, and compared more broadly in Greenhouse vs Lever vs Ashby vs Workday. Keep your own record with the company, title, requisition ID, career site URL, date applied and the last status you saw, and translate each label into a simple stage of your own.