Indeed application status meanings: viewed, not selected and every other status

How Indeed application statuses work

Indeed’s Help Center groups application statuses by who sets them. You can set some yourself, such as Interviewing, to keep your list accurate. The employer sets others when it acts on your application, such as viewing it or rejecting it. Indeed sets a third group based on activity on the job, such as when the job closes or when an employer goes quiet.

Two limits explain most confusion. First, statuses set by the employer or by Indeed are usually only available for jobs posted directly on Indeed. If Indeed sent you to a company website to apply, you may never see an employer status for that job. Second, Indeed says the statuses it sets itself are only available in its mobile app, so the desktop site can look emptier than your phone.

That means a blank status is not a signal. It may just mean the employer manages applications somewhere Indeed can’t see. Keep your own record of every application, whatever site you used; a simple job application tracker is enough.

Every Indeed application status and what to do next

The meanings below follow the definitions in Indeed’s job seeker Help Center; the next steps are our advice. Employers can also move you to Interviewing, Offer received or Hired, the same statuses you can set yourself.

What does “Application viewed” mean on Indeed?

Indeed defines Application viewed as the employer having reviewed your application. It confirms the application reached the employer and was opened. It doesn’t tell you what they thought, and it isn’t an invitation to interview. Some employers review a whole batch of applications before contacting anyone, so a week or two of silence after a view is not unusual.

Compare it with Employer reviewing applications, which Indeed sets when the employer is working through applications but hasn’t reached yours yet. That one is a reason to wait, not to follow up.

If a week or two passes after a view with no message, one short follow-up through Indeed messages or by email is reasonable. Our job application follow-up guide covers timing and tone, and the free follow-up email template gives you a starting draft. For typical timelines by employer type, see how long to hear back after applying.

“Not selected by employer” on Indeed: what it means

Indeed is direct about this one: Not selected by employer means the employer rejected your application. The status itself carries no reason, so don’t wait for an explanation. It applies to that application only. It doesn’t stop you from applying to other jobs on Indeed, including other roles at the same company.

A rejection can come quickly, sometimes before a person has spent long on the application, because some employers screen with required questions or filters first. If you see it often, look at the pattern: are you missing a stated requirement, answering screening questions in a way that rules you out, or applying to roles far from your experience? Our job rejection guide helps you find the cause.

If you got far enough to speak to someone, a short, polite request for feedback is fine. The free feedback request template keeps it to a few lines. Don’t argue the decision; the goal is one useful tip and a good impression for the next opening.

“Response seems unlikely” and “Job closed”

Response seems unlikely is Indeed’s prediction, not the employer’s decision. Indeed says it appears when the employer has already hired enough candidates, or when there has been no activity on your application for at least two weeks. In practice, treat it as a cue to stop waiting: you can send one follow-up if you haven’t already, but put your energy into new applications.

Job closed means the employer closed the job or the posting expired. Your application isn’t necessarily rejected, because employers sometimes keep reviewing applicants after a posting comes down, but new activity is less likely. If the same job reappears later, a repost can mean the first round didn’t produce a hire, so a fresh, tailored application can be worth sending.

“Employer reached out”: reply quickly, and check it’s real

Employer reached out means the employer contacted you through Indeed. Check your Indeed messages and the email linked to your account, and reply within a working day if you can. A first message may ask you to pick an interview time or answer a few questions.

Stay alert, because scammers advertise jobs the same way honest employers do. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission warns that honest employers will never ask you to pay to get a job, and that no honest employer will send you a check to deposit and then ask you to send part of the money back or buy gift cards with it. If a message asks for money, gift cards or bank details before a real interview, stop and check it with the free job scam checker and our job search scams guide.

How to check, update or withdraw an Indeed application

Your applications live in the Applied tab of My jobs on Indeed. To change one, open the menu with the three dots next to its status. From there you can archive it, report the job, update its status, view your application details, including the resume you used, or withdraw it. Viewing details and withdrawing are only available for jobs posted directly on Indeed.

Before you withdraw, know the trade-offs Indeed lists: you may not be able to apply again, the employer may still contact you, and you can’t reopen a withdrawn application. If you withdraw by mistake, message the employer. When you are leaving a process you have already interviewed for, a short note to the recruiter is courteous; the free withdraw application email template has wording.

If an application is missing from My jobs, Indeed gives three common reasons: you didn’t apply directly on Indeed, the application is linked to a different Indeed account or email address, or you applied more than six months ago.

1. Open My jobs and select the Applied tab.
2. Tap or click the three dots next to the application status.
3. Choose Update status and pick Interviewing, Offer received, Hired or No longer interested.
4. To withdraw, choose Withdraw application and confirm.

Indeed vs LinkedIn application statuses

If you apply on both sites, the statuses look similar but aren’t identical. LinkedIn’s Help Center says Easy Apply applicants get updates when the job poster views the application or downloads the resume, and that neither guarantees a message, interview or offer. Indeed adds statuses LinkedIn doesn’t show, such as Response seems unlikely, which is based on inactivity. Our guide to LinkedIn’s Application viewed status explains LinkedIn’s side in detail.

On both sites, the same rule holds: a status is information, not a decision, until the employer contacts you. Applications finished on company websites often show nothing on either site, so your own tracker is the only complete record.