LinkedIn Jobs Stuck 'In Progress': Should You Apply?

When a LinkedIn job posting sits at “In Progress” for weeks, you might wonder if applying is a waste of time. It’s not necessarily a dead end, but it’s not a fresh opening either. Here’s what the status really means and how to decide if you should still throw your hat in the ring.

What “In Progress” actually means

That status usually signals the hiring team has started screening candidates or running interviews but hasn’t filled the role yet. Treat it as an active search with established competition, not an early-stage opportunity. Recruiters rarely update job board statuses the moment priorities shift, so a posting can linger for weeks due to one of three common situations: active interview loops, internal hiring pauses, or high applicant backlogs.

In the first case, the recruiter has passed three to five candidates to the hiring manager and keeps the posting open in case finalists decline or fail background checks. In the second, budget reviews or team restructuring put searches on hold without canceling the headcount. In the third, hundreds of resumes arrive in the first few days, so recruiters freeze inbound review to work through what’s already there before reopening the pipeline.

How to decide if you should apply

Applying to an older listing takes the same effort as a fresh one, but your odds of getting reviewed drop as days tick by. Before spending time, run the listing through these checks:

• Check the publish date. If the role was posted more than 30 days ago and sits “In Progress,” assume the team is already deep into second or third round interviews.
• Assess your overlap ruthlessly. For a new listing, meeting 70% of the criteria is often enough. For an older one, only apply if you meet every requirement they list as must-haves.
• Apply directly on the company careers site. Status tags on job boards can lag behind the employer’s applicant tracking system by days or weeks. If the role is gone from their site, it’s closed.

What to write when reaching out

If you fit the requirements tightly, don’t just submit an application and wait. Reach out directly to the hiring manager or department head with a brief, focused note that acknowledges the search is already underway. Try something like this:

“Hi [Name], I noticed your search for the [Job Title] role is currently in progress. I recently led [concrete accomplishment, e.g., migrating our billing infrastructure with zero downtime], which mirrors what your team is tackling this quarter. I submitted my resume through your portal today. If you are still reviewing candidates, I would welcome a brief conversation.”

That direct outreach with a specific proof point beats relying on LinkedIn’s status updates every time.

Track your pipeline without guessing

Platform-specific status tags like “In Progress” or “Viewed” are built to serve advertisers and recruiters, not to give you accurate project management data. So log every submission immediately: note the posting date, the exact job description, and the date you applied. Then set a firm follow-up window. If you send an outreach note or application, set a reminder to follow up once after five business days. If there’s no response, archive the entry and direct your energy toward active openings.

If you want to centralize every role you target into one clear dashboard, Destava’s application tracker can keep your records organized and stop you from checking inactive listings repeatedly.