What LinkedIn 'In Progress' Means and What to Do
A LinkedIn job application marked as "In Progress" means the employer's applicant tracking system received your file and the posting remains open. It is neither an implicit endorsement nor a soft rejection; it is simply an administrative holding state.
What does "In Progress" actually mean behind the scenes?
When you submit an application through LinkedIn, one of several workflows triggers on the company's end:
- The role is actively screening in batches. Recruiters often wait until a posting accumulates a set volume of applicants before reviewing profiles in groups.
- The internal ATS has not synced an update. Most companies manage hiring through external software such as Greenhouse or Lever. A status will remain "In Progress" on LinkedIn until a recruiter manually archives the job or marks your candidate profile as rejected inside their internal system.
- The role is paused or reassessed internally. As noted in Nishant Vyas's discussion notes on the hiring process, delays often stem from simple operational friction: hiring managers taking leave, shifting headcount approvals, or teams prioritizing internal transfers without closing the public job post.
What concrete steps should you take while waiting?
Waiting for a portal status to update is passive. Take these practical actions to maintain momentum:
- Log the submission and move forward immediately. Do not wait for a response before submitting your next application. Record the company, role, posting date, and salary range in Destava's application tracker. This keeps your pipeline organized so you never lose context if a recruiter calls weeks later.
- Reach out to a potential teammate, not the recruiter. Recruiters manage hundreds of open conversations and rarely have time to provide speculative updates. Instead, find a senior peer currently on that specific team and ask for a brief informational conversation about their current workflow.
- Audit your narrative for similar openings. If applications repeatedly stall at the initial screen, your materials may not clearly communicate your core competence. You can consult a career coach in Destava's Experts feature to review your past interview stages and diagnose where your positioning might be falling flat.
How to reach out without sounding impatient
If seven to ten business days have passed since you applied and you have a direct contact, send a short, focused message that adds value rather than asking for administrative updates.
Use this template for an outreach message to a peer or hiring manager on LinkedIn:
"Hi Sarah, I applied for the Growth Marketing Manager position on your team last week. I have spent the last three years building lifecycle email flows that reduced onboarding churn for B2B SaaS users. I put together a quick note on two onboarding experiments that worked well for self-serve accounts if you would be open to seeing them. Either way, congratulations on the team's recent expansion."
If you receive no response after two weeks, assume the role has moved forward with other candidates. Keep applying elsewhere, keep tracking your outreach, and treat any late reply as an unexpected upside.