What in consideration means on a job application

4 November 2026

“In consideration” usually means the employer has not rejected you and is still reviewing your application, but it does not guarantee an interview, a shortlist spot, or even that a human has looked at it yet. The exact meaning depends on the company’s hiring process and the system they use.

What in consideration means

In plain English, “in consideration” means your application is still under active review. It is a status employers use when they are deciding whether to move you forward, keep you in the pool, or compare you with other candidates.

That sounds encouraging, and sometimes it is. But it is not the same as “selected,” “interviewing,” or “offer pending.” It can also sit there for a while if the team is waiting on approvals, closing dates, or a batch of candidates to review together.

If you want the blunt version: it means “not ruled out yet.” Nothing more specific than that unless the employer explains it.

Does in consideration mean I got the job?

No. It does not mean you got the job.

It usually means the opposite of a rejection, but there are several possible next steps after this status:

they may invite you to interview
they may keep you on hold while they review other candidates
they may move someone else forward first
they may close the role later without contacting you again

This is why candidates get frustrated with status labels. A company may leave an application in consideration for days or weeks and then never send a clear update. That is not a promise; it is just where your application sits in their workflow.

If you are trying to decode the broader status language, Wynda also has guides on application under review and Greenhouse status meanings.

What it means on different ATS systems

The exact wording depends on the ATS and the employer’s setup.

On one system, “in consideration” may mean a recruiter has screened you and kept you in the pipeline. On another, it may simply be a generic label for any application that has not been declined yet. Some companies do not even use the same status labels consistently across teams.

That is why you should not read too much into the wording alone. A status page is not a transcript of what the recruiter thinks about you.

For example, an applicant might see “in consideration” after submitting through a form, but the hiring team may still be waiting to review all applicants together. Or the team may have already picked a shortlist and just not updated the public-facing status yet.

What you can infer safely

You can safely infer three things:

Your application was received.
It has not been rejected yet.
The company is still in some stage of review.

You cannot safely infer that:

a recruiter definitely read your resume
you are on the shortlist
the hiring manager is interested
an interview is coming
the role is still open this week

That last point matters. A job can look active in a system even when the team is already moving on internally.

What to do if your status says in consideration

If the status is “in consideration,” the practical move is usually to wait a bit and keep applying elsewhere.

If you want to follow up, do it with a short, specific message. Mention the role, restate your interest, and avoid asking the recruiter to decode the status label for you. They often cannot or will not give a detailed answer.

A better follow-up is something like:

Hi — I applied for the [role] and wanted to reiterate my interest. I’d be happy to share anything else that would be helpful as you review candidates.

That is more useful than “What does in consideration mean?” because the recruiter already knows the label. What they do not know is whether you are still a strong fit.

If you are using Wynda for this part of the process, it can draft outreach to the people behind the role, but it cannot tell you whether the company will move you forward or why they chose one candidate over another.

When “in consideration” is a good sign and when it is not

It is a good sign if the posting is still open, the company is responsive, and the status changes after you complete each stage. In that case, “in consideration” often means you are still in the running.

It is a weaker sign if the status never changes for a long time, the role disappears from the careers page, or the company is slow to update applicants. Some employers keep old statuses around even after they have quietly paused hiring.

So the honest answer is: it depends on the employer’s process, how often they update statuses, and whether the role is still actively being filled.

How Wynda fits into this

Wynda does not know what a recruiter is thinking, and it cannot turn “in consideration” into a guaranteed interview.

What it can do is help you keep the process moving:

find jobs
write a resume tailored to each role
apply on the employer’s own form from your own browser
draft outreach to the people behind the role

That matters because many applicants spend too much time refreshing a status page that never becomes clearer. A better use of that time is to keep your materials aligned to the job and send a thoughtful follow-up.

If you want the auto-apply part specifically, see auto-apply to jobs. If you are still building your base resume, start with the free AI resume builder.

What not to assume from a status label

Do not assume a status label tells you:

how competitive you are
whether your resume passed some hidden score
whether the hiring manager liked your profile
whether the team is done screening
whether the job is real, active, or guaranteed to move forward

A status page is just a snapshot of the employer’s workflow. It is not a verdict.

If you want a more concrete read on what happened after you applied, the most reliable signals are the ones you can observe yourself: whether the company contacts you, whether they ask for more information, and whether the role stays open long enough to suggest active hiring rather than a stale posting.

What in consideration means on a job application