Save the details before you apply
Save the job title, employer, location, job ID, posting link, application deadline if one is listed, and any required documents. A posting can close or move, while its ID and link help a recruiter or referrer find the exact role. Workday's own careers guide recommends keeping the job ID and position link when asking for a referral.
Use a resume version that reflects the role's requirements and the evidence you can discuss. Follow the employer's file instructions. A clear, linear resume makes it easier to compare the fields in the form with the source document, but no layout guarantees a particular hiring outcome. For more on file choices and readable structure, see our guide to resume file formats and parsing.
Workday's recruiting documentation says a resume may populate contact details, work experience, education, and languages. Employers can configure which steps appear, so treat imported information as a draft to check, not a completed application.
Review the employment record the form actually contains
After an upload or profile autofill, compare every field with the resume you chose. Check employer names, job titles, dates, locations, education, contact details, skills, and attachment names. Correct a field when the information landed in the wrong place, and remove a suggested skill if it does not describe work you can substantiate.
For example, a resume line can arrive with the employer and title combined. Separate them in the form while keeping the dates faithful to the resume:
| Resume line | After import, before correction | Review before submitting |
|---|---|---|
| Northwind Labs | Customer Support Lead | Mar 2022 to Present | Employer: “Northwind Labs | Customer Support Lead”; job title: blank; dates: Mar 2022 to Present | Employer: “Northwind Labs”; job title: “Customer Support Lead”; dates: Mar 2022 to Present |
The correction changes where the existing facts sit, not what the candidate claims. Check that each previous role has its own employer, title, and dates, and that a current role is marked consistently with the resume. Workday documents that these fields can be parsed; the exact form and its available edits depend on the employer's setup.
Answer each employer's questions with one relevant example
Read the wording of each custom question before reusing material from a cover letter or another application. A short answer is stronger when it names the situation, your own contribution, what changed, and how that connects to the role. Keep a job-specific answer with that application because another employer may ask a different question.
Example question: Tell us about a process you improved with another team.
Example answer: In a support team, repeated account-access issues were reaching both the service desk and engineering. I reviewed the ticket categories and drafted a troubleshooting and escalation checklist with an engineer. I owned the ticket review and first draft, and the engineer checked the technical steps before the support lead added the checklist to the team guide. That experience fits this role's focus on improving processes across teams.
This answer makes the candidate's contribution distinct from the collaborators' work, gives a concrete artifact, and connects it to a stated requirement. Use your own details and describe an outcome only when you can support it. The same evidence-first approach helps when tailoring a resume to a job description.
Review, submit, and keep the confirmation
Before final submission, use any review page or summary the employer provides. Confirm the role, contact details, employment and education fields, required documents, and every answer. Read the employer's instructions for required and voluntary questions, then make corrections before submitting.
Wait for the on-page confirmation or email if the employer sends one. UW-Madison's current external-applicant guide, for example, describes both a confirmation message and an email for its own process. If you do not see a confirmation, sign in through the same employer's career site and check whether the application appears before trying again.
Record the job title and ID, posting link, submission date, resume version, sign-in email, Candidate Home link if provided, and the confirmation reference. Keep a confirmation email or screenshot with your own application records. The record will help you identify the right application if a recruiter contacts you or you need to complete a later task.
Use Candidate Home to find the next action
If the employer provides Candidate Home, Workday's documentation says it can show applications, status, and outstanding tasks. The employer configures parts of the process and the labels candidates see. Its recruiting subprocess guide describes questionnaires and candidate self-scheduling tasks that employers can configure during different stages.
Those labels are not a universal dictionary. In UW-Madison's employer-specific guide, for example, the Review stage appears to candidates as “Submitted,” while other active stages appear as “In Progress.” A label such as “Under review” does not by itself prove that a person has read your resume or predict an interview. Read the message and the task attached to that specific application.
| What appears | What it tells you | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| A submitted or received label, or an application listed as active | The employer's portal records an application. It does not show whether a recruiter has reviewed it. | Save the confirmation and note the date, job ID, and resume version. Follow the employer's stated timeline. |
| “In progress,” “under review,” or another broad stage label | The employer has assigned a candidate-facing status. The wording and mapping vary by employer, and it is not proof of human review. | Check the application for a message or task. If none is waiting, set a reasonable review date and keep applying elsewhere. |
| A pending questionnaire, assessment, information request, or scheduling task | There may be a specific action and deadline for this application. | Open the task, follow its instructions, and save the completion or scheduling confirmation. |
| “Completed,” “inactive,” or “withdrawn,” or a role moved out of an active list | The application may no longer be active in that employer's process. The label alone may not explain why. | Read any message, check whether the posting is still open, and use the recruiter or contact listed by the employer if you need clarification. |
Workday documentation says employers can configure external labels, so use the specific employer's message and instructions when they conflict with a generic explanation. For status labels across other hiring portals, see our guide to job application status meanings.
Follow up with context when there is a reason to
If the employer gives a timeline, wait until it has passed. If you have a recruiter, referral contact, or other named contact, one concise message can identify the application and offer relevant evidence. If the portal is quiet and you have no direct contact, record a review date and return to the search instead of refreshing the page repeatedly.
Subject: Application for [role title], job ID [ID]
Hello [name],
I applied for [role title] on [date], job ID [ID]. My experience with [one specific responsibility or result] connects to [relevant role requirement]. If the team is still reviewing applications, I would welcome a conversation. Is there an expected timeline for next steps?
Thank you,
[your name]
The job ID, application date, and one supported point make the note easier to route than a general status request. For what to do when no response arrives, see our guide to following up after an application.
Keep the posting, resume version, confirmation, current status, and next action in a record you can find. AskMyCareer's job application tracker can hold that context, and the resume-to-interview workflow can turn the saved job description into preparation if the employer contacts you.