What is SmartRecruiters?
SmartRecruiters is a modern applicant tracking system used by over 4,000 companies globally, with a particularly strong footprint in Europe and mid-to-large US employers. Companies using SmartRecruiters include Bosch, Visa, LinkedIn, McDonald's, Lidl, Equinox, and Skechers.
If your application confirmation came from a careers.smartrecruiters.com URL, or if the job listing was hosted on a smartrecruiters.com subdomain, you're in a SmartRecruiters-managed process. SmartRecruiters is designed to be more candidate-friendly than legacy ATS platforms like Taleo, with cleaner email communications and a candidate-facing status portal.
SmartRecruiters application status meanings
New
Your application has just been submitted. It has not yet been reviewed by any human. "New" is the default starting state — it means the system received your application and is waiting for a recruiter to action it.
In Review
A recruiter or hiring coordinator has opened your application and is actively screening it. This is the first human touchpoint in the process. Moving from "New" to "In Review" is a good sign — it means you weren't filtered out by any automated pre-screening.
Interviewing
You've been selected to move forward and are either scheduled for or in the process of completing interviews. This status may appear before you've been formally contacted, so if you see it and haven't heard from anyone, check your email (including spam) or reach out to the recruiter.
Offered
The company has decided to extend an offer. You should receive direct communication from the recruiter with compensation and terms. If you see this status without contact, reach out proactively within 24 hours.
Hired
You've accepted the offer and the hire is confirmed in the system.
Rejected / Not Selected
Your application has been removed from consideration. SmartRecruiters typically sends an automated rejection email when this status is set, though timing varies by company — some notify quickly, others wait until the role is fully filled.
Withdrawn
You withdrew your application, or the company cancelled the posting.
The SmartRecruiters candidate portal
SmartRecruiters gives candidates a self-service status portal at careers.smartrecruiters.com. To access it:
1. Go to careers.smartrecruiters.com and sign in with the email you used to apply
2. Navigate to "My Applications" to see all active submissions and their current status
3. You can also message recruiters directly through the portal on some company configurations
If you applied as a guest without creating an account, you won't have portal access. Status updates in that case will come via email from a smartrecruiters.com or the company's own domain.
SmartRecruiters also has a mobile-friendly candidate experience, which is more up-to-date than older systems like Taleo or iCIMS.
How long does each SmartRecruiters stage take?
Timelines vary considerably based on company size and role, but general benchmarks:
New → In Review: 3–14 days. European companies using SmartRecruiters (Bosch, Lidl) often move slower than US-based ones due to regional hiring norms.
In Review → Interviewing: 1–3 weeks. If you've been "In Review" for more than 3 weeks without contact, it's reasonable to follow up with the recruiter.
Interviewing → Offered: 1–4 weeks depending on interview rounds.
Total process (application to offer): Typically 4–10 weeks. SmartRecruiters is used across a broad range of company sizes, so timelines vary more than platforms that skew toward a single company profile.
The most useful thing you can do while waiting on any one SmartRecruiters process is to maintain sufficient application volume elsewhere.