# Recruiter phrases decoded: on hold, on file, next week > What recruiters usually mean by 'the position is on hold', 'we're still interviewing', 'early next week' or 'we'll keep your resume on file', what to reply to each, and when to follow up. Canonical: https://hiredfolio.com/blog/recruiter-phrases-decoded Published 2026-10-03 · 9 min Keywords: recruiter said position on hold, position on hold after interview, recruiter said they are still interviewing, recruiter said early next week, recruiter said feedback was positive, what does it mean when a recruiter says a position is on hold, we'll keep your resume on file, recruiter jargon The recruiter ends the call with "the position is on hold for now, but we'd love to stay in touch". Or the email says "we're still interviewing, you'll hear from us early next week", and next week comes and goes. You read the sentence ten times looking for the real answer. Nobody can tell you for sure what one recruiter meant. What we can do is read each phrase against what it usually covers, what the recruiter's own software does when the job stalls, and in one case what the law says. For each phrase you get the likely meaning, a short reply when one is worth sending, and the date to follow up. Portal labels such as "In progress" or "Not selected" have their own guide: [job application status meanings](/blog/job-application-status-meanings).

42%

of job seekers say they want stronger recruiter communication from the hiring process. If the updates you get are vague, you are in good company.

Source: Greenhouse, 2024 State of Job Hunting report (2,500 workers in the US, UK and Germany)

Here is the short version. Each row has its own section below. | What they said | What it often means | Reply? | Follow up | | ------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------- | | "The position is on hold" | Budget or priorities changed; you are still on file | Yes, ask for a date | On their date, or in 3–4 weeks | | "We'll keep your resume on file" | No for this role | Optional | None for this role | | "We're still interviewing" | The process is not finished; you are in it | Yes, ask for a timeline | The day after their date | | "You'll hear from us early next week" | A decision meeting is planned | No | The next business day after | | "The feedback was positive" | You passed this round | Yes, ask what is next | The date of the next step | | "We'll be in touch" | No date and no promise | No | One week | | "We're checking your references" | You are probably a finalist | Brief your referees | 3–5 business days after the check | | "We went with another candidate" | A rejection, usually a template | Optional | None | The follow-up delays in this table are our rules of thumb, not something any recruiter commits to. ## "The position is on hold" This is the phrase people search most, and the one with the least information behind it. It usually means the company stopped the hiring for a reason that has nothing to do with you: the budget was frozen, a reorganisation is coming, the manager left, or another role jumped the queue. Sometimes it is a softer way to say they will not hire for it at all. ### What "on hold" looks like in the recruiter's software In an applicant tracking system (ATS), a hold is often recorded by closing the job. Greenhouse's help center lists a job "placed on hold" while other roles take priority, and a hiring freeze, among the reasons to close one ([Greenhouse Support](https://support.greenhouse.io/hc/en-us/articles/360025499691-Close-a-job)). Closing the job does not reject the people in it. They stay active until someone moves them, which we cover in [what happens when a job posting is taken down](/blog/job-posting-taken-down). Workday can freeze a requisition instead. At the University of Wisconsin–Madison, which documents its Workday setup, a candidate on a frozen requisition sees "the status they were in at the time" ([UW–Madison HR](https://hr.wisc.edu/hr-guides/for-hr-professionals/candidate-view-by-job-application-status/)). Nothing changes on your side of the portal. Two things follow from that: - A portal that still says "In progress" does not contradict "on hold". The label simply did not move. - The recruiter's sentence is more than the software will ever tell you. Write it down with the date, because nothing else will record it. We found no reliable data on how often roles put on hold come back. Treat it as a pause with no end date until they give you one. ### What to reply Reply within a day. Thank them, ask one question, and say in one line that you are still interested. Do not ask why it is on hold: they rarely can say, and you do not need to know.

The reply when the role is put on hold after an interview

Subject

Re: Product Analyst role, next steps

Body

Hi Priya,

Thanks for letting me know, I appreciate the update. I enjoyed meeting the team and I'm still very interested in the role.

Is there a date when you expect to revisit it? I'll plan around that.

Best,
Jordan Lee

One question with a date for an answer, one line of interest, and nothing that asks them to justify the decision.

### When to follow up If they gave a date, follow up the business day after it. If they did not, send one short check-in after three to four weeks, then one more a month later. Between the two, keep applying elsewhere as if this role did not exist. In your tracker, leave the job in Interviewing with that follow-up date. It is not a rejection until someone says so. ## "We'll keep your resume on file" This one is almost always a no for the role you applied to. The second half of the sentence is where people get their hopes up, so it is worth knowing what "on file" really covers. ### How long "on file" lasts Keeping your application is, first of all, a record-keeping duty. It is not a promise that anyone will search that file for you. - **In the US**, employers must keep application forms and other hiring records for one year ([29 CFR 1602.14](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/29/1602.14)). Federal contractors keep "applications, resumes, and any and all expressions of interest" for at least two years, or one year if they have fewer than 150 employees or no government contract of at least $150,000 ([41 CFR 60-1.12](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/41/60-1.12)). These are minimums: they must keep your file that long, in case of a discrimination claim. - **In the UK**, the rule runs the other way. The Information Commissioner's Office says recruitment records of unsuccessful candidates should not be kept longer than necessary, typically no longer than the period in which a claim about the recruitment could be brought. To keep them for future vacancies, the employer must have told you so beforehand. The ICO's own example is a firm that keeps its top 10 candidates for six months, and says so on the application form ([ICO guidance](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/employment/recruitment-and-selection/keeping-recruitment-records/)). The ICO notes this guidance is under review after the Data (Use and Access) Act. This is a summary, not legal advice. The practical point holds on both sides of the Atlantic: "on file" has an end date, and a filed resume does not apply itself to the next opening. ### What to do with it Move the job to Rejected and note the stage you reached. A reply is optional. If you liked the company, one line is enough: > Thank you for letting me know. I'd like to hear about future data analyst openings on your team, and I'll keep an eye on your careers page too. Then do what that last clause says. Check their careers page every month or two and apply again to any new posting that fits, with a resume tailored to that ad. That is far more reliable than waiting for someone to reopen the file. ## "We're still interviewing other candidates" This usually means the process is not finished, and it tells you that you are still in it. You might be the front-runner and they want a comparison, or they are waiting on a candidate whose interview is next week. The sentence cannot tell you which. What it does not mean: that you were eliminated. People who have been eliminated tend to get a rejection, a template, or silence. Reply only if you have something useful to add: a question about the timeline, or an honest deadline of your own. If you have another offer with a date, say so plainly. It is information the recruiter needs, not a threat.

The reply when they are still interviewing and you have another deadline

Subject

Re: Customer Success Manager, timeline

Body

Hi Marcus,

Thanks for the update. This role is still my first choice. I wanted to let you know that I have an offer from another company that I need to answer by Friday 16 October.

Do you think you'll have a decision before then? If not, I understand, and I'd rather ask than guess.

Kind regards,
Sam Okafor

A real date, a clear preference and a question they can answer in one line. Only send it if the other deadline exists.

Follow up the business day after the date they gave. With no date, wait a week. At the end of every interview, ask when they expect to decide. The [interview preparation guide](/blog/succeed-in-a-job-interview) has that question and the others worth asking. ## "You'll hear from us early next week" This usually means a decision meeting or a debrief is on the calendar. It is a real date, and it slips often. Someone is out, a second interviewer has not sent feedback, or the offer needs one more approval. There is nothing to reply. Write the date down. If Wednesday comes with no news, send one short email the next business day:

The follow-up when "early next week" has passed

Subject

Following up: Operations Coordinator interview

Body

Hi Elena,

I hope your week is going well. You mentioned the team would decide early this week, so I wanted to check in. I'm still very interested, and happy to answer anything else you need.

Best regards,
Alex Morgan

It repeats their own date back to them, without reproach, and gives them an easy way to reply.

"By end of week" works the same way: follow up on Monday. If that email gets no answer either, wait another week and send one more. After that, you have done your part. ## "The feedback was positive" It usually means you passed this round. It is not an offer. Positive feedback from the hiring manager can still sit next to positive feedback on two other people. The useful reply is a question about what comes next: > Thank you, that's great to hear. What are the next steps, and who else will I be meeting? Then follow up on the date of that next step. If the answer is vague ("we'll be in touch about next steps"), treat it like the phrase below. ## Phrases that sound like news but are not Some phrases feel like a signal and carry no information at all. Recruiters use them with every candidate, including the ones they will hire. ### "You're a strong candidate" It can come before an offer or before a rejection. On its own, it means the recruiter is being polite. Answer the question it avoids: "Thank you. Do you have a sense of when the team will decide?" ### "The team is still aligning" or "we need to sync internally" This often means the decision makers do not agree yet, or the budget or headcount is waiting on approval. It can come before "the position is on hold". Follow up after a week, and keep interviewing elsewhere. ### "We'll be in touch" No date, no promise. It is not a bad sign in itself, but it puts the whole follow-up on you. Wait a week, send one email asking for a timeline, then one more a week later. No answer after that? Mark the job Ghosted and stop checking your inbox for it. Next time, ask for a date before the call ends. ## Phrases that usually mean you are close ### "We're checking your references" Reference checks usually come at the end, when a company is close to deciding on one or two people. It is a good sign, not a promise: some employers check references for every finalist. Tell your referees who will call and what the role is, today, so the call goes well. Then follow up three to five business days after the calls, if you have not heard back. ### "We're putting together an offer" This is as close as it gets without the offer itself. Wait for it in writing before you decline other processes or stop applying. Verbal offers can still fall through when an approval is refused, which is the same thing that puts positions on hold. ## "We decided to move forward with a candidate whose experience more closely matches" This is a rejection, and usually a template. The wording rarely points to a specific gap in your experience, so do not rewrite your resume around it. Move the job to Rejected, note the stage it happened at, and ask for feedback only if you had an interview. Keep it to one line, and expect that many companies will not answer. If the rejections keep coming at the screening stage, before any human contact, the problem is more likely your resume than you. ## Turn each phrase into a stage and a date Every phrase above ends the same way: one stage for the job, one date to act on. That is all you need to write down after a recruiter call, along with the exact words they used. | Phrase | Tracker stage | Next date | | ---------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------ | ------------------------------------ | | On hold | Interviewing | Their revisit date, or 3–4 weeks | | Still interviewing, early next week, feedback was positive | Interviewing | The day after the date they gave | | Checking references, putting together an offer | Interviewing, then Offer | 3–5 business days | | We'll be in touch | Interviewing | One week | | On file, went with another candidate | Rejected | None, check their careers page later | | No answer after two follow-ups | Ghosted | None | If you track in a spreadsheet, our [free job application tracker template](/blog/job-application-tracker-template) has a follow-up date column for this. The [job application tracker guide](/blog/job-application-tracker) has a short follow-up email for the applications that never got as far as a recruiter. ## Tracking recruiter replies in HiredFolio The HiredFolio tracker uses the same six stages: Saved, Applied, Interviewing, Offer, Rejected and Ghosted. Each job has a follow-up date, and on the morning it comes due you get one email listing that day's follow-ups. So "early next week" becomes a date in the job, and the reminder arrives on Wednesday whether or not you remembered. Paste the recruiter's exact words in the job's notes, so you can quote their date back to them. [See how the job application tracker works](/job-application-tracker).

Key takeaways after the next recruiter call

Write down the recruiter's exact words and any date they gave, the same day, because the portal will not record either.

When a phrase comes without a date, reply with one question that asks for one.

Follow up once, the business day after the date passes, and keep applying elsewhere until you hold a written offer.

Let the dates remind you instead: track every application and its follow-up date in HiredFolio.

## Read next - [Job posting taken down after you applied or interviewed? What it means, and why you should save every job description](https://hiredfolio.com/blog/job-posting-taken-down) - [Free job application tracker template for Google Sheets and Excel (with automatic follow-up dates)](https://hiredfolio.com/blog/job-application-tracker-template) - [Job application status meanings: what Workday, LinkedIn and Indeed are actually telling you](https://hiredfolio.com/blog/job-application-status-meanings)