How can you tell if a job uses Workday?
The apply link goes to an address like company.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com (the number after wd varies). You are asked to sign in or create an account for that company before applying, and the form is split into steps such as My Information, My Experience, Application Questions and Voluntary Disclosures.
Each employer runs its own Workday site, so an account you made for one company does not sign you in at another. Employers like Roche tell candidates to use the same email address for every application so they can be linked in one Candidate Home account at that company.
Workday has announced a reusable Workday Candidate Profile that would let job seekers save their information once and use it across Workday employers. Workday says it is expected to be generally available to its recruiting customers in early 2027, so for now, expect one account per company.
What does a Workday application look like, step by step?
You sign in or create an account, then upload your resume so Workday can prefill your details. Next you check My Information and My Experience, answer the employer’s application questions, complete voluntary disclosures and self-identification, review everything, and submit. Exact steps and names vary by employer.
- Create an account or sign in. Use an email you will keep, because status updates and Candidate Home are tied to it.
- Upload your resume (or choose “apply manually” if the employer offers it). Workday reads the file and prefills fields.
- My Information: contact details, address, and how you heard about the job.
- My Experience: work history, education, and often skills, languages and links. Check every entry here.
- Application Questions: eligibility and screening questions written by the employer.
- Voluntary Disclosures and Self Identify: optional demographic questions for US equal opportunity reporting.
- Review and submit.
How does the Workday resume parser work?
Workday reads your uploaded resume and fills in the application fields it can. Its own documentation says parsing results vary with resume format and word order, works best without images or image-based styles, and does not autofill Languages or Skills. Employers can also turn parsing off for external candidates.
That last point surprises people: even when everything else parses well, you usually need to add skills by hand in the My Experience step. Type the skills the posting names that you really have. Recruiters search and filter on those fields.
Parsing errors are common with two-column layouts, tables, headers and footers, and text inside graphics. If Workday splits one job into three or merges two jobs, fix the entries manually before you continue. What you correct here is what recruiters see.
How does Workday screen applicants?
Workday screens in three ways. Employer questionnaires can be set to automatically decline ineligible candidates based on their answers. Recruiters search and filter the parsed profile. And employers that use Workday HiredScore see each applicant graded A to D, where A is the most qualified and D does not meet most basic qualifications.
Knockout questions are the hard filter. Work authorization, location, willingness to relocate, required licenses and minimum years of experience are typical. Answer them truthfully and make sure your resume says the same thing.
HiredScore grades help recruiters sort large applicant pools. Workday’s documentation describes grade B as meeting all basic qualifications. You cannot see your grade, but you can make the basic qualifications easy to find: state each one in plain words, with dates that add up. HiredScore supports DOC, DOCX, PDF, RTF and TXT resume files.
What do Workday application statuses mean?
Each employer sets the labels candidates see, so there is no single Workday list. You find them in Candidate Home on that company’s Workday site. A common setup shows Submitted while the recruiter reviews, In Progress during later stages, and Completed on the Inactive tab when the process has ended for you.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison publishes its own mapping, which is a useful example of how this works in practice:
- Submitted: the application is in job review.
- In Progress: you are in an active stage beyond the first review, such as screening or interviews.
- Completed (on the Inactive tab): you were declined, or the job opening was canceled.
- Withdrew: you withdrew your application.
The same guide notes that changing a candidate’s status in Workday does not send any notification. Completed is often the only sign of a rejection, and it may appear without an email.
What resume format works best for Workday?
Use a one-column resume with standard headings (Experience, Education, Skills), simple bullet points, and no images, icons, tables or text boxes. Save it as a text-based PDF or .docx. Keep each job as title, company, location and dates on their own lines, which makes the work history parse into separate entries.
- Use dates like Jan 2022 to Mar 2024 for every role.
- Mirror the posting’s job title and skill names where they are true for you.
- Keep contact details in the body, not in the page header.
- After upload, re-enter skills and fix any merged or split jobs.