Why Project Statuses Matter
As a recruiter, you are likely juggling multiple client engagements, each at a different stage. Some are active and need daily attention. Others are paused while the client reevaluates their needs. Some have been successfully completed. Without clear status tracking, it is easy to lose sight of which projects need your focus and which are dormant. Project statuses solve this by giving every project a clear label that reflects its current state. This lets you prioritize your workload, communicate progress to stakeholders, and maintain a clean, organized project list where the most important work is immediately visible.Available Statuses
Recruitier supports four project statuses, each representing a distinct stage in the project lifecycle.Active
The project is currently in progress. You are actively searching for jobs, running outreach, and engaging with opportunities. Active projects are your primary focus and should be where you spend most of your time.When to use: From the moment you start working on a client engagement until it is completed or paused.
On Hold
The project is temporarily paused. The client may be reassessing priorities, budget constraints may have arisen, or you are waiting for feedback before proceeding. The work is not abandoned, just delayed.When to use: When a client asks you to pause, when you are waiting on external input, or when higher-priority work takes precedence.
Completed
The project has been successfully finished. All positions have been filled, the engagement has concluded, or the goals have been met. Completed projects serve as a record of your accomplishments.When to use: When the client confirms the engagement is done, all positions are filled, or goals are met.
Cancelled
The project has been abandoned. The client withdrew, the position was eliminated, or the engagement ended without completion. Cancelled projects remain in your records for reference and pipeline analysis.When to use: When the client formally cancels, when you decide to stop pursuing the engagement, or when it becomes clear the project will not move forward.
The Project Lifecycle
Most projects follow a natural progression through these statuses:Status transitions are not enforced by the system. You can move a project to any status at any time, in any direction. The lifecycle above describes the typical pattern, but you have full flexibility to set whatever status is appropriate. You can even move a “Completed” project back to “Active” if the client reopens the engagement.
Changing Project Status
Edit the Status
In the project detail view, find the status field. Click to open the status selector showing all four options.
Select the New Status
Choose from Active, On Hold, Completed, or Cancelled. The status badge updates immediately to reflect the new state.
Changing a project’s status does not affect the searches, jobs, or outreach flows linked to it. Those records remain intact and fully functional regardless of the project’s status. Status is purely an organizational label — it does not pause, disable, or alter any functionality.
Status Badges
In the project list view, each project displays a colored status badge that provides instant visual identification:| Status | Purpose | Typical Color | Visual Signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Currently in progress | Green | This needs your attention |
| On Hold | Temporarily paused | Yellow/Orange | Waiting, but not forgotten |
| Completed | Successfully finished | Blue | Done, available for reference |
| Cancelled | Abandoned/Terminated | Gray | Closed, no action needed |
How Statuses Help You Manage Multiple Assignments
Prioritization
When you sit down to work each morning, your project list tells you exactly where to focus. Active projects need attention. On Hold projects can wait. Completed and Cancelled projects are done. This simple three-way split (active, waiting, done) prevents the cognitive overload of trying to keep everything in your head.Client Communication
When a client asks about the status of their engagement, you can quickly check the project status and linked searches to provide an accurate update. The project detail page with its outreach statistics gives you concrete data to share — “We have run 4 searches, identified 23 opportunities, and completed outreach on 15 of them.”Capacity Planning
By counting your Active projects, you can assess your current workload. If you have 8 Active projects and someone asks you to take on a new one, you know whether you have capacity. If several projects are On Hold, you know those might reactivate at any time and you should factor them into your planning.Performance Review
Completed projects are a record of your successful engagements. Over time, this list becomes a portfolio of your recruitment achievements. Track how many projects you complete per quarter to measure your productivity and identify seasonal patterns.Archiving Completed Projects
Completed and Cancelled projects remain in your project list for reference. While there is no separate archive feature, you can use the status filter to focus on just Active and On Hold projects in your daily view, keeping completed work out of sight but accessible when needed.When to Mark a Project as Completed
A project should be marked as Completed when:- All open positions in the engagement have been filled
- The client has confirmed they no longer need assistance for this engagement
- The goals outlined in the project’s description have been met
- You and the client agree the engagement is concluded
When to Mark a Project as Cancelled
A project should be marked as Cancelled when:- The client has explicitly cancelled the engagement
- The positions have been eliminated or filled internally by the client
- The project has been dormant for an extended period with no prospect of resumption
- You decide to stop pursuing the engagement for strategic reasons
Using Statuses with Team Visibility
For agency administrators, project statuses provide team-wide visibility through the Team Projects view:- See which projects each recruiter has active, giving you a workload overview
- Identify projects that have been On Hold too long and may need reassignment or follow-up
- Track the team’s overall pipeline of Active engagements to assess capacity
- Review Completed projects to understand team output and celebrate successes
Status and Outreach Analytics
Project statuses do not directly affect outreach analytics, but they provide important context for interpreting the numbers. When reviewing outreach statistics on the project detail page:- Active projects should show ongoing outreach activity. If an Active project has no recent outreach, it may need attention or a status update.
- On Hold projects should show a natural decline in outreach as work pauses. Seeing continued outreach on an “On Hold” project suggests the status is inaccurate.
- Completed projects show the historical outreach that led to successful completion. These numbers are a benchmark for future similar engagements.
- Cancelled projects show the effort invested before cancellation. This data helps you understand the cost of cancelled engagements over time.
Best Practices
- Default to Active. Every new project starts as Active. Only change the status when there is a clear reason to do so.
- On Hold is not a parking lot. Projects on hold should have a reason and an expected resumption date (even if approximate). If a project has been On Hold for months with no prospect of resuming, mark it as Cancelled.
- Complete projects promptly. When an engagement wraps up, mark it as Completed right away. This keeps your Active list accurate and prevents cognitive overload from stale entries.
- Use Cancelled without stigma. Not every engagement works out. Cancelled projects are a normal part of recruitment. Tracking them honestly gives you better data about your pipeline conversion rates and helps you improve over time.
- Update status when context changes. Do not wait for your weekly review if a client calls to pause or resume. Update the status immediately so it always reflects reality. Stale statuses undermine the value of the entire project system.
Advanced
Status as Pure Metadata
A critical technical detail: project status is purely metadata. It has no functional impact on the system. Changing a project to “On Hold” does not pause outreach flows. Marking a project as “Completed” does not disable searches. The status is a label that exists solely for organizational purposes. This design is intentional. It means:- You never need to worry about accidentally disrupting work by changing a status
- Status changes are always safe and reversible
- The system does not make assumptions about what you mean by a status change
No Enforced Workflow
There are no status transition rules. You can go from Completed back to Active, from Cancelled to On Hold, or any other combination. This flexibility exists because real recruitment work does not follow a linear path. Clients change their minds, cancelled positions reopen, and completed engagements sometimes need additional work.Status in Team Context
When agency admins view the Team Projects page, they see project statuses for all team members. This is the primary way admins assess team workload. The status distribution (how many Active vs On Hold vs Completed) across the team tells a story about capacity and momentum. A team with many Active projects and few Completed ones may be stretched thin. A team with many Completed projects and few Active ones may be approaching a lull and needs new business development. A team with many On Hold projects may be dealing with client indecision.Connection to Project Analytics
The project detail page includes outreach analytics (total steps, channel breakdown, daily activity chart over 30 days). These analytics continue to function regardless of project status. This means you can review a Completed project’s analytics months later to understand what made it successful, or examine a Cancelled project’s analytics to understand how much effort was invested before cancellation.Power-User Tips
- Use status filters as daily views. Create a habit: Monday morning, filter to “Active” projects only. This is your work for the week. Friday afternoon, review all statuses and clean up.
- Track status change dates. While the system records the “last updated” date, you can note status change dates in the project goal field for more detailed tracking (e.g., “On Hold as of Feb 15, client reviewing budget”).
- Benchmark by status duration. Over time, note how long your projects stay Active before reaching Completed. This “time to completion” metric helps you set realistic expectations for new engagements.
- Use On Hold sparingly. Every On Hold project represents mental overhead. If you have more than 3-4 projects On Hold simultaneously, consider whether some should be Cancelled to simplify your mental model.