• Cornerstone Applicant Statuses and Dispositions Overview:
• How to Access the Cornerstone System:
• Applicant Statuses
• Dispositions Defined

Cornerstone Applicant Statuses and Dispositions Overview:

• Applicant statuses are used to move the applicant through the recruiting process.
• The available applicant statuses can differ between the position types. Available dispositions do not vary between positions, though there are some that are specifically used for certain positions.
• Generally, emails are not sent to applicants upon a change in their status or when adding a disposition. The exception is when an applicant is moved into a disposition of Voluntary Withdrawal, they will receive an email with instructions on how to reapply if desired.
• Use this job aid to understand how to use the appropriate applicant status or disposition. Information on how to change an applicant status or disposition can be found in the Managing Applicant job aid.
• If you have any questions, please contact ihr-hrais@illinois.edu.

How to Access the Cornerstone System:

1. Open internet browser and go to: apps.uillinois.edu
2. Select Cornerstone - Urbana (found on the Human Resources card)
3. Log in to Cornerstone using your net ID and password

Applicant Statuses

1. Faculty and Academic Professional – Below are the applicant statuses that are used for Faculty and Academic Professional position types.
   1. Application Submitted – This is the first status an applicant will receive. At this point, the hiring manager and any reviewers added will be able to view the applicant.
   2. Semi-Finalist (screening/phone interviews/etc.) – This status should indicate which applicants you will be interviewing in the first round. Cornerstone interview functionality will be made available if you would like to use it. Please refer to the Interviews job aid for further information.
   3. Finalist and/or On-Campus Interview – This status should indicate which applicants will be interviewed in the second of final round. Cornerstone interview functionality will be made available if you would like to use it. Please refer to the Interviews job aid for further information.
   4. Offer letter – This status should be given to a candidate when you have decided to send an offer letter. Functionality in Cornerstone will be made available to generate an offer letter when in this status.
   5. Background Check – This status should be given to a candidate when they are ready for the Background Check. No other action is needed other than putting them into this status.
   6. Background Check Complete – This is used by IHR only to indicate when the background check is complete.
   7. Hired – This is used to indicate the applicant that you have hired. Once the number of hires equals the number of openings, the requisition will close automatically. Prior to a requisition being closed, all applicants should either have a Hired status or a Closed/Dispositioned status. So, it is advised to disposition applicants prior to changing to the final hire status.
   8. Closed/Dispositioned – This is the status you use for those candidates you will not be proceeding with on this requisition. You will be prompted to indicate a reason (disposition status) when closing. Prior to a requisition being closed, all applicants should either have a Hired status or a Closed/Dispositioned status.
2. Civil Service positions – Below are the applicant statuses that are used for the Civil Service positions.
   1. The following statuses are for IHR use only. These should never be used by departments or colleges.
      1. CS-Load Applicant Data
      2. CS Exam-Request Validation
      3. CS Exam-Qualifications Under Review
      4. CS Exam-Meets Qualifications
      5. CS Exam-Request Denied
      6. CS Exam-Credentials Ready to Score
      7. CS Exam-Credential Score Transferred
      8. CS Exam-Ready to Schedule
      9. CS Exam-Scheduled
      10. CS Exam-Ready to Score PRMS
      11. CS Exam-Scored
      12. CS Exam-On Register
      13. CS-Finalize Register
      14. CS-Ready for Referral
      15. CS-Referred
      16. CS Exam-No Show
      17. CS Exam-Withdrawn
   2. Below is additional information regarding the remaining Civil Service applicant statuses.
      1. CS Referral #1 – Applicants with this status represents the first group of referrals for this position. They are ready to be contacted for an interview. IHR will place applicants into this status. Before receiving the next group of referrals, applicants should be dispositioned as appropriate.
      2. CS Referral #2 – Applicants with this status represents the second group of referrals for this position. They are ready to be contacted for an interview. IHR will place applicants into this status. Before receiving the next group of referrals, applicants should be dispositioned as appropriate.
      3. CS Referral #3 – Applicants with this status represents the last group of referrals for this position. They are ready to be contacted for an interview. IHR will place applicants into this status. Applicants should be dispositioned as appropriate before proceeding to the next step.
      4. Offer Letter – This status should be given to a candidate when you have decided to send an offer letter. Functionality in Cornerstone will be made available to generate an offer letter when in this status.
      5. Background Check – This status should be given to a candidate when they are ready for the Background Check. No other action is needed other than putting them into this status.
      6. Background Check Complete – This is used by IHR only to indicate when the background check is complete.
      7. Hired – This is used to indicate the applicant that you have hired. Once the number of hires equals the number of openings, the requisition will close automatically. It is advised to disposition all other applicants prior to placing the applicant(s) in a hired status. Prior to a requisition being closed, all applicants should either have a Hired status or a Closed/Dispositioned status.
      8. Closed/Dispositioned – This is the status you use for those candidates you will not be proceeding with on this requisition. You will be prompted to indicate a reason (disposition status) when closing. Prior to a requisition being closed, all applicants should either have a Hired status or a Closed/Dispositioned status.
      9. CS-Integration Failure – This status is automatically generated due to a failure in a feed to an external system. No action is needed by a department on these errors. IHR is notified of the error when it occurs, and if needed, will follow-up on the error and correct it. There are times, no action is needed, and the applicant will just be advanced to the next appropriate applicant status.

Dispositions Defined

Please see the Matrix CSOD Disposition Chart for the most current list of dispositions and definitions

Last Updated: September 24, 2025