Indeed Messages: Where They Are and Why Some Go Missing

Where Indeed messages show up

Indeed Messages is the inbox for your conversations with employers. Indeed describes it as a way "for you and employers to communicate about the job listing, resume, or application." You can open it in the Indeed app or in a browser, but only from the right account: Indeed's Messages help page says a message sent to one of your accounts can't be opened from another, and that you "must use the account linked to your application."

An employer's message can also reach you outside the inbox, so look in these places too:

• Your email. The emails Indeed sends include "Messages from employers sent through Indeed," so check your personal email.
• Texts. In your communications settings, the text option Employer responses and interview updates sends you a text when employers respond to or update your application, including interview requests, reminders, and cancellations.
• Interview invitations. Indeed says that when an employer invites you to interview after you apply, "You will receive an email with a link and details on how to join the interview" (Indeed Interview). Interviews scheduled on Indeed also appear in the Interviews tab of My Jobs.
• My Jobs. In the Applied tab, the status Employer reached out means "The employer contacted you through Indeed" (Indeed's applied jobs help). If you see it, look for the message in your inbox and your email.

What the statuses and tabs in My Jobs mean, and how long Indeed keeps them, is in our guide to Indeed My Jobs.

Why an Indeed message is missing

Indeed's help pages give these reasons, worth checking in this order:

• You are signed in to another account. Indeed's first answer to missing messages is "You may have more than one account. Check the email address associated with your Indeed account." If you ever signed up with a second email, sign in with it.
• The message did not load. Close and reopen the app or browser, and try again later. A "Something went wrong" error is "usually a system error": clear your cache and cookies, then restart your device or browser.
• It went to Spam. If you once used Report Spam on that sender, Indeed says "Future messages from the sender will automatically go to your Spam folder." Restore is at the bottom of each message in your Spam folder (Indeed's reporting help).
• You archived or deleted it. Archived conversations can be restored at any time. A deleted one can't be brought back, though Indeed says it can reappear if the employer writes again in the same thread.
• The employer is under review. A blue banner reading "Messaging this employer is currently disabled. Please check back later." means messages "may be frozen for privacy reasons while the employer account is under moderation review."

If none of these fits and you expected a recruiter to find you, check your resume's privacy setting. The Resume contacts emails, which bring "messages from employers and recruiters interested in your profile," only work if employers can find you on Indeed, and the next section explains when that is.

How to message an employer on Indeed, and who can message you

How you applied changes how you stay in touch with an employer. According to Indeed's help on its two types of jobs, a job you apply to on Indeed lets you "Communicate safely with employers through your Messages." When the apply button sends you to the company site, Indeed says "You'll use your personal communication channels to keep the employer updated," and the employer may contact you through its own hiring platform or by email. Indeed's Messages help also says you can "Send messages to employers directly from job listings" and that "Some job listings include employer contact details for direct messaging," but it does not name the button or say which listings have it.

Even after you apply on Indeed, following up is up to the employer: Indeed's help on applying says "Some employers allow you to follow up on your application." If the employer has already written to you, reply in that conversation, so your message sits under theirs. Indeed's help also points you to Messages in two common cases: when you withdrew an application by mistake ("Message the employer to update or correct your application"), and when you canceled an interview by mistake and Reschedule is not available.

Employers you applied to. Once you apply, the employer can see your application and resume "regardless of your privacy settings," and can message you on Indeed.

Employers you did not apply to. Here your resume's privacy setting decides. According to Indeed's privacy settings help, the default is Employers can't find you, and with it, "Employers can't contact you unless you've applied." With Employers can find you, employers may contact you through Indeed's messaging system, and Indeed's Messages help adds that this applies once you have been active on Indeed for at least 30 days. With a visible resume, Indeed says, employers see your name only after you respond to an employer's message.

If you are writing to ask about an application, keep it brief and specific. Our guide to the follow-up email after a job application has a short message version that fits Indeed Messages.

Read receipts, unsending, and deleting

Messages show as "read" or "unread", and you turn read receipts on in your communications settings. Indeed describes the setting as "Let people know when you've read their message," and adds "If off, you can't see when others read your message." The setting works both ways: if you want to know whether a recruiter opened your follow-up, they can also see when you opened theirs.

Indeed's answer to whether you can unsend or undo a message sent by mistake is "No. Unfortunately, this option is not available." Read it through before you click send, especially when you are replying from your phone.

If you might want a conversation later, archive it. Archive moves a conversation out of your inbox, and you can restore it at any time. Delete removes it permanently, and you can only delete whole conversations, not single messages. If an employer keeps writing in a thread you deleted, Indeed suggests marking the conversation as Spam.

How to tell if an Indeed message is real

Asked whether an invitation to apply is real, Indeed answers "Maybe." If your resume is set to Employers can't find you and you never applied to that company, Indeed says that employer can't contact you, so treat the message with suspicion.

For messages that reach you outside Indeed, its help page on text scams says employers should message you directly on Indeed, or call or text you only if you shared your number in your application. Indeed itself "will never reach out to job seekers to offer employment through phone calls, text messages, or apps like WhatsApp or Telegram." Indeed's reminder and notification texts come from the short codes 36666, 56666, and 463333 or the verified sender Indeed - Employer & Interview Updates. Login codes can also come from 22395 and 78156, which Indeed says other companies share.

Whatever the channel, Indeed's guide to suspicious employer messages lists these red flags for fake recruiters:

• Requesting payment for training, background checks, or equipment.
• Interviewing only through text or messaging apps.
• Offering a job without an interview.
• Using generic greetings like "Dear applicant" instead of your name.
• Sending offers from free email services.
• Rushing you to accept an offer immediately.

Indeed's text scam page adds one more: an employer asking you to click a link or contact them outside of Indeed. To report a message, use Report Spam from the three-dot menu in its top-right corner. For fake check, task, and reshipping scams and what to do if you already paid or shared personal information, see our guide to job scams.