The short answer
Start at the employer's actual careers page and use its candidate password-reset flow. Employee Workday sign-in and a candidate account are different entry points.
First check which account you are trying to open
Follow the careers link from the employer's official website. Open Candidate Home or the applicant sign-in link there. A bookmarked employee login, a different company's Workday site, or an internal single-sign-on page can make valid candidate credentials appear wrong.
Use the email address you supplied to that employer. Check your original application confirmation if you have multiple addresses. Do not assume an account created while applying to one company is the account another employer expects.
Request one reset and check the complete email
Choose Forgot Password on that candidate portal and enter the account email. Wait for the message, check spam and filtering rules, and open the newest reset link. Follow the password requirements shown by that employer.
Repeated requests can trigger limits or leave you with several links that are easy to mix up. If a message has an expired or used link, return to the employer's portal before requesting another. Do not share the reset link with anyone claiming to help.
- Search your mailbox for the employer name and password reset.
- Confirm that you are checking the mailbox associated with that application.
- Type the password carefully and check for pasted spaces.
- If a lockout or limit is shown, follow the stated waiting period rather than retrying continuously.
Separate an account problem from a browser problem
If a successful reset still returns you to sign-in, try a private browser window or another supported browser. Permit the cookies the employer portal needs. Temporarily disable an extension that is clearly interfering with the page, rather than changing security settings across every site.
Keep your original application confirmation. Starting a new account before the employer has checked the existing one can create duplicate candidate records and make the application harder to locate.
What to send the recruiting team
Use contact details from the employer's official website. Give the account email, requisition number, approximate time of the error, exact error text, and whether the reset email arrived. A redacted screenshot is useful; a password, session cookie, or reset link is not.
The employer's recruiting or candidate-support team is the right place for account-specific recovery. A general Workday employee help page may describe a different login system.
Sources and further reading
Provider and employer requirements can change. Follow the instructions for the particular application or integration.