The phrase “I can’t log in” hides several completely different failures. A better troubleshooting approach is to identify the last successful event and work forward from there.
This guide intentionally does not provide account-recovery forms or request employee information. Workday says company employees should use the employer-specific route and contact their HR or IT organization for account access help, while Okta similarly directs users who cannot set up authentication to their organization’s support channel.
Symptom: The employee page cannot be found
First determine whether the searcher is looking for MyNordstrom, Workday, Candidate Login or another resource. Current Nordstrom materials reference MyNordstrom for benefits and provide separate Candidate Login and Employee Login pathways on the careers site.
A search engine result should not automatically replace a company-provided bookmark.
Symptom: Username or password is rejected
At this point the user has not completed initial authentication. The useful checks are basic: correct employee route, correct account identity and correct credentials.
A third-party guide cannot determine whether an account is locked, disabled or using a different identifier. That requires the employer’s own support environment.
Symptom: Password is accepted but verification fails
This moves the problem away from the basic credential and toward MFA or device enrollment. Okta Verify must be configured before it can authenticate supported sign-ins, and the available security methods depend on organizational configuration.
A recently replaced phone is an especially relevant clue.
Symptom: Authentication succeeds but Workday does not open
Now look at the handoff between identity and the destination application. The publicly discoverable Nordstrom Okta configuration confirms a Workday SAML relationship, illustrating that multiple systems can participate in the route.
A browser session can sometimes contribute to redirect problems, but an independent guide cannot determine the organization’s internal application state. If a clean session does not help, the account owner should use Nordstrom’s authorized support path.
Symptom: Workday opens but a function is missing
This is no longer necessarily a login problem.
Permissions and application configuration can vary by user. Workday’s own sign-in guidance directs account-specific questions about items such as pay, tax, timesheets, benefits and job applications back to the employer’s HR or IT department.
If the employee is specifically looking for internal jobs, current Nordstrom postings say to use Workday > Careers > Find Jobs.
Symptom: Candidate credentials do not work for employee access
Nordstrom clearly separates Candidate Login and Employee Login on its careers environment. Candidates are also instructed to use Candidate Home for application-status information.
That means a valid candidate account should not automatically be expected to behave like an internal employee identity.
The useful troubleshooting rule
Do not repeatedly reset unrelated parts of the process.
If credentials fail, investigate credentials. If MFA fails, investigate authentication enrollment. If authentication succeeds but an application is missing, investigate authorization or the application. If the wrong audience portal is open, use the correct audience route.
That symptom-first organization makes this page meaningfully different from the MyNordstrom, Okta and Workday explainers.