Job Application Tracker

Job Application Tracker Template: Columns, Statuses, Follow-Ups

Updated

A job search spreadsheet usually starts tidy and gets hard to keep up somewhere past the thirtieth application. Rows go stale, a recruiter writes and you can't place the company, and follow-ups slip. Fewer columns that you actually update work better than a big template, plus one date that tells you what to do next.

What to put in a job application tracker

Start with the job title, company, a link to the posting and the status. Add the date you applied and a follow-up date. Location and salary help later, when you compare offers. Use notes for recruiter names and interview rounds, and paste in the posting text, since listings are often taken down once the job is filled. The blank template on this page has these columns in this order.

Statuses that stay useful

Five statuses cover most searches: Saved for jobs you plan to apply to, Applied, Interview for any round, Offer and Rejected. Extra stages look neat on day one and then go out of date. Record phone screens and second rounds in the notes instead of adding a status for each.

When to follow up on a job application

Career guides commonly suggest checking in one to two weeks after you apply if you have heard nothing. Set the follow-up date on the day you apply so the reminder exists before you forget. One short, specific email to the recruiter or hiring manager is enough. If a second note gets no answer, mark the job Rejected and keep the row as a record of where you applied.

Get the blank template

The template is a CSV file with the 11 columns above and one example row for a made-up company. It opens in any spreadsheet app, and the tracker on the main page imports it as is, so you can start in a spreadsheet and move later, or the other way round.

Open the tracker

If you save jobs from many sites, the browser extension Private Job Application Tracker fills in the title, company and link from the posting page and reads and writes the same CSV.

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