How to track job applications, with a free tracker template
Track job applications in a spreadsheet or tracker app with one row per application: company, role, job link, date applied, source, status, resume version, contact, last message, and next step with a date. Sort by the next step every morning. A free template for Google Sheets and Excel is linked below.
Past ten applications, memory stops working. You forget which resume version you sent, who you wrote to, and when you said you’d follow up. A tracker fixes that. It takes two minutes per application and saves you from the worst job-search moment: a recruiter calls, and you can’t remember the role.
Download the free job application tracker (CSV). It opens in Google Sheets, Excel, Numbers, or Notion.
How to use the template
- Google Sheets: File, Import, Upload, then pick the file. Choose “Replace spreadsheet.”
- Excel or Numbers: open the file directly, then save it in your own format.
- Notion: create a new database and use Merge with CSV.
The first row is an example. Delete it once you’ve added your own.
The columns worth tracking
| Column | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Company and role | The basics. One row per application. |
| Job link | Postings come down. Save a copy of the description too, because you’ll want it before the interview. |
| Date applied | Tells you when to follow up. |
| Source | Where you found it: job board, referral, company site. After a month, you’ll see which sources lead to interviews. |
| Status | Where it stands now (see below). |
| Resume version | The exact file you sent. Interviewers ask about what’s on it. |
| Contact name, role, link | The recruiter, hiring manager, or referrer you’re talking to. |
| Last message date | When you last heard from them or wrote to them. |
| Next step and date | The single most useful column. Sort by it every morning. |
| Salary range | So you can compare offers later. |
| Notes | Anything from calls, names of interviewers, questions they asked. |
Statuses to use
Keep the list short so every application is in exactly one place:
- Saved: you plan to apply.
- Applied: submitted, no response yet.
- In contact: a person has replied.
- Interviewing: at least one interview booked.
- Offer: you have an offer.
- Closed: rejected, withdrawn, or no reply after your last follow-up.
In Google Sheets or Excel, turn the Status column into a dropdown (Data validation, list of items) so the spelling stays consistent and you can filter.
A weekly routine
- Every morning: sort by next step date. Do anything due today: a follow-up, a thank-you note, interview prep.
- After each application: add the row before you close the tab, and set a next step one week out.
- Once a week: count applications by source and by status. If one source never leads to a reply, spend less time there. If you’re applying a lot and hearing little, apply to fewer jobs and tailor each resume to the job description.
- When something closes: mark it Closed and add one line about why, if you know. Patterns show up after a few weeks.
For what to write when a next step is due, use our follow-up email templates.
Spreadsheet or app?
A spreadsheet is free, private, and does the job if you keep it current. The trouble is that it depends on you updating it, and it can’t remind you of anything. Job tracker apps fill that gap: they save postings in one click, show what’s due, and keep your messages with each application.
Common questions
What is the best way to track job applications?
Use one tool you will keep up to date, with a next-step date on every row. A spreadsheet works for most people; an app helps when you want reminders and your messages kept with each job.
What statuses should a job application tracker use?
Keep it short: saved, applied, in contact, interviewing, offer, and closed. Each application sits in exactly one status.
Can I use the tracker template in Notion or Excel?
Yes. The template is a CSV file, so it opens in Excel and Numbers, imports into Google Sheets, and merges into a Notion database.
How Appyl does this
Appyl keeps every application on one board with its resume, cover letter, and messages, and shows “Follow-up due” when a follow-up is waiting.
Keep reading
How to write a resume (or CV), with a sample format
What to put in each section of a resume or CV, how long it should be, how to write one for remote and international jobs, and a sample format to copy.
How to write a job application letter, with a sample
The job application letter format, what to say in each paragraph, how to send it by email, and a sample application letter you can adapt for your next job.
How to follow up on a job application, with email templates
When to follow up after you apply or interview, what to say, and copy-ready follow-up email templates, including how to ask about your status politely.