What's in the free job application tracker template
The job application tracker template is a spreadsheet with one row per application and 13 columns: Company, Role, Link, Location, Salary, Date applied, Status, Next step, Next step date, Contact, Contact email, Resume version and Notes. The Excel file (.xlsx) has a Status dropdown with seven values built in. The CSV version opens in Google Sheets, Numbers, LibreOffice or Notion.
It is deliberately plain. A tracker only works if updating it takes ten seconds, so every column answers a question you would otherwise forget: what did I send, who did I speak to, and what happens next? Keep one row per application, never delete a row, and change the Status instead. That history shows you where your search is stalling.
Job tracker spreadsheet columns: what to put in each, and why
Thirteen columns sounds like a lot. Each one is there because you will want it by week three.
| Column | What to put | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Company | The employer's name as written on the posting. | Lets you search, and warns you before you apply twice. |
| Role | The exact job title from the posting. | Recruiters quote it back to you. It also tells you which resume to use. |
| Link | The URL of the job posting. | Postings get removed. Copy the key requirements into Notes as a backup. |
| Location | City, or Remote or Hybrid. | Lets you filter by work model and compare commutes. |
| Salary | The posted range, or your own estimate. | You will be asked for expectations, and you need it to compare offers. |
| Date applied | The day you submitted. | Starts the follow-up clock and shows how many applications you send per week. |
| Status | One of the seven dropdown values. | The one column you filter on every week. |
| Next step | One concrete action, such as “Email recruiter”. | Turns a log into a to-do list. |
| Next step date | When that action is due. | Sort or highlight by this column every Monday. |
| Contact | The recruiter or hiring manager's name. | Saves a search through your inbox before an interview. |
| Contact email | Their email address. | Follow-ups take seconds instead of minutes. |
| Resume version | The file name, or a short label, of the resume you sent. | Interviewers ask about what is on your resume. Know which one they saw. |
| Notes | Requirements, referral source, interview questions, salary talk. | Free text that makes later rounds much easier. |
Set up the job application tracker in Google Sheets
About five minutes. You need the CSV version of the template.
- Import the CSV
Open a blank Google Sheet and choose File → Import → Upload. Pick the CSV, set Import location to Replace current sheet and click Import data. You can also upload the .xlsx to Google Drive and open it with Sheets, but its dropdown may not carry over.
- Add the Status dropdown
Select the Status column (G). Choose Data → Data validation → Add rule, set the criteria to Dropdown and enter: Saved, Applied, Interview, Offer, Rejected, Withdrawn, Ghosted.
- Color the statuses
With the Status column selected, choose Format → Conditional formatting and add a rule with “Text is exactly” for each status. Green for Offer and gray for Rejected makes the sheet readable at a glance.
- Highlight overdue next steps
Select A2:M500, open Conditional formatting and choose Custom formula is. Enter =AND($I2<>"",$I2<=TODAY()). Any row whose Next step date is today or earlier now lights up.
- Freeze the header and add a filter
Choose View → Freeze → 1 row, then Data → Create a filter. Filter Status to Applied and you see every application still waiting on a reply.
Use the job application tracker in Excel
Open the .xlsx and start typing. The Status dropdown is already set up. Four small additions make it work harder.
- Make it a table: select your data and press Ctrl+T (Insert → Table) if it is not one already, so filters and formatting grow with every new row.
- Highlight what is due: go to Home → Conditional Formatting → New Rule → Use a formula. Enter =AND($I2<>"",$I2<=TODAY()) and pick a fill color.
- Count your pipeline: in an empty cell, enter =COUNTIF(G:G,"Interview") to count interviews. Swap the word for any other status.
- Keep it synced: save the file in OneDrive or another cloud folder, so a lost laptop does not take your search with it and you can open it on your phone.
Build a Notion job application tracker from the same file
Notion's board view is easier on the eye than a grid, though you still type every row yourself.
- Import the CSV
In Notion, choose Import from the sidebar and pick CSV. Notion creates a database with one property for each column.
- Set the property types
Change Link to URL, Contact email to Email, Date applied and Next step date to Date, and Status to Select. Add the seven status options.
- Add a Board view
Add a view, choose Board and group it by Status. Drag each card to the next column as the application moves forward.
- Add a “Due” view
Create a Table view and filter Next step date to on or before today. Open it every Monday and work down the list.
Track every application without the copy-paste
Free · Excel, Google Sheets & CSV
Job application status meanings for your tracker
These seven are your own labels. Employer portals word things differently, and our guide to job application status meanings explains what those phrases usually signal.
| Status | What it means | Move a row here when |
|---|---|---|
| Saved | Interested, not yet applied. | You bookmark a posting you plan to apply to. |
| Applied | Application submitted. | You click submit or get the confirmation email. Fill in Date applied. |
| Interview | In the interview process. | A screen or interview is booked. Stay here through every round and note the round in Next step. |
| Offer | The employer made an offer. | You receive one, verbal or written. Note the pay and the deadline. |
| Rejected | The employer said no. | You get a rejection or a “not selected” message. Keep the row. |
| Withdrawn | You pulled out. | You drop out, or you accept another offer. |
| Ghosted | No reply after your follow-ups. | You sent one or two follow-ups and heard nothing for about four weeks. Reopen the row if they reply. |
A weekly routine that keeps the tracker honest
Fifteen to twenty minutes, once a week, in the same slot every time.
- Update every status
Go through your inbox and portals. Mark rejections, interview invitations and offers, and add the date and next step while the details are fresh.
- Work the due list
Filter for a Next step date of today or earlier. Do each item or move its date. A date that keeps slipping is a sign to let that application go.
- Follow up on the quiet ones
A common rule of thumb is to follow up 7 to 10 days after applying. Send one short, polite email to your Contact or the recruiter, then set the next date a week out. If the posting names a decision date, wait for it to pass first.
- Add and choose new roles
Log new postings as Saved. Pick the ones you will apply to this week and note the Resume version you plan to send.
- Read your own numbers
Compare Applied with Interview. Plenty of applications but few interviews points to your resume or your targeting, so try tailoring each resume to the job. Plenty of interviews but no offers points to interview preparation.
Where a job tracker spreadsheet breaks down
A spreadsheet is a good tool for your first twenty or so applications. Somewhere past thirty, the same four problems tend to show up.
- Entry gets skipped: copying the title, company, link and salary from every posting is the step people drop when they are tired. A row you did not log is an application you cannot follow up.
- Postings disappear: employers take listings down, and your row is left with a dead link and no description to prepare from.
- Nothing nudges you: a Next step date only helps if you open the sheet. No reminder arrives on its own.
- Versions drift: the Resume version column is only as good as your file naming. By application thirty you may not know which version a recruiter is holding.
Or skip the spreadsheet: a free tracker that fills itself in
JobTailor's job tracker is free on every plan. It tracks saved, applied, interview, offer and rejected stages, plus notes, contacts and favorites. Save a role from the posting with the browser extension, which works on LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, Greenhouse, Lever, Workday, Ashby, SmartRecruiters and 50+ other job boards and career sites, and the company, title, location and description come with it instead of being retyped.
Your tailored resume and cover letter stay attached to the same job, so the Resume version column takes care of itself. Pulling a job in from a posting counts toward your plan's monthly job allowance: 6 on Free, 200 on Pro ($2.99 a month) and 1,000 on Max ($9.99 a month). Saved jobs are never deleted when you reach it.
Keep the spreadsheet for as long as it works for you. There is no need to switch early. When entering rows starts to feel like a second job, or follow-ups start to slip, that is the moment to let the extension do the copying for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free job application tracker template for Google Sheets?
Yes. Download the CSV version of this template, then in Google Sheets choose File → Import → Upload and replace the current sheet. Add a Status dropdown with Data → Data validation and you have a working tracker with 13 columns. The Excel version also opens in Sheets, though its dropdown may need re-adding.
What columns should a job application tracker have?
At minimum: Company, Role, Link, Date applied, Status and Next step. This template adds Location, Salary, Next step date, Contact, Contact email, Resume version and Notes, because those are the details you otherwise end up searching your inbox for. Fewer columns are easier to keep up, so delete any you will not use.
How do I track job applications in Excel?
Open the .xlsx template and add one row per application. Pick a Status from the dropdown, fill in Next step and Next step date, and use Data → Filter to see what is due. Add conditional formatting on the date column to highlight overdue follow-ups, and update the file once a week at the same time.
Can I use this as a Notion job application tracker?
Yes. Import the CSV into Notion, change Link to URL, the two date columns to Date and Status to Select, then add a Board view grouped by Status. You get cards you can drag between stages. Notion does not fill rows in for you, so the data entry stays manual.
How often should I follow up on a job application?
A common rule of thumb is once, 7 to 10 days after you apply, and once more a week later. If the posting gives a decision date, wait until it has passed. Log each follow-up in Next step so you can see at a glance who you have already nudged.
When should I move from a spreadsheet to a tracker app?
When logging jobs feels like a chore, or you start missing follow-ups. That tends to happen as the number of applications grows. A tracker that saves the job straight from the posting removes the copy-and-paste and keeps your tailored resume attached to the job. JobTailor's tracker is free on every plan.
Is JobTailor's job tracker free?
Yes. The tracker is free on every plan, with saved, applied, interview, offer and rejected stages, notes and contacts. Plans differ in how many jobs you can pull in from postings each month: 6 on Free, 200 on Pro and 1,000 on Max. Higher plans also raise the tailoring and cover letter limits and add job alerts.
Track every application without the copy-paste
Use the spreadsheet for as long as it works. When you want the tracker to fill itself in from the job page, it is free on every plan.
