Job Application Tracker: Free Template to Copy and Paste
A job application tracker is one table with a row per application. This page gives you a complete one: ten columns, a fixed list of six status values and three sample rows. Copy the table or the header line into a spreadsheet, a notes app or a notebook, and start logging today.
Everything in the template, including the column choices, the status names and the sample rows, was written by this site. It is a convention that works for a job search, not an industry standard.
The template
Copy this table. The three rows below the header are examples with invented companies, so delete them before you start.
| Company | Role | Link | Date applied | Source | Contact | Status | Next action | Next action date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example Co (example) | Operations Analyst | https://example.com/jobs/101 | 2026-11-03 | Company site | recruiter@example.com | Applied | Send a follow-up email | 2026-11-12 | Applied through the company site. Resume v2. |
| Sample Corp (example) | Customer Success Manager | https://example.com/jobs/202 | 2026-10-27 | Referral | Jordan Sample, hiring manager | Interview | Prepare for second interview | 2026-11-14 | First call went well. Asked about team size. |
| Placeholder Inc (example) | Office Coordinator | https://example.com/jobs/303 | 2026-10-20 | Job board | None | No reply | Close the row if nothing by next review | 2026-11-17 | Posting still open when last checked. |
Status values, in this order:
To apply / Applied / Interview / Offer / Rejected / No reply
To paste the header into a blank spreadsheet, copy this single line. In most spreadsheet programs the commas split it into columns when you import it as a CSV file.
Company, Role, Link, Date applied, Source, Contact, Status, Next action, Next action date, Notes
With the two optional columns described below, the line becomes:
Company, Role, Link, Date applied, Source, Contact, Status, Next action, Next action date, Notes, Resume version, Location / remote
What each column holds
- Company. The employer's name as written in the posting. It is how you find the row when a recruiter calls.
- Role. The exact title from the posting. Employers often run several similar roles, and the title tells them apart.
- Link. The URL of the posting. Postings get taken down, so paste the link now and save the text of the posting somewhere if the role matters to you.
- Date applied. The day you submitted. Write dates the same way every time, for example year-month-day, so they sort correctly.
- Source. Where you found the posting: a job board, the company site, a referral, a recruiter message. After a few weeks you can see which source your interviews came from.
- Contact. A recruiter's or hiring manager's name and email, or "None". Fill it only with details you were actually given.
- Status. One value from the list below, nothing else. A fixed list is what lets you filter and count later.
- Next action. The one thing you do next for this row, in a few words. If you cannot name one, the status probably needs changing.
- Next action date. When that action is due. This column is the reason the tracker works: sort by it and your day's list is at the top.
- Notes. Anything you will want back in an interview: how you applied, what you were asked, what you promised.
What each status means
Pick the status that describes where the application stands now, and change it when something happens.
- To apply. You found the posting, saved it and have not sent anything yet. Use it for roles you plan to come back to.
- Applied. You submitted. Nothing has come back yet.
- Interview. Any stage from a first screening call to a final round. Keep the stage in "Next action" or "Notes".
- Offer. You have an offer in hand, written or spoken. If you accept, the row stays "Offer"; add a note saying you accepted.
- Rejected. The employer told you no. If you withdraw, close the row as "Rejected" and add a note saying you withdrew.
- No reply. You applied, followed up as you planned, and heard nothing. You decide when a row moves here, and you can move it back if a reply arrives.
Keep "Rejected" and "No reply" apart. One is an answer from the employer and the other is silence, and they call for different follow-ups. The routine for deciding when to follow up is in how to track job applications, which covers the weekly review in full.
Two optional columns if you apply to many jobs
Add these only when you send enough applications that you cannot remember the details.
- Resume version. A short label for the file you sent, such as "v2" or "ops-focused". When one version gets replies and another does not, the label is how you will notice. The tracker only records the pattern; it does not prove why it happens.
- Location / remote. The city or state from the posting, or "remote" if it says so. It helps you compare roles and spot ones you cannot take before you spend time on them.
How to adapt it for paper or a notes app
The columns work without software.
- Paper. Rule a notebook page into columns, or use one page per application with the column names as headings. Drop "Link" for a short note on where to find the posting, and keep "Next action date" in the left margin so you can scan it.
- Notes app. A plain notes app has no columns, so write one entry per application with the ten column names as labelled lines. Put the status in the title line, such as "Applied - Example Co - Operations Analyst", so a search for "Applied" finds all of them.
- Daily habit. Whatever you use, the rule is the same: update the row the moment something happens, not at the end of the week.
Which tool to build it in
The template does not change with the tool. What changes is how much setup it needs and what you get in return. Building it step by step is covered in separate guides, linked below.
| Tool type | What it needs from you | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Spreadsheet | You create the columns and, if you want them, the dropdowns and sorting yourself. | Full control of the layout, and the template above maps one column per column. |
| Notes or database app | You set up a database and its properties once. | Several views of the same rows, such as a table or a board. |
| Dedicated job-tracking app | You sign up and enter or import your applications into its fields. | A ready-made layout. Its fields, limits and price are set by its maker, so read its own pages before you commit. |
These are general descriptions, not tests. We have not compared specific products, and we state nothing here about prices or plan limits: Unknown.
A few checkable facts about the first two types. Google's help page for Sheets starts with "Select the cell or cells where you want to create a dropdown list.", and a dropdown is how you turn the Status column into a fixed list (Google Docs Editors Help). In Excel, Microsoft's help page tells you to go to the Data tab, choose Data Validation, and select List in the Allow box (Microsoft Support). Notion's help center says databases are collections of pages and that you can add properties to them "like dates, status, and links" (Notion Help Center).
Pick the tool you already open every day. If that is Google Sheets, follow the Google Sheets job application tracker guide. If it is Excel, follow the Excel job application tracker guide. If you prefer a database with board views, there is a Notion job application tracker guide.
Common mistakes
- Too many columns. Every extra column is something to fill in after each application. Start with the ten, add the optional two only when you need them.
- Free-text statuses. "Heard back-ish" cannot be filtered. Stay with the list, and add a value only when none of the six fits.
- No next action date. A tracker without it is a record of the past. With it, it tells you what to do today.
- Logging in batches. Details fade. A row written the same day beats a reconstruction on Sunday.
- Storing sensitive data. Keep passwords, Social Security numbers and bank details out of the tracker. It needs none of them.
Disclosure
trackyourjobsearch.com is published by the makers of AIHawk, a job application tool. The About page gives details.
Sources
All pages were read on 2026-11-12.
- Google Docs Editors Help, "Create an in-cell dropdown list": https://support.google.com/docs/answer/186103
- Microsoft Support, "Create a drop-down list": https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-a-drop-down-list-7693307a-59ef-400a-b769-c5402dce407b
- Notion Help Center, "Intro to databases": https://www.notion.com/help/intro-to-databases
The template, status definitions and sample rows were written by this site and have no outside source.
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