How to track job applications: a simple method that holds up
How to track your job applications so none slip: the nine columns to keep, five statuses and what each triggers, when to follow up, and a 15-minute daily routine.
Tracking your applications keeps you from losing an interesting role, forgetting a follow-up or mixing up where you stand with different recruiters. Once you are applying to several jobs a week, holding it all in your head gets fragile fast.
You do not need a complicated system to fix it. A clear table with nine columns, updated after every application, is enough to take back control — this article gives you the exact template to paste and the method to keep it alive.
Why track your job applications
A tracker gives you a simple view of everything in flight: the companies you have contacted, the roles you are targeting, when you applied, the status, your next actions and the follow-ups to plan.
Above all it answers three questions:
- Where have I applied?
- Which applications are waiting on me?
- Which opportunities deserve a follow-up?
Without tracking, you risk following up too early, too late, or losing track of which version of your resume you sent.
The template: copy it into row 1
Copy the line below and paste it into row 1 of a blank Google Sheets, Excel or Notion table — the tabs between the names will fill one column each:
Company Role Link Date applied Status Next action Next action date Contact Notes
If you would rather start from a ready-made file, our job application tracker template for Excel and Google Sheets has the same core columns plus a follow-up date that calculates itself.
What each column is for:
| Column | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Company | Identify the opportunity at a glance |
| Role | Keep the posting's exact job title |
| Link | Find the ad again before an interview |
| Date applied | Know when a follow-up is due |
| Status | One of the five statuses below |
| Next action | Follow up, prepare the interview, send a document |
| Next action date | So the action does not slip |
| Contact | The recruiter's name or email |
| Notes | Salary, tech stack, gut feeling, which resume version you sent |
The Notes column earns its place at offer time: the salary range you noted when you applied is your starting point in the salary negotiation. And noting which resume version you sent matters because a resume tailored per posting means you have several in circulation.
Five statuses, and what each one triggers
Avoid vague statuses. A good status tells you immediately what to do next. Five are enough:
- To apply — you saved the posting; the next action is tailoring the resume and sending it.
- Applied — the application is out; set the follow-up date the same day.
- Follow-up due — the follow-up date has passed with no reply; send the message below.
- Interview — a conversation is scheduled; the next action is preparing for it.
- Closed — offer, rejection or dead end; note the outcome and stop tracking it.
You can add finer statuses later — technical test, offer received — once updating the tracker is a habit. Start with five: if the system is too complex, you will stop updating it.
When should you follow up?
There is no official rule here, but a practical rule of thumb that works: follow up around 7 to 10 days after applying if you have heard nothing, and give it a few days more when the application went through an automated form, since those often sit in a queue before anyone reads them.
Keep the follow-up short: name the role, restate your interest and offer to share anything else that would help.
The follow-up email four lines, sent 7–10 days after applying
Following up — Product Designer application, sent 12 May
Hello, I wanted to follow up on my application for the Product Designer role, sent on 12 May. The position appeals to me particularly for its link to user research and continuous product improvement. I would be glad to talk if my profile fits what you are looking for.
The subject names the role and the date, so the recruiter can find the application without searching. The body restates one specific reason for interest and ends on an open offer — no pressure, no apology.
If that email gets no answer either, the second follow-up is a different message: shorter, with one closed question. Our guide to the follow-up email after no response has it, with six other templates and the waiting time for each situation.
Is Excel enough to track applications?
Excel or Google Sheets are perfectly fine to start with. They let you build a free application tracker in minutes, with nothing to install.
But you hit their limits quickly:
- Follow-ups are not always visible.
- Notes become hard to read.
- Your resume and letter versions live apart from the tracking.
- Archived applications clutter the sheet.
- Updating it on a phone is awkward.
If you apply rarely, a file is enough. If you send several applications a week, a dedicated tool becomes far more comfortable.
A simple method, 15 minutes a day
Set aside a short daily slot to update your tracking.
In the morning, look at your next actions: applications to send, follow-ups due, interviews to prepare.
After every application, add the company, the role, the link, the date and the resume version straight away.
At the end of the week, archive the opportunities that went nowhere and note which channels are working best: LinkedIn, speculative applications, job boards, your network or recruiters. If LinkedIn brings nothing after a month, the problem is usually the profile rather than the channel — optimising your LinkedIn profile so recruiter searches surface it changes that quickly.
Using HiredFolio to track your applications
HiredFolio's free job application tracker replaces the manual spreadsheet with a space built for your job search. You can keep your applications in one place, track statuses, organise your documents and hold a clear view of what comes next.
If you are starting with an Excel file, that is already a good step. When your search picks up, you can move to a tool designed for it.
The part that actually saves time is the capture: the HiredFolio Chrome extension saves a job from LinkedIn, Indeed, Welcome to the Jungle, HelloWork, APEC, France Travail or a careers page in one click — title, company and full description filed in your tracker, nothing retyped. It is free; you just need a free HiredFolio account.
Add the extension for Chrome or Firefox to capture jobs
Key takeaways before your next application
Paste the nine-column header into a blank sheet today and log your applications from the next one on.
Set the follow-up date the moment you apply, and send the four-line follow-up when it comes due.
Stick to five statuses until updating the tracker is a habit — a simple system you maintain beats a perfect one you abandon.
When the interviews start coming, the tracker has done its job — here is how to prepare for them.
Read next
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