Job application tracker template

What the tracker looks like

The Applications tab, with three example rows. In the file, Status, Application system, Priority and Close reason are drop-downs, Days since submitted counts itself, and a Next action date that has passed turns red until the application is Closed.

What to track in each column

The employer, role, status and next action date sit on the left, where you look most; notes sit at the far right. Delete any column you will not fill in: a short tracker you keep current beats a long one you abandon.

• Employer. The company hiring.
• Job title. As the posting names it.
• Job ID. The posting's requisition number, if it shows one.
• Posting link. The employer's own posting, not a job board copy.
• Application system. Where you applied: Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, an email and so on.
• Priority. A, B or C, so the best fits get follow-ups first.
• Status. Your stage, from the six statuses below.
• Portal status. The employer portal's exact label, such as Under review.
• Deadline. The posting's closing date, if any.
• Date submitted. The day you have a confirmation for.
• Resume version. Which resume you sent, so you know what they read.
• Contact or referral. A recruiter or referrer you can verify.
• Last event. The latest thing that happened, with its date.
• Next action. One task you can finish in one sitting.
• Next action date. When to do it; past dates turn red.
• Days since submitted. Counted for you from Date submitted.
• Close reason. Why a Closed application ended.
• Pay listed. The pay range the posting lists, if any.
• Location or remote. Where the job is, or remote.
• Notes. Anything else worth keeping.

Our job application tracker guide explains how to choose columns and keep the sheet current.

Status columns that match real ATS stages

The tracker keeps two status columns. Status is your own stage, from a short list, so the sheet sorts and filters cleanly. Portal status is the exact label the employer's application system shows, because employers configure those labels and the same word can mean different things at two companies.

1. Saved: You may apply, but have not prepared or submitted anything.
2. Preparing: You are tailoring materials or completing the form.
3. Submitted: You have evidence the application was sent: a confirmation page or email.
4. Interviewing: A screen, interview or assessment has been requested or scheduled.
5. Offer: You received an offer. Note its conditions and response deadline.
6. Closed: Finished. Record why in Close reason.

The Status key tab maps every portal label on Applystead's application status pages to a Status, with what each label usually means. Each system's page has the details: Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, iCIMS, SmartRecruiters, Taleo, Jobvite.

Not sure which system an employer uses? The free ATS lookup shows it for a company.

Internship tracker version

The Internships tab, also its own CSV file, keeps the job tracker's status, portal status, next action and close reason columns, and adds what internship applications ask for:

• Season. For example, Summer 2027.
• Opens. When applications open, if the company says.
• Online assessment. Whether one was asked for, and done.
• Documents asked. Resume, cover letter, transcript, writing sample.

Use the Season column to keep summer and fall programs apart. See how to get an internship, and the internships open now.

Weekly planner tab

Type the Monday's date and the week fills in. Each day has room for applications planned, applications sent, follow-ups sent, networking messages, interview prep (hours) and one top task, with totals for the week. Below it, four questions for a weekly review:

• Which open applications need a follow-up or a next action date?
• Which applications moved forward, and what did they have in common?
• Which deadlines fall in the next two weeks?
• What will you change next week?

Our job search plan guide helps set the weekly numbers.

How to use it

1. Download and open it. Open the .xlsx in Excel, or upload it to Google Drive and double-click it to edit it there.
2. Add a row when you save a job. Fill in the employer, job title, job ID and the employer's own posting link, and set Status to Saved.
3. Move it to Submitted only with proof. Wait for a confirmation page or email, then add the date and the resume version you sent.
4. Give every open row a next action and a date. One task you can finish in one sitting; the date turns red once it passes.
5. Review it once a week. Filter for overdue next actions, follow up where the posting allows it, and close finished applications with a reason. Silence is not a rejection: mark it No response.

When a follow-up date comes up, here is how to follow up on a job application.

When a spreadsheet stops scaling

A spreadsheet works while you update it by hand. Once you apply to many jobs a week, the status updates and follow-up dates become the work. Applystead keeps each application, its status and your follow-up dates in one list, whichever system the employer uses.

Track applications freeFree, no card needed.

Related free tools

• Job application follow-up email: Get a short, polite email to follow up on a job application, with versions for one week, two weeks or a referral.
• Job search timeline calculator: Estimate how many applications and weeks it takes to reach a job offer from your own rates.
• Ghost job checker: Spot a ghost job: paste a job posting link to see whether the employer's posting was still open when we last read it, or was taken down.
• Which application system does a company use?: Type a company name to see the application system its job postings use, how many roles it has open and its company page.

See all free tools

Related guides

• Job application tracker: columns, statuses and a setup you’ll keep using
• Job search plan: build a weekly routine you can actually follow
• How to get an internship: timelines, applications and interviews
• How to follow up on a job application (with email templates)