Interview Log and Follow-Up Tracker

Who this is for

Every interview written down the same day. Each row holds who it was with and in what format, how it went in your own words, whether the thank-you has gone, when to follow up — with the days to that date counted — and what came of it.

Anyone in the middle of a job search with several interviews in a fortnight, and anyone who has ever forgotten which interviewer said what.

What this helps you track

• When each interview happened, with whom and in what format
• How it went, written while you still remember the questions
• Whether the thank-you has been sent, and how many are still to send
• When to follow up, and how many days are left before that date
• The outcome of each one, so the pattern across the search is visible

How to use it

1. Write your name and the period the sheet covers at the top.
2. After each interview, add a row: the date, the employer and role, whether it was in person, by video or by phone, and who interviewed you.
3. Write how it went in a few words — what they pressed on, what you answered well, what you would do differently.
4. Tick the thank-you column when the message has gone, and put a date in the follow-up column if you have not heard back by when they said.
5. The days-left column counts to that date in the browser version and the workbook; on paper, write it in. Record the outcome when it comes.
6. Read the sheet before the next interview: the how-it-went column is where the preparation for the next one starts.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

What should the how-it-went column say?

Whatever you would want to know in a week's time: the questions that caught you out, the ones you answered well, what they seemed to care about, anything they said about the next step. Your words, no score.

When should I follow up?

Whenever they said they would be in touch by, if that date passes. Write that date in the follow-up column and the sheet counts down to it; if they gave no date, choose one you think reasonable and note it.

Is the thank-you a requirement?

No — it is a courtesy that some people send and some do not. The column is there so you know whether you did, not to say that you must.

How is this different from the application tracker?

The application tracker is one row per application, from applying to a result. This log is one row per interview, with the people, the format and the notes that an application row has no room for.