Job Application Tracker

Who this is for

Every application on one sheet, with the closing dates counting down. Each row is one role at one employer: where you found it, when you applied, when it closes, where it has got to and when to chase it — and the summary counts the interviews and offers as the stage column changes.

Anyone applying for more than one job at a time — first job, next job, a return to work or a change of direction — who has lost track of which application went where and when the next one closes.

What this helps you track

• Every role applied for, with the employer and where the advert was found
• How many days are left before each closing date
• The stage each application is at, from applied to offer, rejected or withdrawn
• When to follow up, and who you have been dealing with
• How many interviews and offers the search has produced so far

How to use it

1. Write your name, the kind of roles you are looking for and the date you started at the top.
2. Add a row for each application: the employer, the role, where you found it and any contact name, the date you applied and the closing date as the advert gives it.
3. The days-left column counts from today in the browser version and the workbook; on paper, write the figure in when you look at the sheet.
4. Set the stage as things happen. When it reads Interview or Offer, the two narrow columns show a one, and the summary adds them up.
5. Put a follow-up date on any application you have not heard back from, and use the sheet to decide who to chase this week.
6. Keep rejected and withdrawn rows rather than deleting them — the count of applications is part of the picture.

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 goes in the source and contact column?

Where the advert was — a jobs board, the employer's own site, an agency, a friend — and the name of anyone you have spoken to about it. One short line is enough; the point is to know who to ring.

How do the interview and offer counts work?

Two narrow columns show a one whenever the stage on that row is Interview or Offer, and the summary adds each column up. On paper, count the stages by eye.

What does days left show once the date has passed?

A negative number, which is worth seeing: it tells you the application closed without a reply and it may be time to follow up or let it go.

Can I use it for internal applications or promotions?

Yes. An employer, a role, a closing date and a stage are the same whether the job is down the corridor or across the country.

Where is the information kept?

In the browser version, in your own browser on this device. The workbook is a file on your computer. Nothing is sent anywhere.