Free job application tracker template for Excel and Google Sheets
This job application tracker template gives you one clean sheet for every job you apply to. It has 12 columns, a status dropdown, colour-coded stages, and a follow-up date on every row. Download it, delete the three example rows, and start logging.
Using Google Sheets? Download the Excel file, then choose File → Import → Upload. See the steps
- 12 ready-made columns
- Status dropdown with 7 stages
- Frozen header and filters
- How to use sheet included
What is in the job application tracker template?
A ready-to-use job search spreadsheet template, built so the columns you need later are there from the first row.
The Excel file has two sheets. Applications is the tracker itself: 12 columns under a bold green header row that stays frozen as you scroll. Every heading has a filter arrow, and the Status dropdown covers the first 1,000 rows. How to use explains each column and a simple weekly routine.
Each status has its own colour through conditional formatting. Applied rows turn blue, Interviewing and Accepted turn green, Offer turns amber, Rejected turns red, and No answer turns grey. The two date columns only accept dates, which keeps sorting by follow-up date reliable.
Three example rows show how a filled-in row looks, with made-up companies clearly marked “Example”. Delete them before you start. The CSV version has the same columns and example rows, without the formatting a CSV cannot store.
Why use a spreadsheet for job applications?
Because memory and an inbox are not a system. Once you pass about ten open applications, details start to slip.
A job search is a pipeline: jobs you have saved, applications waiting for a reply, interviews in progress, and offers to weigh. Without one place to see it, you reapply to a company that already said no or miss a follow-up on the role you wanted most. You also forget which resume a recruiter has in front of them.
A job application tracker excel file fixes that with almost no setup. Everyone already knows how to sort and filter a sheet, it works offline, and you own the data. That is why a job application tracker excel template is still the first tool most people reach for.
This job search tracker template is built for that first stage. It is a job application spreadsheet template with the structure already decided, so you spend your time on applications rather than on formatting. The dropdown keeps statuses consistent, which is what makes filters and counts trustworthy later.
Treat the numbers as signals. If 20 applications produce no interviews, look at the resume and the roles you target before sending 20 more. The Resume version column is there so you can see which version gets replies instead of guessing.
Stop duplicate applications
Filter the Company column before you apply, and you will see whether you already sent something there and what happened.
Never miss a follow-up
A follow-up date on every row, sorted each morning, replaces the vague plan to check in some time next week.
Know which resume works
Name each resume version and filter by it. After a few weeks you can see which one reaches the interview stage more often.
Prepare for every call
Contact names, salary ranges, and interview notes sit in the same row, ready to reread before a recruiter calls back.
What each column in the job application spreadsheet is for
Every column answers a question you will ask later, usually the night before an interview or when a recruiter calls back.
Examples are illustrative.
How to use the job application tracker in Google Sheets
There is no separate Google Sheets file to copy. Import the Excel version once and it becomes a normal Google Sheet in your Drive.
Download the .xlsx file
Use the Excel button on this page. The file is small and saves to your Downloads folder.
Open a new Google Sheet
Go to sheets.google.com, or open Google Drive and choose New, then Google Sheets.
File → Import → Upload
Drag the file into the Upload tab, or click Browse and pick it from your computer.
Import the data
Choose Replace spreadsheet or Insert new sheets, then click Import data. Your tracker is ready.
After you import
Google Sheets usually keeps the status dropdown, the colours, and the frozen header from the .xlsx file. Click any Status cell to check. If the dropdown is missing, select column F, open Data, then Data validation, and add a dropdown with the seven statuses.
Use a filter view
In Google Sheets, Data, then Create filter view, lets you show only Interviewing rows without changing what anyone else sees. Save one view for active applications and another sorted by follow-up date, and switch between them in one click.
How to make a job application tracker in Excel
Prefer to build your own excel job application tracker from scratch? These are the same five steps we used to build the template.
Type the headings and make a table
Put your column names in row 1, from Company to Notes. Select them plus a few empty rows and press Ctrl+T (Cmd+T on a Mac) to create a table. Tables extend formatting to new rows automatically and add filter arrows to every heading.
Add a status dropdown
Select the Status column, open Data, then Data Validation, and choose List. Type the stages separated by commas, such as Saved, Applied, Interviewing, Offer, Accepted, Rejected, No answer. A dropdown stops typos like “Intervewing” from breaking your filters.
Colour each stage
With the Status column selected, open Home, then Conditional Formatting, then Highlight Cells Rules, then Equal To. Add one rule per status with its own colour. Green for Interviewing and red for Rejected make the sheet readable at a glance.
Freeze the header row
Open View, then Freeze Panes, then Freeze Top Row. The headings stay visible when you scroll past your first 30 applications, which is sooner than most people expect.
Calculate follow-up dates
In the Follow-up date column, a formula such as =E2+7 sets the date one week after the date applied in column E. Then add a conditional formatting rule for dates on or before =TODAY() so overdue follow-ups stand out.
Building your own takes about 20 minutes. The job tracker excel template above has all five steps done, so you can skip straight to adding applications.
How to use your job search spreadsheet every week
A spreadsheet to keep track of job applications only works if it stays current. This routine takes a few minutes a day and 15 minutes a week.
Log each job the moment you save or apply for it, while the posting is still open in another tab. Paste the link, set the status, and name the resume version you sent. That habit alone keeps the sheet complete.
Once a week, sort by follow-up date and work down the list. Send short follow-ups on roles you care about and move rows with three weeks of silence to No answer. Then filter by resume version to see which one gets replies. Then check your resume score before the next round of applications.
Daily: log and update
Add new applications and change the status when an employer email arrives.
Daily: check follow-ups
Sort by the follow-up date and handle anything due today.
Weekly: filter by stage
Look at Interviewing rows first, then Applied rows older than a week.
Weekly: compare resumes
Filter by resume version and count how many reached Interviewing.
Spreadsheet or a tracker that updates itself?
A job application tracker spreadsheet template is a good start. Here is where it stops helping, and where a tracker that reads your email takes over.
| SoundCV job tracker | This template | Blank spreadsheet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | |||
| Status dropdown and colours | You build it | ||
| Works offline, no account | |||
| Statuses update from employer emails | |||
| Interview dates saved automatically | |||
| Board view of every stage | |||
| Interview rate by resume version | With a filter | With formulas | |
| Time spent updating each week | A few minutes | Often 1–2 hours | Often 1–2 hours |
Tired of copying emails into rows? The SoundCV job application tracker reads the job emails you forward and moves each application to Interviewing or Rejected for you.
Try the free trackerSee how email tracking works on the job application tracker page, or send better-matched applications with Auto Apply.
Tips that keep a job tracking spreadsheet useful
Most job search tracking spreadsheets are abandoned within a few weeks. These habits keep yours worth opening.
Keep one row per application
If you apply to two roles at the same company, give each its own row. Merging them hides which role replied and breaks your counts when you work out a response rate.
Let colour do the reading
Stick to the dropdown values so the conditional formatting always applies. A glance at the Status column should tell you how many interviews you have this week.
Write down every recruiter contact
A name and email in the Contact / recruiter column turns a vague “follow up” into a message you can send in two minutes. Add the LinkedIn profile if there is no email.
Never leave a row without a next step
Every open application should have a Next step and a Follow-up date. When both are empty, you have probably forgotten the job. Close it or chase it.
Archive, do not delete
Move closed applications to a second sheet instead of deleting them. Old rejections show patterns, and old contacts are useful when the same company posts again.
Keep a copy of each job description
Paste the key requirements into Notes or save the page as a PDF. Postings disappear, and you will want the description before an interview.
Questions about the job tracker template
Is this job application tracker template free?+
Yes. The free job application tracker template costs nothing, and you do not need an account or an email address to download it. You get an Excel file and a CSV file with the same 12 columns. Use it, change it, and share it with friends who are job hunting too.
How do I use the job application tracker Google Sheets template?+
Download the Excel version, open Google Sheets, and choose File, then Import, then Upload. Select the file and pick Replace spreadsheet or Insert new sheets, then Import data. Google Sheets usually keeps the status dropdown and the colours from the .xlsx file. If a dropdown is missing, add it again with Data, then Data validation.
How do I make a job application tracker in Excel?+
Type your column headings in row 1, select them, and press Ctrl+T to turn the range into a table. Add a status dropdown with Data, then Data Validation, then List. Freeze the header with View, then Freeze Panes, then Freeze Top Row. Finally, add colour rules with Conditional Formatting so each status stands out.
What columns should a job search tracking spreadsheet have?+
At minimum: company, job title, job link, date applied, and status. Add resume version, contact or recruiter, next step, follow-up date, salary, and notes once you are sending more than a few applications a week. The resume version and follow-up date columns are the two most people skip and later wish they had.
Should I download the Excel file or the CSV?+
Choose the Excel .xlsx file if you use Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers, or LibreOffice. It includes the status dropdown, colour-coded stages, a frozen header row, filters, and a How to use sheet. Choose the CSV if you want plain data to import into another app, such as Notion or Airtable. CSV files cannot store dropdowns or colours.
Does the Excel job tracker work on a Mac?+
Yes. The .xlsx file opens in Excel for Mac, and it also opens in Apple Numbers and LibreOffice Calc. Excel keeps every feature. Numbers and LibreOffice open the data and headers reliably but may handle the dropdown or colours differently. Check the Status column after opening, and re-add the list if needed.
What should I put in the Status column?+
Use one of seven values from the dropdown. Saved means you plan to apply. Applied means you sent it. Interviewing covers every round, from a phone screen to the final panel. Offer means you have terms to consider. Accepted and Rejected close the row. Use No answer after about three weeks of silence.
How often should I update a spreadsheet for job applications?+
Add each application the moment you send it, and update statuses whenever an email arrives. Then do a 15-minute review once a week. Sort by follow-up date, send the follow-ups that are due, and move rows with three weeks of silence to No answer. Small daily updates keep the sheet accurate.
How do I get a reminder when a follow-up is due?+
Select the Follow-up date column, open Conditional Formatting, and add a rule for cell values less than or equal to =TODAY(). Pick a bright fill colour. Any follow-up that is due or overdue now lights up when you open the file. Sorting by that column each morning shows the most urgent rows first.
What is the difference between a job tracker spreadsheet and a tracker app?+
A spreadsheet only changes when you type into it, so you copy every confirmation, invite, and rejection in by hand. A tracker app with email tracking, such as SoundCV’s free job application tracker, reads the job emails you forward and updates each status for you. The spreadsheet gives you full control; the app saves the updating.
Tools that go with your tracker
Start tracking your applications today
Download the free template for Excel, Google Sheets, or CSV. When you are ready to stop updating rows by hand, the SoundCV tracker does it from your email.
Or open the tracker that updates itself