How to track your job applications

Updated 4 October 2026

Past a dozen applications, memory stops working. Roles blur together, a recruiter calls about a job you can't place, and a closing date slips by. A simple record of every application fixes most of that. Here's what to keep, and a free template to start with.

What to record for every application

• Job title and company. Use the title exactly as advertised; it's what the recruiter will say on the phone.
• The posting itself. Save the link and a copy of the description. Ads are often taken down once they close, just when you need them before an interview.
• Where you found it, so you know which sites are worth your time.
• Closing date, and the date you applied.
• Salary as advertised, including whether it's per year, day or hour.
• Location and workplace: on-site, hybrid or remote.
• Stage: where the application is now (see below).
• Contacts: the recruiter or hiring manager, and how to reach them.
• Next step and its date: a follow-up, an interview, a task to submit.
• Notes: anything you'll want to remember, like questions they asked.

Stages that work

Keep the stages few, so moving an application takes a second:

1. Saved: found, not applied yet.
2. Applied
3. Screening: a recruiter or phone screen.
4. Interviewing
5. Offer

Then two ways out: Rejected and Withdrawn. Keep closed applications rather than deleting them; they show you which kinds of roles move forward.

When to follow up

There's no fixed rule, but a common habit is to wait about a week after the closing date (or after applying, if there isn't one), then send one short, polite email asking about timing. Write the follow-up date down when you apply, so you don't have to remember it.

A free job application tracker template

Download the job application tracker template (CSV). It opens in Google Sheets, Excel and Numbers, with the columns above and two example rows to replace. Fictional companies only.

When a spreadsheet stops being enough

Spreadsheets work until copying each posting in by hand takes longer than applying. Rolestash fills in the title, company, location, salary and closing date from the posting in one click, keeps every application on a board you drag between stages, and warns you before closing dates and follow-ups slip. It's free for up to 30 active jobs, with no account, and you can export to CSV whenever you like, so your spreadsheet is never more than a click away.