How to track job applications
Once you have more than a handful of applications running, it gets hard to remember who you applied to, what you sent and when to follow up. A simple system saves you from missed interviews, forgotten follow-ups and the awkward moment of applying to the same company twice.
1. Record the same details for every application
- Company and job title, plus a link to the vacancy
- Date applied and where (company site, LinkedIn, recruiter)
- Current status: applied, interview, offer, rejected
- Contact person or recruiter, with email or phone
- The CV and cover letter version you sent
- Your next step and its date
2. Check before you apply
Before sending a new application, search your list for the company name. Recruiters often pitch the same role you already applied to directly. Applying twice through different routes can look careless.
3. Plan follow-ups
If you hear nothing for about 10 days, a short, polite follow-up is reasonable. Put the date in your tracker when you apply so you don't have to remember it.
4. Keep interviews and notes together
Write down who interviewed you, what they asked and what you agreed. Those notes are gold for the next round and for thank-you messages.
5. Review weekly
Once a week, look at what's overdue, what's waiting and where you get responses. That shows which channels work for you.
Job application tracker in Google Sheets or Excel
Many people start with a job application tracker in Google Sheets or Excel, and that is a fine first step. Use one row per application and these columns: company, job title, vacancy link, date applied, channel, status, contact person, next step and follow-up date. Freeze the header row, add a dropdown for status and sort by follow-up date so the most urgent rows sit on top.
Before every new application, use search (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) on the company column to check you have not applied there already.
Spreadsheet or tracker app?
A Google Sheets or Excel spreadsheet works for a few applications, but gets messy fast: no reminders, no duplicate warnings and notes spread across tabs. A dedicated job application tracker like Career Compass HQ keeps everything in one place, warns you when you start typing a company you already applied to, and suggests follow-ups, without sending anything automatically. See pricing.