Job application tracker in Google Sheets

A spreadsheet is the most common way to start tracking job applications. It is free, you already know how it works and it is easy to share with a coach. This guide shows how to set one up properly in Google Sheets, so it stays useful when your list grows.

1. Create these columns

Use one row per application and put these headers in row 1. Freeze that row via View, Freeze, 1 row.

• Company: Name of the employer or agency client
• Job title: The exact title from the vacancy
• Vacancy link: URL, so you can reread the job description before an interview
• Date applied: Use one date format, for example DD-MM-YYYY
• Applied via: Company site, LinkedIn, recruiter, referral
• Status: Dropdown: Interested, Applied, Interview, Offer, Rejected, Withdrawn
• Contact: Recruiter or hiring manager, with email
• CV version: Which CV and cover letter you sent
• Next step: What you will do next
• Follow-up date: Date applied + 10 days is a sensible default
• Notes: Interview questions, salary talk, anything worth remembering

2. Add a status dropdown

Select the Status column, then choose Data, Data validation, Add rule, Dropdown. Enter your statuses. A fixed list keeps filtering and counting reliable, instead of ten spellings of "interview".

3. Calculate follow-up dates automatically

If Date applied is in column D, put =IF(D2="","",D2+10) in the Follow-up date column. Add conditional formatting with the custom formula =AND(J2<>"",J2<=TODAY()) to highlight rows where a follow-up is due.

4. Warn yourself about duplicate companies

Select the Company column and add conditional formatting with the custom formula =COUNTIF(A:A,A1)>1. Every company that appears more than once turns colored. It will not catch "ING" versus "ING Bank N.V.", so still check before you apply.

5. Review once a week

Filter on overdue follow-ups and on statuses that have not changed for a while. Count responses per channel to see where your applications actually land.

Where a spreadsheet starts to struggle

Sheets works well for a handful of applications. Around 20 or more, people usually run into the same problems:

• Duplicate checks miss slightly different company names, or a recruiter pitching you to a company you already applied to
• Contacts, interview notes and CV versions end up spread over emails and folders
• No reminders: you have to open the sheet to notice an overdue follow-up
• No history of when a status changed
• Sharing a sheet by accident exposes salary details and personal notes

That is why we built Career Compass HQ: a private tracker with live duplicate warnings while you type, suggested follow-ups that never send anything automatically, an interview calendar and a status history for every application. Already have a sheet? Premium includes CSV import, so you do not have to start over.

Want more tips on what to record? Read how to track job applications, or see pricing.