Job application tracker: the Excel and Google Sheets template ready to copy

In short

• When to use it: from the 5th application sent, for a permanent contract, an apprenticeship, or an internship.
• The 9 essential columns: Company, Target role, Key duties and salary, Channel / ATS, Resume version, Date sent, Status, Follow-up due (D+7), HR contact and notes.
• Follow-up rule: first follow-up 7 to 10 business days after sending; post-interview follow-up 2 to 3 business days after the reply date the recruiter announced.
• Alternative without a spreadsheet: on Jobshift, every job swiped right and every application submitted to the ATS is recorded automatically in your candidate history.

Why track your applications from the first sends

Looking for a job means pursuing several leads at once. Without application tracking, three blockers come up every time:

1. The recruiter's surprise call. A recruiter calls you ten days after you sent your application: "Hello, this is about your application, do you have five minutes?" If the ad has been taken down in the meantime and you did not keep the duties or the salary range, you answer blind.
2. Forgotten follow-ups. An application with no reply after a week is not necessarily rejected: it is often waiting to be processed in the recruitment software (ATS) or in the hiring manager's inbox. A polite, factual follow-up at D+7 puts your profile back at the top of the pile.
3. Duplicate applications. Applying twice to the same job (once on a job board, a second time on the company's careers site) creates a duplicate visible to HR in Workday, Greenhouse, or Lever, which looks like an uncontrolled mass send.

The 9 essential columns of a job application tracker

An effective tracker fits the width of a computer screen without requiring ten minutes of data entry per job. Limit yourself to the nine columns you will actually use:

Free tracker template (Excel, Google Sheets, Notion)

Select the table below, copy it (Ctrl+C or Cmd+C), and paste it into cell A1 of a blank Google Sheets or Excel sheet: the split into columns is immediate.

3 quick settings in Google Sheets or Excel

1. Calculate the follow-up date automatically: if your Date sent column is in F2, enter in H2 the formula =SI(ESTVIDE(F2);"";F2+7) (or =IF(ISBLANK(F2),"",F2+7) if your spreadsheet is in English).
2. Highlight today's follow-ups: in Format > Conditional formatting, color the row when Status = "Sent" and the Follow-up due cell is less than or equal to =AUJOURDHUI() (or =TODAY() if your spreadsheet is in English).
3. Track your interview conversion rate: count the share of applications sent more than two weeks ago that led to a phone or video conversation. If you send twenty or thirty targeted applications with no reply at all, the block is often at the automatic reading of the resume: check it for free with our ATS test and see our ATS resume guide.

Applying to several jobs at the same time: the method without losing quality

To land interviews regularly, you need to keep a sufficient volume of applications while personalizing each send. Sending the same generic resume fifty times in one evening lowers your match score in recruitment software and is obvious as soon as someone reads it.

Here is the 5-point checklist to apply to several jobs at the same time in a structured way:

• [ ] Split research and sending into two separate blocks: 15 minutes to select 3 to 5 relevant jobs and copy them into the tracker; 30 minutes to adapt and send the files.
• [ ] Save the 3 keywords of the posting before you apply: technical skills, tools mentioned (e.g. SAP, Salesforce, React), and the exact job title.
• [ ] Adapt the title and profile of your resume: put the ad's title under your name. If your current layout uses two columns or graphic gauges, start again from a clean base with our free resume generator.
• [ ] Attach a short, targeted letter: three paragraphs centered on the company and one quantified achievement, which you can prepare quickly with our cover letter generator.
• [ ] Fill in the tracking row immediately after sending: ten seconds is enough while the job tab is still open.

When and how to follow up on an application (D+7, D+14, and after an interview)

An effective follow-up runs under 120 words. It never complains about the lack of a reply: it recalls the date sent and the job title, and adds a concrete detail that makes someone want to open the attached resume.

The follow-up calendar (D+7 and D+14)

Template 1: application follow-up email with no reply (D+7 to D+10)

Subject: Follow-up on my application – [Exact job title] role – [First name Last name]

Hello [Recruiter's first and last name, or Sir or Madam],

I am writing to follow up on my application for the [job title] role, sent on [date sent].

Still very interested in the opportunity to join [company name], in particular on [cite an issue or a duty noted in your tracker, e.g. rolling out your B2B client portfolio / automating financial reporting], I remain available to talk about my experience in [key skill + quantified result].

I am attaching my resume again to make it easier to review.

Kind regards,
[First name Last name]
[Phone] | [LinkedIn link]

Template 2: follow-up email after a job interview

Subject: Following our interview on [interview date] – [job title]

Hello [first name of the person you spoke with],

Thank you again for the quality of our conversation on [interview date] about the [job title] role.

Our discussion of [a specific topic covered in the interview, e.g. how the product team is organized and next quarter's priorities] fully confirmed my desire to commit alongside you. Have you had a chance to move forward on the next step of the hiring process?

I of course remain available if you need any additional information.

Kind regards,
[First name Last name]
[Phone]

Template 3: short LinkedIn follow-up message (D+14 or an ATS portal with no email)

When you applied on an ATS portal (Workday, Greenhouse, Lever) with no named email address, you can contact the recruiter covering that scope on LinkedIn:

Hello [first name],

I applied on [date] to your [job title] opening on your careers site. Having delivered [1 concrete achievement in 10 words] at [current/previous company], I would be glad to talk with you for 10 minutes if the role is still open.

Have a good day,
[First name Last name]

Common mistakes in tracking and follow-up

• Not copying the summary of the posting. Links to ads on job boards and careers sites often go dead as soon as the recruiter has received enough resumes. Without notes in your tracker, you cannot review the exact duties the day before the interview.
• Following up after 48 hours. A hire involves several internal approvals (HR, manager, leadership). Following up too early makes it look as if you do not understand how a company works.
• Sending a generic follow-up with no attachment. Writing "Did you receive my resume?" forces the recruiter to search for your file. Always put the role in the subject line and attach your resume again.
• Following up on a no-reply@ address. Automatic emails sent by ATS software are not read when you reply to them. Look for the HR address on the company site or go through LinkedIn.
• Multiplying complex tools. A 9-column Google Sheets tracker that you update in ten seconds is worth more than a sophisticated Notion base you abandon after four days.

Automate the tracking: Jobshift records every application for you

A manual spreadsheet is more than enough to track ten applications. But as soon as you are searching actively and each week you have to find new ads, adapt your resume, write a letter, fill in online forms, and keep your Excel columns up to date, you spend more time on administration than on preparing your interviews.

Jobshift replaces that manual entry with an integrated flow:

1. You import your resume once to generate your candidate profile.
2. You swipe the jobs that match your occupation, your experience level, and your location preferences.
3. On each swipe right, Jobshift prepares a resume and a cover letter tailored to the job, then submits the application directly into the recruiter's ATS (notably Greenhouse and Lever). You can review, edit, or cancel each application before it is sent.
4. Your tracking updates itself: every job you approved and every application submitted is kept in your candidate space with the company, the job title, and the date, without maintaining a separate Excel file.

The full process is explained on the how Jobshift works page.

Stop the manual spreadsheets: Jobshift prepares and tracks every application automatically. Import your resume, swipe the relevant jobs, and let the app handle tailoring the file and sending it into the ATS. Try Jobshift for free

FAQ

Sources

• APEC: Organize and track your applications effectively

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