What to record
- Company, role, location and the posting's link.
- The posting's text. Postings come down once the job is filled, often before your interview. Save a copy to read again.
- Status, one of a fixed set of stages.
- Date saved and date applied, so you can see what has gone quiet.
- Resume version. When they call, you know what they are holding.
- Contact or referral: who you know there, and whether they referred you.
- Pay range the posting states, for when they ask what you expect.
- Next step and its date: the one thing to do next.
- Notes: interviewers' names, what they asked, what to say next time.
Stages to use
Saved, applied, interviewing, offer, and three endings: rejected, withdrawn, or accepted. Keep the stages few; a filter on status is then your whole pipeline. Record interviews as dated events under the job rather than as more stages.
When to follow up
- After applying: if you know someone there or found the recruiter, a short note after about a week. With no contact, applications that go quiet for three or four weeks are usually closed.
- After an interview: a thank-you the same day or the next, and a check-in if the date they gave for an answer passes.
- After a referral ask: one follow-up after about a week.
Spreadsheet or app
A spreadsheet works for the first twenty or thirty applications. Past that, typing each row gets in the way of applying, and dates for follow-ups are easy to miss. An app that adds the job when you save or apply, and reminds you of what is due, keeps the record without the typing.
