Application Tracking Spreadsheet
Stay organized during your job search with this comprehensive tracking system. Monitor all your applications in one place.
Spreadsheet Structure
Create columns for the following information:
Column Headers
| Date Applied | Company Name | Position Title | Location | Source | Contact Person | Status | Interview Date | Follow-Up Date | Notes | Priority |
Column Details
Date Applied: When you submitted the application (format: DD/MM/YYYY)
Company Name: Full company name
Position Title: Exact job title from posting
Location: Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Remote, etc.
Source: Where you found the job (HeadHunter.ng, LinkedIn, Referral, Company Website)
Contact Person: Recruiter or hiring manager name and email
Status: Applied, Phone Screen, Interview Scheduled, Offer, Rejected, No Response
Interview Date: When your interview is scheduled
Follow-Up Date: When to send follow-up email
Notes: Salary range, key requirements, interview impressions
Priority: High, Medium, Low (how interested you are)
Sample Entry
Date Applied: 15/01/2026 Company: Flutterwave Position: Senior Product Manager Location: Lagos (Hybrid) Source: HeadHunter.ng Contact: Jane Okonkwo (jane@flutterwave.com) Status: Interview Scheduled Interview Date: 25/01/2026, 2:00 PM Follow-Up: 27/01/2026 Notes: Salary ₦800k-1.2M, Requires 5+ yrs PM exp, Emphasize fintech projects Priority: High
Status Tracking System
Use these standardized statuses (color-code for visual clarity):
- Applied (Yellow): Application submitted, awaiting response
- Phone Screen (Light Blue): Initial recruiter call scheduled/completed
- Interview Scheduled (Blue): In-person or video interview set up
- 2nd/3rd Round (Dark Blue): Advanced interview stages
- Offer Received (Green): Job offer extended
- Accepted (Dark Green): You accepted the offer
- Rejected (Red): Company declined your application
- Withdrawn (Orange): You withdrew your application
- No Response (Gray): 3+ weeks with no update
Weekly Review Process
Every Monday Morning:
- Review all "Applied" statuses from 1+ week ago—send follow-up emails
- Check "Interview Scheduled" entries—prepare questions and research company
- Update any status changes from last week
- Set goal for new applications this week (e.g., 10 applications)
Follow-Up Timeline
- 1 week after application: If no response, send status inquiry email
- 24 hours after interview: Send thank-you email
- 1 week after interview: If no update, send follow-up
- 2 weeks after interview: Final follow-up, then move on
Additional Tabs to Include
Tab 2: Interview Preparation
- List of companies with upcoming interviews
- Research notes on each company
- Questions to ask interviewers
- STAR method examples prepared
Tab 3: Networking Contacts
- Track people you've connected with
- When you last reached out
- How they can help your job search
- Follow-up reminders
Tab 4: Skills Gap Analysis
- Common requirements you're seeing in job postings
- Skills you have vs. skills you need
- Learning plan and resources
Analytics to Track
Add these summary metrics at the top of your spreadsheet:
- Total Applications: Count of all rows
- Response Rate: (Responses / Total Applications) x 100
- Interview Rate: (Interviews / Total Applications) x 100
- Offer Rate: (Offers / Interviews) x 100
- Average Time to Interview: Days between application and interview
Nigerian Job Search Benchmarks
Use these as rough guides:
- Applications per week: 8-12 for active job search
- Response rate: 15-25% is typical in Nigeria
- Interview-to-offer conversion: 20-30%
- Average job search duration: 2-4 months
Tips for Success
- Update immediately: Don't wait—add applications as soon as you submit them
- Be detailed in notes: Future you will thank you (salary, benefits, red flags)
- Set weekly goals: Aim for consistent applications, not sporadic bursts
- Track rejections too: Learn from them (ask for feedback when possible)
- Celebrate milestones: First interview, first offer—acknowledge progress!
Google Sheets Formula Examples
Auto-calculate days since application:
=TODAY()-[Date Applied Cell]
Count applications by status:
=COUNTIF([Status Column], "Interview Scheduled")
Calculate response rate:
=COUNTIF([Status Column], "<>Applied")/COUNTA([Status Column])*100
Conditional formatting for follow-ups:
Highlight rows where Follow-Up Date is today or past due (use TODAY() function)