Job tracker spreadsheet layout that actually works
A spreadsheet works best when every column answers a question you will ask this week.
Short answer
Track company, role, source, date saved, date applied, stage, next action, next action date, contact, resume version, and notes. Add a days-since-applied formula and overdue conditional formatting, then review the sheet once a day.
The columns that earn their place
Start with Company, Role, Source, Date saved, Date applied, Stage, Next action, Next action date, Contact, Resume version, and Notes. Ten to twelve columns is enough for most searches.
Avoid columns you never update: desired salary, long job descriptions, and free-text history. If a field is not helping you decide what to do next, it is slowing the sheet down.
Formulas that keep it honest
Days since applied: =IF(E2="","",TODAY()-E2). Overdue: =IF(H2="","",IF(H2<TODAY(),"Overdue","On track")). Replace the column letters with yours.
Conditional formatting on the overdue column, red for overdue and green for on track, turns the sheet into a short daily review instead of a filing cabinet.
Statuses that imply an action
Use Saved, Applied, Interviewing, Offer, and Closed. Each status should make the next step obvious: Saved means decide, Applied means follow up, Interviewing means prepare, Offer means compare, Closed means stop.
Colour the stage column, not the whole row. Rows with eight colours are harder to scan than a single clear status column.
When the spreadsheet starts costing you
Spreadsheets get expensive once you juggle several resume versions, interview rounds, reminders, and documents per role. The data is there, but the relationships between it are not.
The warning sign is when you keep a second document or calendar to remember what the sheet cannot show. At that point the sheet is a log, not a system.
Common questions
What columns should a job tracker spreadsheet have?
Company, role, source, date saved, date applied, stage, next action, next action date, contact, resume version, and notes cover most searches.
Is Google Sheets or Excel better for job tracking?
Either works. Google Sheets is easier to update from a phone and share with a mentor.
When should I stop using a spreadsheet?
When reminders, interview rounds, documents, and resume versions stop fitting in columns and you start keeping side notes elsewhere.