The most tiring part of a job search usually isn't writing the resume. It's that everything is scattered. Recruiter messages live in one app, interview invites in your inbox, and the list of companies in a notes file. Every morning starts with the same question: who hasn't replied yet, and who am I talking to next week?
After a few weeks of that, I cut my tracking down to the smallest setup that still worked. Here it is.
The minimum setup
1. One status per application.
Wishlist → Applied → Assessment → Interviewing → Offer, or Rejected. Every application sits in exactly one status. If you can't say which status a company is in, you haven't really followed up.
2. Always fill in the next action and its date.
"Waiting to hear back" isn't progress. Progress is something you do: follow up with X today, send a portfolio to Y by Friday. A follow-up without a date usually never happens.
3. One hard rule.
After two follow-ups with no answer, mark it Rejected and move on. No more "I'll give it another week." It keeps you from running on false hope.
4. A weekly check of three numbers.
New applications this week, companies at the interview stage, and applications that haven't moved in 7 days or more. Every stale one gets a decision: follow up once more, or close it.
That's it. The goal isn't to fill in every field. It's to keep "still waiting on them" separate from "I need to act."
Free template
I turned the minimum setup into a Notion tracker you can duplicate for free. It has the six statuses, Next Action and Next Action Date fields, an automatic days-since-applied count, a follow-up reminder, and both a pipeline board and a calendar view:
If you want the full version
Disclosure: I built this, and the full version is paid. On top of the tracker it adds:
- an interview log, so you can open one page before each round and see what was asked last time
- a weekly review page
- a company database that counts applications per company
- resume versions, so you know which resume went where
- contacts
- English and Chinese versions
It's $9 here: Job Search Tracker — Notion Template (EN/ZH)
Honestly, the four rules above matter more than any template. Start with the free tracker, and if it sticks, the full version saves you building the rest yourself.
What's your current setup: a spreadsheet, notes, or nothing yet? Tell me in the comments.
This post was written with AI assistance.
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