Free applicant tracking spreadsheet for Excel and Google Sheets
A ready-made recruitment tracker template: candidate stages, last contact and next follow-up, with overdue rows highlighted. Free download, no sign-up.
If you track applicants in a spreadsheet, start from a sheet that already has the right columns. This candidate tracker has one row per candidate, a stage list, and a follow-up date that fills itself in, so you can see who you need to get back to.
Download the template
One Excel file with two sheets: the tracker and a short how-to. No email or sign-up needed.
What's in this applicant tracking spreadsheet
Twelve columns, in this order:
- Full Name
- The candidate's name.
- Profile URL
- Link to their LinkedIn profile, so you can open it in one click.
- Professional Title
- Their current job title.
- Company
- Where they work now.
- Location
- City or country.
- Role you are hiring for
- The position you are considering them for. Handy when you hire for several roles at once.
- Stage
- Where they are in your process. Choose from a list.
- Last contact
- The date of your last message or call.
- Next follow-up
- Fills in 7 days after the last contact. Type over it to pick another date.
- Notes
- Anything you want to remember: what you discussed, salary range, availability.
- Only if the candidate shared it with you.
- Phone
- Only if the candidate shared it with you.
Stages
The Stage column offers these options. Rename or add stages under Data > Data validation.
- Saved
- Contacted
- Replied
- Interview
- Offer
- Hired
- Not a fit
How the follow-up highlighting works
- ▸When you type a date in Last contact, Next follow-up shows the date 7 days later.
- ▸A row turns red when its follow-up date is today or has passed.
- ▸A row turns amber when the follow-up date is within the next 2 days.
- ▸Rows in Hired or Not a fit are never highlighted, because there is nothing left to follow up.
Using it in Google Sheets
- Download the .xlsx file above.
- Open sheets.google.com and choose File > Import > Upload.
- Select the file and choose "Create new spreadsheet". The stage list, date formulas and colors come across.
When a spreadsheet stops being enough
- ▸Copying name, title and company from every profile by hand takes a minute per person.
- ▸The sheet only reminds you when you open it; it does not tell you who is due today.
- ▸Sharing one file with a team leads to edits over each other and lost rows.
- ▸There is no history: once you overwrite a stage or a note, the earlier one is gone.
Moving the sheet into LinkTrack
LinkTrack is a CRM for LinkedIn. Its Chrome extension saves the profile you open, and reminders tell you who to follow up with. The column names in this template match LinkTrack's import, so your list can come with you.
1. Create an account
Sign up free and install the Chrome extension.
2. Import the file
In the dashboard, open Candidates and choose Import. Bulk import is available on the Individual and Team plans.
3. Keep going from LinkedIn
New people go in with one click from their profile, with reminders instead of a date column.
Name, profile URL, title, company, location, notes, email and phone are imported. Stage and dates are not; rows without a name and a profile URL are skipped.
Frequently asked questions
Is the template really free?
Yes. Download it and use it as you like. You do not need a LinkTrack account.
Does it work in Google Sheets?
Yes. Import the .xlsx file through File > Import > Upload. The stage list, the follow-up formula and the row colors keep working.
Can I change the follow-up interval?
Yes. The Next follow-up column uses a formula that adds 7 days to Last contact. Change the number in the formula, or type a date over it for a single candidate.
Can I import the sheet into LinkTrack later?
Yes, on the Individual and Team plans. The column names match LinkTrack's import. Stage and date columns are not imported.
Is an applicant tracking spreadsheet the same as an ATS?
No. An applicant tracking system (ATS) posts jobs and collects applications. This spreadsheet tracks the people you contact yourself, for example candidates you find on LinkedIn. It works well for a few open roles at a time.
Can I track several open positions in one sheet?
Yes. Write the position in the "Role you are hiring for" column for each candidate, then filter by that column to see one position at a time.
Read more
Save candidates straight from LinkedIn
Free to start. No automation: it never acts on your account.