An applicant tracking spreadsheet is a shared sheet with one row per application and a column for each step of your hiring process, so everyone can see who applied, where they stand and what happens next. For a small business hiring a few people a year, a well built sheet in Excel or Google Sheets is enough to start.
This guide shows you the columns to use, a status list that keeps the sheet readable, the rules that stop it falling apart, and the signs that it is time to move to an applicant tracking system.
What an applicant tracking spreadsheet should track
A good applicant tracking spreadsheet answers three questions at a glance: who is in the process, what stage they are at, and who owes the next action. Everything else is detail. Build the sheet around those three questions and keep notes short.
Most hiring trackers fail for one of two reasons. Either they track too little (a name and a status, so nobody knows why a candidate was rejected), or they track so much that nobody updates them. The template below sits in the middle.
Applicant tracking spreadsheet template: the 14 columns
Create one tab per opening, or one master tab with a Job column if you hire for several roles at once. These are the columns to use, in this order:
| Column | What goes in it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Application ID | A simple running number | 2026-014 |
| Job | The opening they applied for | Office coordinator |
| Name | Full name | Maria Lopez |
| Main contact | maria@example.com | |
| Phone | Optional | (555) 010 2233 |
| Source | Where they found the job | Indeed, referral, careers page |
| Applied on | Date received | 2026-10-20 |
| Resume | Link to the file in your shared drive | link |
| Status | One value from the status list | Interview |
| Owner | The person who acts next | Sam |
Freeze the header row, turn on filters, and keep the Status, Owner and Next step date columns visible on screen. Those three columns are what you will look at every day.
A status list that keeps the sheet readable
Use a dropdown for Status (Data validation in both Excel and Google Sheets) so nobody types "interveiw" or "maybe". Six values are enough for most small teams:
- New: received, not reviewed yet.
- Screening: resume reviewed, phone screen planned or done.
- Interview: at least one interview booked.
- Offer: offer drafted or sent.
- Hired: offer accepted.
- Closed: rejected or withdrawn, with the reason filled in.
Add conditional formatting so overdue rows stand out: color a row when the Next step date is before today and the status is not Hired or Closed. That one rule does more for response times than any other part of the sheet.
Rules that keep a hiring spreadsheet clean
A hiring tracker is only as good as the habits around it. Agree these rules with everyone who touches the sheet:
- One row per application, not per person. If someone applies to two roles, they get two rows, because you decide on each role separately.
- Every row has an owner and a next step. A row with no next step is a candidate you have forgotten.
- Reasons are facts about the job. Write "no forklift license" or "salary expectation above budget", never comments about age, family, health, religion or anything unrelated to the work.
- Resumes stay in one folder. Link to them instead of pasting text into cells.
- Close rows within two weeks. Let candidates know either way. Silence hurts your reputation as an employer.
- Limit who can edit. Share with the people hiring, not the whole company.
Keeping applicant records: the basics
Applicant data is personal information, so treat the sheet like any other HR record. In the United States, EEOC rules require employers to keep personnel and employment records, which include applications and hiring decisions, for at least one year (see the EEOC recordkeeping requirements). Some states and federal contractors have longer periods. In Canada, private employers handle applicant information under PIPEDA or provincial privacy law, which means collecting only what you need and keeping it secure.
In practice: store the sheet in an account your business controls, not a personal drive, keep a dated copy when an opening closes, and do not collect details you would never use to decide. This is general information, not legal advice, so check your state or province rules if you are unsure.
When an applicant tracking spreadsheet stops working
A spreadsheet is fine for a handful of hires a year. These are the signs it has become the bottleneck:
| Sign | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Several people edit at once and overwrite each other | Status and notes become unreliable |
| Candidates email you asking for an update | Next steps are being missed |
| You copy rows between tabs when someone moves to another opening | History gets lost |
| Interviewers see each other's notes before scoring | Ratings stop being independent |
| You cannot say who approved a hire or an offer | Decisions have no record |
| A hire's details are typed again into HR records | Double entry and typos |
If three or more of these sound familiar, an applicant tracking system will save more time than it costs to set up.
Moving from a spreadsheet to an applicant tracking system
An applicant tracking system does what your sheet does, with the gaps closed. In ExecCortex, hiring is part of Human Resources Management: you file a headcount request, publish an opening that gets its own apply link, and applications land on a Candidates list with your own pipeline stages. Each interviewer gets a private scorecard, offers are recorded with who made each decision, and people you did not hire stay in a Talent Pool for the next opening. When someone accepts, onboarding picks up the same record, so nothing is typed twice.
It does not post adverts to job boards or rank candidates automatically. You paste the apply link where you advertise, and a person makes every decision. The full picture is on our page about the applicant tracking system for small business, and you can see what each app costs on pricing.
Start with the 14 columns above. When the sheet starts to slow you down, the same structure moves straight into a proper system.
FAQ
Can I use Google Sheets as an applicant tracking system?
Yes, for a small number of hires. Google Sheets handles shared editing, dropdowns, filters and conditional formatting, which covers the basics. It struggles when several people hire at once, when interviewers need private scorecards, or when you need a record of who approved each decision.
What columns should an applicant tracking spreadsheet have?
At minimum: application ID, job, name, email, source, date applied, resume link, status, owner, next step, next step date, rating and outcome reason. Status, owner and next step date are the columns that keep candidates from being forgotten.
How long should I keep applicant records?
In the United States, EEOC rules require at least one year for personnel and employment records, including applications. Some states and federal contractors require longer. In Canada, keep them only as long as you need them for the hiring decision and any legal obligations under your privacy law.
Is a job application tracker the same as an applicant tracking spreadsheet?
Not usually. A job application tracker is often a sheet job seekers use to follow the jobs they applied to. An applicant tracking spreadsheet is the employer's side: the people who applied to your openings.