Guides / Getting organized

How to track job applications without a spreadsheet

Updated November 13, 2026 · 1 minute read · By the Jobs.Dog team

What to record for each job

1. The employer and the role, as the posting names them.
2. The link to the employer's own posting, and a saved copy of its text.
3. The stage: saved, applied, interviewing, offer or closed.
4. The date of your last step, and what comes next.
5. A note on why you wanted it. You will not remember in three weeks.

Why the posting's text matters

Employers take postings down, sometimes while you are still interviewing. Without a copy, you prepare for the interview from memory.

When to update it

Right away, every time. A list you update on Sundays is wrong six days a week, and the wrong entries are the ones that cost you: the follow-up you forgot and the interview you prepared for late.

Why spreadsheets stop working

A spreadsheet starts tidy and ends with forty rows, half of them out of date. Nothing in it tells you which row needs you today.

How Jobs.Dog does it

Every job you save in Jobs.Dog keeps its stage, your notes, its history and the posting's text, even after the employer takes the posting down. The list shows where each one stands.