Build a job application tracker: a private board of stages and follow-ups
A serious job search means dozens of applications at different stages, each with a contact, a version of your CV and a date to follow up. A spreadsheet works until it doesn't. A job application tracker shows applications as cards on a board, from saved to offer, flags what needs a follow-up, and keeps interview notes with each role. Anticode can build one that stays on your own device, private from employers and anyone else.
Stages that match how hiring works
Use stages you'll actually move cards between, with a clear meaning for each. A common set:
| Stage | Means | What the card should prompt |
|---|---|---|
| Saved | Interesting, not yet applied | Closing date; tailor CV |
| Applied | Application sent | Follow-up date, about a week or two on |
| Screening | Recruiter or phone call arranged or done | Questions to ask; salary range |
| Interviewing | One or more interviews | Each round's date, interviewer, notes |
| Offer | Offer received | Deadline to respond; terms |
| Closed | Rejected, withdrawn or no reply | Reason, for your own learning |
Keep "Closed" as one stage with a reason field rather than three columns. A board with too many columns gets wide on a phone, and the reasons are what's useful later.
What each application holds
- Role and company, a link to the advert (ads disappear, so paste the description in too), location or remote, and salary range if stated.
- Date applied and source: a job board, a referral, the company site, a recruiter.
- Contacts: recruiter, hiring manager, referrer, with email links.
- Documents: which CV and cover letter version you sent, by name. The files themselves stay on your computer.
- Timeline: every event with a date, such as applied, call, first interview, test, rejection.
- Next action and date: the field that drives the follow-up list.
Follow-ups and a weekly view
The screen that changes outcomes is the follow-up list: applications whose next action date has arrived, oldest first. Applications that have sat in Applied for a long time with no action date should appear there too. Add a weekly summary that shows applications sent, interviews and responses. That pace is a more useful motivator than total counts, and it shows whether a particular source (referrals versus job boards, say) is working.
Dragging cards between columns is the familiar way to update. It should also work by tapping a card and choosing a stage, for phones and for keyboard users.
Describing it to Anticode
"A job hunt tracker app for my search for product design roles. Board with Saved, Applied, Screening, Interviewing, Offer and Closed (with reason). Cards hold company, role, advert link and pasted description, salary range, source, contacts, CV version, a dated timeline and a next action date. Follow-up list on the home screen, a weekly summary and response rate by source. Drag or tap to move stages. Saves on this device, with CSV export. Calm, focused design."
If you're also building a portfolio or CV site, see the job application website and interactive CV pages. The Kanban board app covers boards for other kinds of work.
Private, and the limits that follow
Everything you enter stays in the browser on your device: Anticode apps have no network, so nothing about your search reaches the site owner, Anticode or an employer. That's a real benefit if you're looking while employed. The same design sets the limits:
- No job search. It can't pull listings from job boards or LinkedIn. You add roles yourself.
- No email tracking. It can't read your inbox to detect replies or interview invites.
- No calendar sync. Interview times are recorded in the app; add them to your calendar too.
- No sharing with a careers adviser other than an exported file you choose to send.
- One device. Use the same device for your search, or move an export between devices.
Questions people ask
Is a job application tracker better than a spreadsheet?
For a short search, a spreadsheet is fine. The board and the follow-up list help once you have more than a dozen live applications.
Can careers services give one to students?
Yes. Publish it and share the link; each student's applications stay on their own device and the service can't see them.
Can it prepare me for interviews?
It can hold your notes per round: questions you expect, stories you plan to tell, who you'll meet and what you learned afterwards. It can't generate questions with AI or research the company for you.
Can it import my existing spreadsheet?
Ask for a CSV import that maps your columns to its fields. After import, the data lives on this device.