13 Best Candidate Tracker Spreadsheet Examples for Streamlining Your Recruitment Process

When navigating high-volume recruitment, vital candidate information tends to get scattered across countless email threads, Word documents, or, in worst-case scenarios, hand-written notes. Keeping tabs on candidates’ progress through the stages of your hiring process becomes a juggling act, often resulting in suboptimal hiring decisions as qualified applicants slip through the cracks.

A candidate tracker spreadsheet can be the solution to a chaotic and time-consuming hiring process. These simple tools help you keep all your applicant information in one place, improve communication between hiring team members, and facilitate efficient decision-making.

In this article, we’ll present the 13 best spreadsheet-style applicant tracking templates that provide a user-friendly but effective way to track applicant details, statuses, and interview and test scores.

For those looking to move beyond spreadsheets and manual hiring processes, we’ll introduce a fully automated applicant tracking system designed to help you identify and hire the most qualified candidates.

What To Look For in a Candidate Tracker Spreadsheet

When choosing a candidate tracker spreadsheet, here are the key features and qualities to look for:

1. Customizability: Ensure the applicant tracking spreadsheet allows you to tailor the fields and columns to your specific hiring process and requirements
2. Ease of use: Look for a user-friendly interface that simplifies data entry and task management for you and your team
3. Automation: Check if the hiring spreadsheet offers automation features such as pre-set formulas, conditional formatting, and automatic updates to streamline processes and reduce manual work
4. Scalability: Consider whether the spreadsheet can handle the volume of candidates and data your organization expects, both now and in the future
5. Integrations: If you use other tools and platforms in your hiring process, ensure the spreadsheet can integrate with them seamlessly to avoid data duplication and streamline workflows
6. Data security: Confirm that the spreadsheet provides adequate security measures to protect sensitive candidate information

Why Is Workello the Best Alternative to an Applicant Tracking Spreadsheet

Candidate tracker spreadsheets help centralize candidate data and give some structure and sense to your hiring operations. Nevertheless, even the best hiring spreadsheets require a lot of manual data entry with a relatively high chance of human error. This only gets worse as your business takes off and hiring demands get more extensive.

If you’re looking for a way to automate and simplify your entire hiring process, consider switching to an applicant tracking system (ATS). These are scalable solutions that greatly reduce your time-to-hire, freeing up more time for making strategic hiring decisions. The only problem is that, like applicant tracking spreadsheets, not all applicant tracking systems are created equal.

Luckily, we have the perfect solution—Workello.

Source: Workello

Workello is a simple but highly effective ATS with flexible and affordable pricing options that fit any budget. Unlike most other ATSs, Workello combines applicant tracking features and integrated pre-hire skills assessments to let you pinpoint and secure the best possible talent you can afford. These assessments are designed by experts to imitate on-the-job tasks, providing you with the most accurate insight into a candidate’s post-hire performance.

Unlike spreadsheets, Workello offers to streamline and automate your entire recruitment process. You can set up a compelling job ad in minutes thanks to Workello’s library of over 800 ready-made job description templates, which you can tailor to your company and the position(s) you’re hiring for. After customizing your listing, Workello generates a unique application link you can post on any job board or social media platform you prefer.

Once candidates start applying to your listings, you’ll see all their information on your unified Workello dashboard, which serves as an automated, next-level candidate tracker spreadsheet. With a single click on the dashboard, you can:

1. Send assessments
2. Reject candidates
3. Invite them for interviews
4. Extend job offers

As you move your candidates through the hiring funnel, automatic updates will keep them informed about their status and what comes next in their application process. To make the candidate experience even smoother, applicants can always check where they’re at in the process on a live status page.

Those who make it to the end can schedule an interview by selecting a time slot using the neatly integrated Calendly app. These slots are synced with the recruiters’ calendar, and automated reminders help reduce no-shows.

If you’re ready to move beyond spreadsheets and truly automate your processes, try Workello for free and start hiring the top 1% of candidates!

1. Simple Job Applicant Tracking Spreadsheet Template by Smartsheet

Source: Smartsheet

Simple Job Applicant Tracking Spreadsheet Template by Smartsheet offers a no-frills way to monitor every aspect of your hiring process, from open positions and applicants to interview schedules and final decisions.

The template has three types of columns that you can customize to track the information that is most relevant to your hiring process:

1. Position
2. Applicant
3. Interview

The position columns allow you to describe the role you’re hiring for, along with the required experience. In the applicant columns, you’ll record the name, phone number, and email address of the candidates who applied for the position. With areas for noting names, scores, and other relevant details, the template also speeds up the interview process.

You can download this applicant tracking spreadsheet in Excel, Google Sheets, or Smartsheet. If you go for the third option, you’ll need to create a free account that allows one user and offers two sheets for free. To unlock multiple sheets and users, you’ll have to pay for a plan starting at $7 per month.

Pros & Cons

2. Excel Recruitment Tracker Template by ExcelDemy

Source: ExcelDemy

The free Excel Recruitment Tracker Template by ExcelDemy uses formulas, charts, tables, and drop-down menus to make hiring easy and efficient. It’s made up of three different sheets:

1. Recruitment Tracker: Dashboard
2. Applicants Info: A table with applicant data
3. Recruitment Levels: Data for creating charts

Start with the Applicants Info section, where you’ll enter basic data about each candidate (like ID number and name). Next, you can customize your hiring workflow by setting up stages and selection methods referred to in the template as Level 1, Level 2, Interview, and Offer. Candidates who pass all the levels will be moved to the Interview Date column.

Using the Current Status column, you can easily see who is selected, rejected, or considered for future jobs. You can also state the reasons for rejection and enter them in the Rejection Reason column.

All information about candidates and hiring levels will be displayed on the dashboard, which lets you search for specific applicants and view their details. You can also use it to track statuses, interview scores, and notes.

Pros & Cons

3. Position Applicant Tracking Spreadsheet by connectsUs HR

Source: connectsUs HR

The Position Applicant Tracking Spreadsheet is a helpful tool for managing job applications and candidate ratings with five separate worksheets.

The Applicant List sheet is your central database of information about all potential candidates. The Phone Screens sheet is where you’ll add your impressions about candidates based on preliminary phone interviews and decide which ones to advance to the later interview stages.

Candidates who passed the initial screening are moved to the Round 1 Interview tab. For multi-stage interviews, go to the Round 2 Interview sheet to reuse the information from the previous round.

As you wrap up the hiring cycle, the Regrets and Future Potential sheet helps you stay in touch with rejected applicants and find those who might be a good fit for future positions.

To download this spreadsheet, you must create a free account on the connectsUs HR webpage.

Pros & Cons

4. Job Candidate Tracker Excel Template by ExcelDataPro

Source: ExcelDataPro

Job Candidate Tracker Excel Template by ExcelDataPro lets you keep all candidate data in one place to improve the process of analyzing, screening, interviewing, and eventually hiring employees. By automating calculations and data analysis, the template’s pre-set formulas reduce manual effort and minimize human errors.

The template consists of the following elements:

1. Headers: Includes columns like the company name, logo, and sheet heading, as well as job position description and minimum criteria
2. Applicant details: There are 10 default columns where you can write down details like the candidate’s name, serial number, previous employment, and years of experience relevant to the job posting
3. Interview process: It consists of three parts. The first two parts include similar subheadings, such as the interview date, the interviewer’s name, the applicant’s status, and remarks from the interviewer. For the final interview part, you’ll see sections like:
   • Finalized CTC
   • Level
   • Offer status
   • Remarks
   • Tentative DOJ (date of joining)
   • Actual DOJ

You can see all the statuses in a drop-down menu with the approved, rejected, and on-hold options.

Download this applicant tracking spreadsheet for free and choose from four different file formats: Excel, Open Office Calc, Google Sheets, and Apple Numbers.

Pros & Cons

5. Recruitment Tracker Excel Template by Someka

Source: Someka

The purpose of the Recruitment Tracker Excel Template by Someka is to assist HR professionals in making more efficient and friction-free recruiting decisions. The template lets you monitor the entire hiring workflow through four key sections:

1. Settings: Set up fields for recruiters, application sources, departments, vacancy statuses, selection phases, and currencies
2. Dashboard: Provides a comprehensive overview of candidate numbers, hiring expenses, vacant positions, and job application distribution. It’s divided into candidate and vacancy data sections and offers custom reports with real-time charts based on filtered selections
3. Vacancies: Add job openings with necessary details such as opening date, recruiter name, vacancy status, start date, and hiring cost
4. Candidates: Add up to 3,000 job applications to the candidate pipeline tracker. The section automatically fills department, job applied for, and recruiter columns based on the vacancies sheet

You can download a free version and use it as it is without customization or buy a licensed one. With the paid version, you can unlock the full table, remove the logo, customize the template, and access many other features.

Pros & Cons

6. Applicant Tracker System (ATS) Excel & Google Sheets Template by Simple Sheets

Source: Simple Sheets

The Application Tracker System (ATS) Excel & Google Sheets Template simplifies your application and hiring process and also offers a dashboard overview of hiring KPIs. It’s easy to use, efficient, and saves time and money.

The first thing to do is to tailor the template to your business, starting from the Database Lists tab. You can add the Position Titles, Department, and Application Source. Next, move on to the Jobs tab to add details about the positions you are hiring for, such as Target Score to Hire, Total Applicants, and more. This information will automatically appear elsewhere in your spreadsheet, saving you time and reducing costly mistakes.

When you reach the Applicants Raw Data tab, you can enter information about each applicant and fill in brief details about their Interview Date, Interview Score, Current Stage, Status, and Notes.

Now, you’ve come to the best part: as you update your ATS, the Dashboard will automatically display these details, allowing you to analyze your hiring pipeline using graphs, charts, and KPIs.

The only downside of this comprehensive spreadsheet is that you’ll have to pay at least $49 to use it. But the good news is that it is a one-time purchase, and you’ll gain access to 45+ customizable Excel templates.

Pros & Cons

7. Recruitment Pipeline Template by Adnia Solutions

Source: Adnia Solutions

You can easily track and organize your recruiting and recruitment-related data using the Excel-based Adnia Solutions Recruitment Pipeline Template. It lets you speed up the entire hiring process, reach your goals, and identify every bottleneck.

The first thing you’ll notice when you download this template is a horizontal menu that makes it easier to switch between pages. Here are the rest of the features you’ll find useful:

1. Centralized candidate database
2. Dashboard for a comprehensive overview of the entire process
3. Pipeline that allows you to follow candidates at every stage of the hiring process easily
4. Weekly calendar showing upcoming events and progress toward hiring goals
5. Generation of emails or hard copies that recruiters can use to effectively communicate with colleagues

Pros & Cons

8. HR Applicant Tracker Spreadsheet by Fit Small Business

Source: Fit Small Business

HR Applicant Master Tracker Spreadsheet differs from other applicant tracking templates on our list because it allows you to maintain records of background checks, reference checks, and drug tests of each applicant. It has columns for recording all jobs and candidates but also provides options for adding contact and demographic information, the overall progress, and the hiring results.

You can start by adding the ID number, position titles, and the department the open position belongs to. When you get to the section with statuses, you can choose from the drop-down menu to indicate the applicant’s status.

The template can also facilitate your equal-opportunity and diversity hiring efforts by letting you highlight critical applicant information like gender, applicant race, and veteran status.

Pros & Cons

Additional Candidate Tracker Templates

If eight are not enough, take a look at these five additional applicant tracking templates:

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