Recruiting template
Recruitment Tracker Template
A recruitment tracker is a spreadsheet that records every candidate and open role in one place: where each candidate is in the process, what happens next, who owns it and how long it has taken. Pick the tracker below, copy it and paste it into cell A1 of an Excel or Google Sheets sheet; the header row splits into columns.
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Every version below updates as you type. A field left empty stays as a [placeholder] in the text you copy.
Your company and sender details are remembered, so the next template starts with them filled in.
Note
Candidate tracker for one role
When to use it: One role with more than a handful of applicants, where you need to see every candidate’s stage, next step and owner at a glance.
Recruitment tracker for all open roles
When to use it: A hiring tracker for a team or company with several roles open at once, kept by a recruiter or HR lead to report progress to managers.
Recruitment pipeline summary
When to use it: A one-tab summary of how many candidates are at each stage and where they came from, built from a candidate tracker on a sheet named Candidates.
Interview tracker
When to use it: Many interviews across several interviewers, where you need to see who is booked, who has confirmed and whose feedback is missing.
Offer and start date tracker
When to use it: Offers going out across several roles, where you need to track approvals, deadlines, conditions and start dates until each person joins.
How to use this template
- 1Pick the tracker you need. Most teams start with the candidate tracker for one role and add the open roles tracker once several roles are live.
- 2Fill in the fields above, click "Copy this version", then paste into cell A1 of a new sheet in Excel or Google Sheets. The header row and example row split into columns.
- 3Move the column guide to a second tab named Guide, then delete the example row once you have added real data.
- 4Add dropdowns to the Stage, Status and Source columns, so everyone types the same words and the counts work: in Excel, Data > Data Validation > Allow: List; in Google Sheets, Data > Data validation, or Insert > Dropdown.
- 5Freeze the header row (View > Freeze Panes in Excel, View > Freeze in Google Sheets) and turn on filters, so you can sort by next step date or owner.
- 6Name the sheet Candidates if you use the pipeline summary, because its formulas refer to that name.
- 7Agree who updates the tracker and when, and review it with each hiring manager on a set day.
Mistakes to avoid
- Letting people type stages freely, so "Interview", "interviewing" and "Int" are counted as three different stages.
- Using one column for both how far a candidate got and whether they are still in the process; keep Stage and Status separate.
- Leaving Active candidates without a next step and a date, which is how people end up waiting weeks for news.
- Writing personal opinions or protected characteristics in the notes. Record job-related reasons only; candidates can ask to see what you hold about them.
- Sharing the tracker with everyone in the company. Give access only to the people who need it for the role.
- Keeping rejected candidates’ details indefinitely. Set a retention period and delete or anonymise rows when it ends.
Questions
What should a recruitment tracker include?
For each candidate: name, contact details, source, date applied, current stage, status, next step with a date and an owner, date of last contact, interview rating and the reason for any decision. For each role: ID, hiring manager, date opened, target start date, status and counts at each stage.
How do I create a recruitment tracker in Excel?
Copy one of the trackers above and paste it into cell A1, so the header row splits into columns. Add dropdown lists to Stage, Status and Source with Data > Data Validation, freeze the header row and add filters. The same steps work in Google Sheets.
What is the difference between a recruitment tracker and an applicant tracking system?
A tracker is a spreadsheet you update by hand. An applicant tracking system is software that collects applications from job adverts, moves candidates through stages, sends emails and keeps the history for you. A spreadsheet works for a few roles at a time; once several people are updating it every day, it becomes hard to keep accurate.
What is a recruitment pipeline template?
A summary that counts how many candidates are at each stage of hiring, from applied to hired, so you can see where candidates are building up or dropping out. The pipeline summary above builds those counts from your candidate tracker with COUNTIFS formulas.
How do I track time to hire in a spreadsheet?
Record the date each candidate applied and the date they accepted an offer, then subtract one from the other. Use NETWORKDAYS(start, end) instead if you report in working days. Our time to hire calculator works it out for one role or several.
How long should I keep candidate data in a tracker?
Data protection law in the UK and EU says no longer than you need it, and the UK regulator’s draft recruitment guidance says the law sets no fixed period: you set your own and write it down. Check what applies where you hire, and tell candidates in your privacy notice.
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