How to keep track of job applications on your phone

To keep track of job applications, record every role the moment you save or apply (company, title, location, link and date applied), move each one through a small set of stages, write down the next action and its date, and review the whole list twice a week. You can do this in a notes app or a spreadsheet, but a tracker on your phone means the list is with you when a recruiter calls.

The short version

Record each role as soon as you save it or apply, while the details are still in front of you.
Use a small set of stages: saved, applied, interviewing, offered, and the two endings, rejected and accepted.
Write the next action and its date on every live application, so nothing waits on you without you knowing.
Review the full list twice a week, and chase or close anything that has gone quiet.
Planwell for iPhone has a Job search tracker for iPhone that shows active, interviewing and offer counts and lets you add a role by pasting a link.

Why do job applications get lost?

A job search generates dozens of open threads at once. Some roles you have only bookmarked. Some you applied to three weeks ago and never heard back about. One might be at the second interview stage, while another has quietly asked for a reply by Friday.

Losing one thread has a real cost: a missed reply, a role you apply to twice, an interview you walk into without remembering what you sent. A tracker lets you see every thread in one place and know which one needs you today.

What should I record for every application?

Capture the same handful of details each time, as soon as you save or apply. If you wait until the evening, you will have forgotten which version of your CV you sent and where the advert lived.

Company.
Job title.
Location, including whether it is remote.
The link to the advert. Adverts get taken down, so copy any details you want to keep into a note as well.
The date you applied, which tells you how long you have been waiting.
Notes, such as the contact's name, what you sent, or what was said on the phone.

A salary range is worth adding if the advert gives one.

Which stages should I use?

Keep the stages few, so that moving an application takes one tap. A workable set is:

Saved: you want to apply but have not yet.
Applied: your application is in.
Interviewing: you are in a conversation with them.
Offered: they have made an offer.
Accepted or Rejected: the ending, one way or the other.

Resist adding stages like "waiting to hear". The date applied already tells you how long you have been waiting.

How do I note the next action?

Every live application should have one sentence saying what happens next and when. Examples: "Follow up if no reply by Thursday", "Interview Tuesday 2pm, read their latest announcement", "Send references by Friday".

Without this, a tracker is only a record of the past. With it, you can see at a glance which applications depend on you and which depend on them.

If an action has a hard date, such as an interview or a deadline, you can also set up a countdown for it. Countdowns for birthdays, trips and deadlines explains how.

How often should I review the list?

Twice a week, for ten minutes, on fixed days. Monday and Thursday work for many people, but pick whatever you will keep.

At each review, go through the list from the top and ask three things of every application:

Is the stage still correct?
Is the next action written down, and is its date coming up?
Has this gone quiet for long enough that I should chase it or close it?

Close what is finished. Moving a role to rejected clears space so the live list shows only what needs your attention.

How does this work in Planwell?

Planwell is an iPhone app with 15 trackers, and one of them is Jobs, shown as Job search. It needs iOS 18 or later. You can get it from Planwell on the App Store.

The Job search screen

At the top you see a large count of active applications (those that are applied, interviewing or offered), with a line under it such as "1 interviewing · 1 offer". Below that is a strip of three figures: Applications (the total), Active and Offers.

The rest of the screen is grouped by stage, with a heading and a count for each: Saved, Applied, Interviewing and so on. A stage with nothing in it does not appear. Each card shows the company, the role, the location and, if you set it, the date you applied, such as "Remote · Applied Sep 25, 2026". The status label on the card opens a menu, so moving an application from Applied to Interviewing is two taps.

Adding a role

The first way is the plus button, which opens a form with company, position, location, salary range, status, an optional applied date, the job URL and a notes box. This is where the "next action" line goes, in Notes.

The second is the bar at the bottom of the screen, which says "Paste a job link or describe a role...". Paste a link or type a short description and the role is added for you. You can tap the microphone and describe it instead. The assistant can be wrong, so check the company and title it fills in. For hands-free entry in general, see voice logging: how to track your day without typing.

Asking about your applications

The assistant can answer questions about your own entries. One of the example prompts Planwell suggests for this tracker is "Which applications need a follow up?" It works from what you have recorded, so the better your dates and notes, the more useful the answer.

Planwell is a subscription called Planwell Pro, US$3.99 a month or US$39.99 a year, with a 7 day free trial for new subscribers. Prices vary by country.

To set up your own list, download Planwell for iPhone and switch on Jobs.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best way to track job applications?

Record each role the moment you save or apply, move it through a few clear stages, write the next action and its date, and review the whole list twice a week. The tool matters less than doing those four things consistently.

What should a job application tracker include?

Company, job title, location, a link to the advert, the date you applied, the current stage and a notes field. Add a salary range if the advert gives one.

How do I add a job to Planwell?

Tap the plus button and fill in the form, or use the bar at the bottom of the Job search screen and paste a job link or describe the role. Check the details the assistant fills in before you rely on them.

Is there an Android version of Planwell?

Not yet. Planwell is an iPhone app that needs iOS 18 or later, and an Android version is coming soon. There is no web app.