Use the tracker for comparison
One row per application keeps status, next action, pay notes, schedule notes, and source evidence together.
Resources
Free application tracker, evidence checklist, and interview prep worksheet
Use these downloads when you are comparing several job postings, saving recruiter messages, preparing interview stories, or deciding whether an offer is worth accepting. They are designed to work with HireTea company hubs, category pages, and hiring guides without asking you to create an account.
3 downloadable files
0 accounts required
plain CSV and Markdown formats
Quick answer
What should you save before a job posting disappears?
Save the exact role title, job ID, location, posting URL, date viewed, pay language, schedule language, candidate-portal messages, recruiter emails, interview invites, manager-filter notes, offer documents, and any local instruction that changes your decision. These files give you a simple place to keep that evidence before the posting changes, the interview details move, or the offer expires.
Use the checklist for decisions
The checklist reminds you what to save before applying, interviewing, or accepting an offer.
Use interview prep for stories
The interview worksheet keeps manager filters, STAR stories, questions, and follow-up evidence in one place.
Downloads
Applicant files you can use now
CSV
Application tracker CSV
Track companies, roles, job IDs, posting URLs, status, next actions, pay notes, schedule notes, and saved source evidence.
Best for: Spreadsheet users comparing several applications at once.
Markdown
Application evidence checklist
Copy a compact checklist for the posting details, role requirements, communication trail, and final decision evidence to save.
Best for: Applicants who want a clean checklist in notes, docs, or a plain-text file.
Markdown
Interview prep checklist
Prepare manager filters, STAR story notes, availability answers, role-fit questions, and after-interview evidence before the conversation starts.
Best for: Applicants preparing for phone screens, video interviews, store interviews, facility interviews, or hiring-manager conversations.
Workflow
How to use these resources with HireTea pages
| Step | What to record | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Start from the company hub | Company name, role family, source-backed topics, known limitations, and the latest update date. | You can separate stable preparation guidance from details that require current employer confirmation. |
| Open the active posting | Exact title, job ID, location, posting URL, pay language, schedule language, duties, and date viewed. | Saved posting evidence protects you when a listing changes, expires, or is replaced by a similar role. |
| Track the application | Status, next action, next action date, candidate portal messages, recruiter contact, and interview invite. | A tracker prevents missed follow-ups and makes it easier to compare several employers without guessing. |
| Decide before accepting | Offer packet, onboarding instructions, local HR messages, first-week schedule, and any changed requirement. | Final decisions should use written employer instructions, not old memory or broad company patterns. |
Planner map
Which HireTea planner to use before filling the tracker
The tracker works best when each row is tied to a decision. Use the planner pages below when a lead is unclear, active, competing with another option, or ready for follow-up. Then write the resulting evidence into the field that controls your next action.
| Situation | Planner to open | Tracker field it improves |
|---|---|---|
| The search has too many active leads | Job search plan | Target category, weekly status, next action date, and close-or-keep reason. |
| A posting looks attractive but details are thin | Red flags guide | Warning sign, clarifying question, evidence needed, and pause reason. |
| You are about to apply | Posting checklist | Job ID, posting URL, location, department, platform, and date viewed. |
| The role requirements are unclear | Requirements checklist | Required duty, department, schedule coverage, physical task, eligibility note, and source wording. |
| You need part-time hours or a second job | Part-time planner | Weekly hour range, required days, shift window, training schedule, pay note, commute estimate, and schedule-change notice. |
| You have limited paid work history | No-experience planner | Evidence group, school or volunteer example, responsibility dates, reference option, resume version, and application story. |
| You are returning after a work gap | Employment gap planner | Gap group, one-sentence explanation, recent proof point, schedule evidence, resume version, cover letter decision, and interview answer. |
| You are switching industries or role families | Career change planner | Transfer group, old role or activity, transferable skill, resume bridge, cover letter decision, learning plan, and interview story. |
| The application asks for prior jobs | Work history checklist | Employer name, role title, dates, duties, supervisor note, reference note, and resume version. |
| The application asks for references | References checklist | Reference name, relationship, permission date, contact method, role context, and privacy note. |
| A cover letter field appears | Cover letter planner | Cover letter decision, role evidence, resume version, reference note, and submitted file name. |
| You are deciding what proof to save | Application evidence guide | Posting identity, portal messages, pay notes, schedule notes, invite details, and offer evidence. |
| Document or payroll tasks appear | Documents checklist | Portal task, required document list, payroll setup note, timekeeping instruction, and source saved. |
| You need a cleaner status label | Application status guide | Saved, applied, in review, action needed, invited, offer, paused, closed, and next action. |
| The employer has several application steps | Application benchmarks | Application platform, confirmation message, portal status, and next step. |
| An interview just ended | Thank-you note planner | Interview date, contact thread, note decision, sent time, next-step timing, and employer reply. |
| A start date or training message arrives | Start date checklist | Start date, arrival time, report-to contact, documents, pay timing, and first-week evidence. |
| Training details are still unclear | Training planner | Training date, trainer, required items, first-week schedule, and open onboarding question. |
| The application is active but quiet | Follow-up planner | Follow-up date, channel, message thread, and status after the follow-up. |
| Two postings both look viable | Comparison worksheet | Pay clarity, schedule fit, commute, responsiveness, role evidence, and final rank. |
Evidence
What good application evidence looks like
Good evidence is specific, dated, and tied to the exact role. A screenshot of the posting is stronger than a vague note. A candidate-portal task is stronger than a memory of what the application asked. A recruiter email with the role title and date is stronger than a general article. The goal is not to collect paperwork for its own sake; it is to keep the details that would change your schedule, pay expectation, interview preparation, or decision to accept the job.
Record the source date
Posting and portal details can change quickly, so save the date viewed next to each source.
Open the application evidence guide to decide which proof belongs with each row.
Use exact wording
Copy pay, shift, certification, location, and first-week instructions exactly instead of paraphrasing too early.
Keep local details separate
Store, franchise, property, facility, department, union, or state details can override broad company patterns.
Send public corrections
If a HireTea page conflicts with a current public employer source, send the page URL and source through the contact page.
Examples
How to fill the tracker without overcomplicating it
The tracker is meant to stay simple enough that you will actually use it. You do not need a perfect filing system. A useful row should tell you what you applied for, where the source came from, what changed your next step, and what evidence you would want to find again if the employer calls back two weeks later.
| Tracker field | Useful entry | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Company and role | Use the employer name and exact posting title, such as "Target Guest Advocate" or "Costco Stocker." | Writing only "retail job" makes it hard to match the row to an interview invite later. |
| Job ID and posting URL | Copy the requisition number and URL before the posting expires or redirects. | Saving only the careers home page loses the role-specific evidence. |
| Status and next action | Use short statuses such as saved, applied, interview scheduled, offer received, paused, or closed. | Leaving every row as "applied" hides which employer needs a follow-up. |
| Pay and schedule notes | Copy the exact public wording and add the date viewed, even if the range is broad. | Rounding, guessing, or mixing one location's wording with another location's posting can mislead you. |
| Source saved | Note whether you saved a screenshot, PDF, portal confirmation, email, or calendar invite. | Depending on browser history alone makes it easy to lose proof when a page changes. |
Privacy
Keep personal notes local
These downloads are plain files. HireTea does not receive what you type into them, and there is no account or upload step. Keep private details such as your full legal name, phone number, address, government ID, documents, and compensation decisions in a place you control. The public tracker columns are intended for application organization, not for storing sensitive personal records.
If you use a cloud spreadsheet, use the privacy settings on that tool. If you share the file with a friend, mentor, school counselor, or career coach, remove private notes that they do not need. A clean tracker should help you make better decisions without spreading personal information across too many services.