Job Tracker: a free job application tracker with interview practice

Job Tracker is a free job application tracker that keeps every job you've saved or applied for in one place, sorted by stage, with follow-up dates and reminders so nothing slips through the cracks. It also has a practice screen with fifteen common interview questions, a two-minute timer and a recorder so you can hear how you come across. There's no account, no resume upload and nothing to pay. You open Job Tracker in your phone's browser, add it to your home screen and start adding jobs.

Here's how it works, how to get it on your phone and a few ways to make a job hunt feel a little less like shouting into the void.

What Job Tracker does

Every job gets a card with the company, the role, a stage and a couple of dates. The stages are Saved (jobs you're eyeing), Applied, Interview, Offer and Closed. A row of tabs across the top lets you see all of them at once or just one stage, with a count next to each.

At the top of the main screen there are two numbers. One is how many applications you've sent in the last seven days, and the other is your response rate, the share of your applications that turned into an interview. I think that second number is more useful than it looks. If you've sent thirty applications and heard back from one, it's a sign to change something about your resume or where you're applying. Firing off thirty more of the same rarely fixes it.

I'd glance at both numbers every Friday, the way you'd check a scoreboard. Then there's the Follow-ups screen, which lists every job with a follow-up date coming up or overdue, and the Practice screen for interview prep.

Why tracking helps more than you'd think

A job search is a numbers game played over weeks or months, and it wears people down. Most of us start with a tidy spreadsheet and an hour later we've got a mess of browser tabs, half-remembered recruiter names and a vague feeling we applied to that one marketing job twice.

Having it all in one list takes a surprising amount of stress off. You can see what's moving, what's gone quiet and what needs a nudge. If the search is getting to you, our piece on job search burnout has ideas for pacing yourself so you don't run out of steam halfway through.

How to get Job Tracker on your phone

It's a web app, so there's no App Store or Google Play download. It installs from our site to your home screen.

On an iPhone:

1. Open 8dofwellness.com/apps/job-tracker in Safari.
2. Tap the Share button (the square with the arrow pointing up).
3. Tap Add to Home Screen, then Add.

On Android:

1. Open the same page in Chrome.
2. Tap the three-dot menu in the corner.
3. Tap Install app or Add to Home screen.

The magenta briefcase icon shows up with your other apps. It opens full screen and works offline.

How to use it, screen by screen

Adding a job

Tap Add a job and fill in the company and the role. Pick a stage, and the app sets today as the date you applied and a follow-up date a week out, which you can change. There's a spot for the link to the job post (handy when the posting disappears and you need to remember what they asked for), the pay range if it was listed, the recruiter or contact's name and a notes box for anything else.

Use Saved for jobs you're thinking about but haven't applied to yet. When you send the application, open the card and tap Applied.

Moving through the stages

Open any card and tap a new stage. When you move a job to Interview, the app suggests a follow-up for the next day, which is about right for a thank-you note. When an application goes nowhere or you turn something down, move it to Closed. It stays in your history and counts toward your stats, but it stops nagging you.

Follow-ups

This screen shows every open job with a follow-up date, soonest first, with a red badge if you're overdue. When you've sent your check-in email, tap Followed up. The app clears the date and adds a note to the card saying when you did it.

What should a follow-up say? Keep it short and friendly. A line saying you're still very interested, one line on why you'd be a good fit and a thank-you is plenty. A week or so after applying, or a day after an interview, is a sensible rhythm.

Practice

This is the bit I'd spend the most time on before a big interview. The screen shows one question with a short tip underneath, from "Tell me about yourself" to "What are your salary expectations?" and "Do you have any questions for us?"

Tap Time me to start a two-minute countdown and answer out loud, as if the interviewer's sitting across from you. Two minutes is about as long as most answers should run. Tap New question to shuffle.

Below that is a recorder. Tap Record, give your answer, tap Stop and then Play back. Hearing yourself is awkward (everybody hates the sound of their own voice), but it's the fastest way to catch rambling, filler words and answers that never get to the point. The recording isn't saved anywhere and disappears when you leave the screen.

There's also a quick rundown of the STAR method for "tell me about a time" questions. You give the Situation, the Task you had, the Action you took and the Result, ideally with a number. Most of your answer should be the Action part.

Reminders for your follow-ups

On the Follow-ups screen, tap Add follow-ups to my calendar. You get a calendar file for the iPhone Calendar app, Samsung Calendar or Outlook, or one Google Calendar link per follow-up. Each follow-up becomes an all-day event with an alert that morning, including the contact's name if you saved it. Add new ones as you apply, since the calendar only knows about the follow-ups that existed when you tapped the button.

Your job search stays private

Nothing leaves your phone. There's no account, no resume upload and no profile anyone can see, including your current boss. Tap the gear icon now and then to save a backup, since clearing your browser data or deleting the app would wipe your list.

Tips for a saner job search

Set a weekly target you can actually hit, and treat the search like a part-time job with its own hours so it doesn't swallow your whole week. Five thoughtful applications usually beat twenty rushed ones, and the "this week" number at the top keeps you honest without tipping into burnout.

Tailor the top of your resume for each job. Using the same words the job post uses (where they're true for you) helps with the software that screens applications before a human ever sees them. If you're curious how AI is changing hiring, our guide to AI and your career gets into it.

Practice the big three questions until they roll off your tongue like your own phone number: tell me about yourself, why do you want this job and tell me about a time you handled something hard. They come up in some form in almost every interview.

Ever blank on your best work the second someone asks about it? Keep a "wins" note. Every time you remember a result you're proud of, add it to a card's notes or your phone's notes app. It's gold for interview answers and for the days when the rejections start to sting, and I suspect you've done more worth bragging about than you give yourself credit for.

If you were laid off, go easy on yourself. Our guide to recovering after a layoff covers the money and the mindset side of it.

Frequently asked questions about Job Tracker

Is Job Tracker free?

Yes. No price, no ads and no sign-up. It's one of eight free wellness apps on this site.

Can my employer see I'm job hunting?

No. Everything's stored on your phone only. There's no account or public profile.

How many interview questions are in the practice screen?

Fifteen of the questions that come up again and again, each with a short tip. Tap New question to shuffle through them.

Does the recorder save my answers?

No. The recording is only kept while you're on the screen, so you can play it back, and it's gone once you leave.

When should I follow up on a job application?

About a week after applying, and within a day after an interview. Keep it short, friendly and specific to the role.

Work is one spoke of the wellness wheel, and the free wellness wheel quiz shows how your other seven are doing.