Candidate tracking spreadsheet: columns to use

Most hiring starts in a spreadsheet. A few well-chosen columns keep it useful when the list grows.

The columns worth keeping

• Name and role they are being considered for.
• Phone and email, so you can reach them without searching.
• Current company and location.
• Experience, current CTC, expected CTC and notice period. The four numbers that decide whether a conversation is worth continuing.
• Source: where you found them. It tells you which channel works.
• Status: one word from a short list, so you can filter.
• Last contacted and next follow-up: the two dates that keep candidates from going cold.
• Notes and a resume link.

A simple template

Keep the status list short

Four or five statuses are enough: for example Sourced, Screening, Interview, Offer and Not moving forward. If everyone types their own wording, the sheet stops being sortable.

When the sheet gets long

A sheet with hundreds of rows is hard to scan for what needs doing today. In HuntYourPath you can bring the sheet over in one go: upload the file or paste the cells, match your columns and your status words to the stages, check a preview, and import. Your follow-up dates then show on Today, and each candidate has WhatsApp, Call and Email buttons.