Guides on IterJobs

Which job sources actually lead to offers

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Job boards get the most volume and the worst conversion. Referrals get the least volume and the best. Almost everyone knows this in the abstract — and almost nobody knows how it applies to their search, because they’ve never measured it.

You don’t need a data team to find out. You need one field on every application, filled in consistently.

The sources worth tracking

Keep the list short and fixed. IterJobs uses eight:

A job search spreadsheet template that actually lasts

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Spreadsheets are how most job searches start — and for the first ten applications, they’re genuinely good. The trouble is that the spreadsheet you build on day one is rarely the one you need in week six.

Here’s a template that holds up, and the point where it stops being enough.

The columns that matter

Keep it to one row per application:

Column	Why it’s there
`Date applied`	Sorts your week; tells you what to follow up on
`Company`	The obvious one
`Role`	Titles repeat across companies; the role is what differs
`Source`	The only way to learn which channels work
`Status`	A fixed vocabulary, so you can count
`Next step`	What you owe them, or what they owe you
`Contact`	Name and email of the human you’re talking to
`URL`	The posting changes or disappears; keep the link
`Notes`	One line per stage change, with the date
`Location / pay`	So you don’t re-interview for something you’d refuse

That’s it. Resist the urge to add a column per interview round — that’s what breaks templates.

How to track job applications (without a messy spreadsheet)

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Most job searches don’t fail because of the applications. They fail because of the tracking. You apply to twelve roles, three get back to you, and two weeks later you can’t remember which recruiter asked for which portfolio.

The fix isn’t a more complicated system. It’s a smaller one that you’ll actually keep up with.

Decide what a “status” means before you start

The single biggest improvement is a fixed set of stages, applied consistently: