Six statuses are enough to track any job application: Applied (you sent it), Received (they said it arrived), Interview (a call is booked), Offer (you have one), Rejected (they said no) and Closed (you stopped, or the role closed). Employers use dozens of labels. You only need six words of your own, and a rule for sorting theirs into them.
Why keep your own statuses?
An employer's portal shows the employer's wording, and it changes from company to company. One career-advice article puts it plainly: "Specific terminology varies by employer." If you copy each portal's label into your sheet, you end up with 30 different words and nothing you can sort. Six fixed words let you filter the whole list in one step.
These are the same six used by the free Job Log tracker, so you can use them in a spreadsheet or in Job Log.
What does each status mean?
| Status | Pick it when | Who decided |
|---|---|---|
| Applied | You sent the application and have heard nothing | You |
| Received | They said it arrived (an auto-reply, or a portal "submitted") | Them |
| Interview | A call or meeting is actually booked | Both of you |
| Offer | You have one in hand | Them |
| Rejected | They said no | Them |
| Closed | You stopped, or the role closed | You, or the role |
The hard line is Rejected versus Closed. Rejected is a message from them. Closed is everything else that ends the application: you withdrew, the posting disappeared, or you decided a silent application is finished.
How do you file vague wording?
Move a status forward only on evidence. "Under review" is not new evidence. Chron says it typically means the application is being screened by HR or the hiring manager, but that is still not a reply to you, so it stays Received. An invitation to "find a time" is not Interview yet; it becomes Interview when a time is booked.
What does a stack of messages look like once sorted?
This is an example of eight messages on eight different applications, with made-up wording, filed with those rules.
| Message you got | Status you log |
|---|---|
| "We received your application." | Received |
| "Your application is under review." | Received |
| An auto-reply: "Thanks, we'll be in touch." | Received |
| "Can you do a call on Thursday at 2pm?" (you said yes) | Interview |
| "We have decided to move forward with other candidates." | Rejected |
| "This position is no longer open." | Closed |
| "We would like to offer you the role." | Offer |
| Nothing for 21 days after applying on 2026-10-05 | Closed (your call, on 2026-10-26) |
Totals: 3 Received, 1 Interview, 1 Rejected, 2 Closed, 1 Offer (3 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 = 8). The 21-day cutoff is a rule you pick for yourself, not an industry standard.
Where does "next step" fit?
A status says where you are. The Next step column says what you do about it. Put the date there, sort by it, and the sheet tells you whom to follow up with. The Job Log FAQ says most replies take 3 to 10 days, so a date 10 days after you applied is a sensible first check.
Why not add more statuses?
"Phone screen", "assessment" and "final round" are real stages. They all fit under Interview, with the detail in your Notes column. Splitting them gives you more words to maintain and no better view of what to do next.
Morrow fills job applications from answers you give once. Your first week is $0, up to 10 real applications. Cancel any time.
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