The short answer
Start with a record you can act on.
Use a small set of stages that describe a real change in the opportunity: saved, preparing, applied, screening, interviewing, offer, and a closed outcome. Review the work inside each stage, then use a next action to decide where attention belongs.
- 01
Start with stages you can recognize immediately.
Choose names that match a concrete state in your process rather than aspirational labels that blur different kinds of work.
- 02
Move the card when the opportunity changes.
Update the stage after a submission, recruiter screen, interview invitation, offer, rejection, withdrawal, or acceptance.
- 03
Keep the supporting record attached.
The posting, submitted résumé, contacts, interview rounds, and notes should remain with the application as it moves.
- 04
Review shape and detail separately.
Use a board to see stage distribution. Use a table to compare dates, sources, priorities, and the next action.
A practical set of job-search stages
The goal is not to create the most granular workflow. It is to show the decisions that change your work.
- Saved: worth evaluating, but not yet a commitment to apply.
- Preparing: research or materials work is in progress.
- Applied: submitted and awaiting a new signal.
- Screening and interviewing: active conversations or scheduled rounds are underway.
- Offer, accepted, rejected, withdrawn, or archived: the active path has changed or ended.
Use a board and a table for different questions
A board is excellent for seeing the shape of your active search. A table is better when you need to compare the details that drive a decision.
For example, the board may show that several roles are waiting after an application. The table can then help you review submission dates, sources, locations, notes, and the next action before deciding what deserves a follow-up.
What not to put in a stage
Avoid using a status to hide a different type of information.
- A scheduled interview belongs in an interview record, not in a new stage for every calendar event.
- A recruiter’s name belongs in a contact record, not in a stage label.
- A deadline or follow-up belongs in a next action or task, not in the application’s current state.
Where HiredBase fits
HiredBase offers the application tracker in both table and board views. One application record keeps the role, company, stage, source, notes, and related job-search context together as the process moves forward.
You can start locally in the browser without an account, then export CSV when you want a portable copy. An account supports a broader private record with contacts, interviews, tasks, and documents.
Common questions
A system should make the next move clearer.
- How many stages should a job-search pipeline have?
- Use the fewest stages that still make a meaningful decision visible. If two labels do not change what you will do next, they probably do not need to be separate stages.
- Should rejected applications stay in the pipeline?
- Keep a closed outcome in the record when it is useful for your history and later review, but make it visually separate from active work so it does not compete for attention.
- Can I move an application between table and board views?
- Yes. HiredBase uses the same underlying application records in its table and board views, so you can switch based on the question you need to answer.
Put the method to work