How to track applicants without an ATS (without losing your mind).
Most small teams don’t fail at hiring because they can’t judge talent.
They fail because applicants arrive from everywhere… and nothing stays organized.
At first it feels manageable:
• A few CVs
• A couple of interviews
• A few WhatsApp messages
• Some notes in a sheet
Then you start hiring for real.
Suddenly:
• Candidates are spread across email, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and job boards
• You don’t know who you already replied to
• You re-open the same CV three times
• Follow-ups slip
• Strong candidates disappear
• Your shortlist becomes “whoever was easiest to reach”
The problem isn’t tracking. It’s tracking across chaos.
Why “DIY tracking” fails for most teams
1) The spreadsheet is always behind
A sheet doesn’t collect applications — people do.
So applicants end up in:
• Gmail threads
• WhatsApp chats
• PDFs on phones
• Notes on someone’s laptop
• “I’ll add them later”
Now the tracker is never accurate.
2) Status updates aren’t real
You can add a “Status” column, but:
• Nobody updates it consistently
• Two people interpret it differently
• You can’t enforce basic rules (duplicates, missing info, etc.)
A sheet stores data.
Hiring needs a workflow.
3) Follow-ups become random
Hiring is mostly follow-up.
Without a system:
• You reply too late
• Interviews get missed
• Promises get forgotten
• Rejections pile up
And the best candidates always leave first.
The “No ATS” tracking system that actually works
If you’re not using an ATS, you still need 3 things:
1) One place where applications land
If people can apply through multiple channels, you’ll always be behind reality.
You want:
• One link to apply
• One form
• One flow
2) One pipeline that forces progress
A simple pipeline is enough:
Applied → Reviewed → Shortlisted → Hired
If you can’t see the pipeline, you can’t move the role forward.
3) One rule: one application per candidate
Duplicates destroy clarity.
You waste time reviewing the same person in different formats.
Tracking breaks when the same candidate shows up 3 different ways.
The simple setup: track applicants like a workflow (not a list)
Here’s the clean way to track applicants without an ATS:
• One public position page (one link to apply)
• One private workspace (everything lands in one place)
• A pipeline: Applied → Reviewed → Shortlisted → Hired
• Candidate profiles with CV + contact details attached
• Automatic confirmation so applicants know it went through
• Status updates so you don’t answer the same question 20 times
This turns hiring into decisions instead of admin.
Signs you’ve outgrown manual tracking
If any of these are true, you need a real workspace:
• You’re hiring 2+ positions at the same time
• Applicants come from multiple channels
• You keep re-checking the same CVs
• You’ve lost a strong candidate due to slow follow-up
• Your tracker isn’t up to date
You don’t need a bigger team. You need a cleaner system.
Create a position for free
Create your position page in minutes.
When you’re ready, publish it and share one link anywhere.
Every application goes into the correct workspace automatically.
Track applicants without an ATS — using a pipeline that stays clean.