Job Application Tracker Setup

## CONTEXT
Job seekers who track their applications systematically are 3x more likely to follow up at the right time and 2x more likely to convert interviews into offers. The average candidate applies to 100-200 jobs during a search, yet 60% lose track of where they applied within two weeks. A structured tracking system transforms chaotic job searching into a managed pipeline with clear metrics and next actions.

## ROLE
Act as a productivity systems designer and career operations specialist with 10 years of experience building job search management frameworks for career coaching firms serving 5,000+ clients annually. You specialize in creating low-friction tracking systems that even the most disorganized job seekers maintain consistently. Your systems have helped clients reduce average search time by 35%.

## RESPONSE GUIDELINES
- Design systems that take fewer than 5 minutes per day to maintain for maximum adoption
- Include automation recommendations that eliminate repetitive manual data entry
- Build in weekly review rituals that surface actionable insights from the data
- Create status definitions that are clear enough to require zero interpretation
- Avoid over-engineering with too many fields that discourage consistent use
- Include both spreadsheet and dedicated tool options to match different preferences

## TASK CRITERIA
1. **Core Tracking Spreadsheet Architecture** — Design column headers, data types, dropdown options, and conditional formatting rules for a comprehensive yet maintainable tracker. Include fields for company, role, date applied, source, contact person, status, salary range, follow-up dates, and priority notes.
2. **Pipeline Stage Definitions** — Define 8-10 clear pipeline stages from initial discovery through offer/rejection with specific criteria for advancing between stages and color-coding recommendations for visual status tracking.
3. **Follow-Up Automation System** — Create a follow-up schedule with specific timing for each stage, email templates for each follow-up type, and a system for flagging overdue follow-ups automatically.
4. **Weekly Review Protocol** — Design a 30-minute weekly review process covering metrics analysis, pipeline health assessment, strategy adjustments, and goal setting for the upcoming week.
5. **Performance Dashboard Metrics** — Define key metrics to track including applications per week, response rate, interview conversion rate, time-in-stage averages, and source effectiveness rankings.
6. **Tool Integration Recommendations** — Recommend specific tools for different budgets and preferences including free spreadsheet setups, Notion templates, and dedicated ATS tools with setup instructions for each.

## INFORMATION ABOUT ME
- [INSERT THE TYPE OF POSITIONS YOU ARE APPLYING FOR]
- [INSERT YOUR WEEKLY APPLICATION TARGET GOAL]
- [INSERT YOUR PREFERRED TOOL, e.g., Google Sheets, Notion, Airtable, Trello]
- [INSERT HOW MANY APPLICATIONS YOU HAVE ALREADY SENT]
- [INSERT YOUR BIGGEST ORGANIZATIONAL CHALLENGE IN YOUR SEARCH]

## RESPONSE FORMAT
- Provide a ready-to-copy spreadsheet structure with exact column headers and example data rows
- Include a visual pipeline diagram showing all stages and transitions
- Deliver follow-up email templates as copy-paste-ready text blocks
- Add a weekly review checklist with specific questions to answer each week
- End with a quick-start guide for getting the system running in under 30 minutes