The hiring spreadsheet hub
Every hiring process starts in a spreadsheet. The trouble starts when two people edit the same sheet at once, or when a candidate you loved slides off the bottom of row 87. Below are the free, no-sign-up templates we recommend — and the moment each one stops being enough.
Under 5 open roles: use one of the templates below. Past that, two editors + one shared sheet = missed candidates. Upload the CSV to RecruitFlow and keep going with a proper board view.
Every free hiring spreadsheet
- Hiring spreadsheetSix-column starter for founders and hiring managers running hiring in a sheet.Free CSV
- ATS spreadsheetThe closest thing to an ATS that fits inside Google Sheets.Free CSV
- Interview spreadsheetOne row per round — interviewer, score, and outcome.Free CSV
- Recruitment spreadsheetEveryone you're talking to, on one readable page.Free CSV
- Candidate spreadsheetTrack name, role, source, stage, and notes — the fundamentals.Free CSV
- Applicant spreadsheetApplicant tracking without the enterprise-ATS weight.Free CSV
- Recruiting trackerOne tracker across every open req and every candidate.Free CSV
- Hiring trackerThe small-business hiring tracker — no login, no fluff.Free CSV
- Interview trackerRounds, interviewers, scores, and outcomes in one file.Free CSV
- Hiring pipeline templateEvery stage of your funnel in one CSV.Free CSV
- Recruitment pipelineA pipeline you can read in ten seconds.Free CSV
- Candidate databaseA talent bench you can search later.Free CSV
Which spreadsheet do I actually need?
Just tracking candidates? Use the candidate spreadsheet.
Multiple roles at once? Use the hiring pipeline template.
Structured interviews with panels? Use the interview spreadsheet.
Want the ATS feel in Sheets? Use the ATS spreadsheet.
Post-hire onboarding? Use the onboarding checklist.
The moment to leave the spreadsheet
You'll know. Two hiring managers open the sheet on Monday, both add a "Screening" candidate to row 42, and one gets silently overwritten. Or you scroll for thirty seconds to find last week's finalist. That's the moment — and the fix isn't a bigger spreadsheet. It's the same six columns in a tool that was built for hiring: a board, a per-candidate timeline, notes that don't collide, and a real changelog.
Related reading: our take on Notion as an ATS, the free applicant tracking system comparison, and the best ATS for small business.
Outgrew the spreadsheet?
Upload your CSV to RecruitFlow. Same columns, same stages — plus a board, a timeline, and a real activity log. Flat $149/mo, every hiring manager included.
- Unlimited candidates & jobs
- Resume parsing & file uploads
- Interview scheduling + scorecards
- Analytics, XLSX & PDF exports
Create your account · verify your email · choose a plan · move in today
"We replaced a Greenhouse seat and three spreadsheets with RecruitFlow. Our recruiters actually open it on Monday morning now."
Frequently asked questions
What columns should a hiring spreadsheet have?+
Name, role, email, source, stage, notes. Six columns is the sweet spot — enough to be useful, few enough to skim on a Monday.
Is a hiring spreadsheet enough to run recruiting?+
For under ~5 open roles at a time, yes. Past that, two people editing the same sheet is where rows start disappearing — that's when a real ATS pays for itself.
Google Sheets or Excel — which is better for hiring?+
Sheets, because sharing is instant and the version history is free. Every template on this hub is a CSV that opens in either.
How do I move from spreadsheet to an ATS?+
Upload the CSV to RecruitFlow — column mapping is automatic and your stage names carry over.
What's the difference between a hiring tracker and an ATS?+
A tracker is a list. An ATS is a list plus a board, a candidate timeline, notes, scorecards, filters, and email history — the same data, but organized so nothing gets missed.
Are these templates really free?+
Yes. Every template on this hub is a CSV download, no email required.