Collect resumes with Google Forms, without making applicants sign in
A Google Form and a response sheet make a simple, free application tracker. The weak spot is the resume upload: Google makes every applicant sign in to a Google account first, and some good applicants leave at that step.
Build the application form
A short form gets more applications. A typical job application form has these questions:
- Full name (short answer, required)
- Email and phone (short answer, required)
- Role applied for (dropdown, if you hire for more than one role)
- LinkedIn or portfolio link (short answer)
- Resume (short answer for now, see below)
- Cover letter or "Why this role?" (paragraph, optional)
- Earliest start date (date)
Link the form to a Google Sheet from the Responses tab. Each application becomes a row that you can sort, filter, and share with the hiring team.
Let applicants upload a resume without a Google account
If you use Google's own file upload question, applicants must sign in to Google before they can apply. Use FormGuest to accept the resume without a sign-in:
- Keep the resume question as Short answer, as in the list above.
- In Google Forms, click Send, open the link tab, and copy the form link.
- Paste it on the FormGuest home page. FormGuest suggests the resume question as the upload question.
- Put the FormGuest link in your job post.
Applicants fill in your form on the FormGuest page and attach a PDF or Word file. The resume question in your sheet holds a download link to the file.
Before you post the job
- The free plan takes 20 applications per form and keeps files for 30 days. For a busy role, upgrade the form to Pro for unlimited applications. Pro keeps files while the subscription is active.
- Download the resumes you shortlist. Resume links are private, but anyone who has a link can open that file.
- Tell applicants how you will use their data, and delete applications you no longer need.