Quick Win: Use Notepad Tables and LibreOffice to Build a Lightweight ATS for Under $0

Quick win for time-starved owners: build a DIY ATS for $0 with Notepad tables + LibreOffice

Hiring is your biggest recurring cost—and your most fragile process. If you’re a small business owner or operations lead with limited budget and too many logins, you don’t need another monthly subscription. In 2026, with lightweight features in Windows Notepad and a mature LibreOffice suite, you can build a practical DIY ATS that captures applicants, ranks candidates, schedules interviews, and sends offer/decline emails—all for under $0.

Why this is smart right now (2026 context)

Two developments make a free DIY ATS unusually powerful in 2026:

• Microsoft expanded Notepad with table support in late 2025, turning it into a reliable quick-capture tool for tabular text you can move into spreadsheets without formatting headaches.
• LibreOffice continues to improve offline performance and file compatibility, making it a robust spreadsheet/word-processing engine without cloud lock-in or license fees.

At the same time, businesses are rethinking tool bloat. As MarTech noted in January 2026, many teams suffer from “technology debt” caused by too many underused platforms. A tightly scoped, free ATS reduces cost, complexity, and data sprawl while keeping control of candidate data on your terms.

The concept: simple components, repeatable workflow

Your lightweight ATS uses three free pieces that most small teams already have or can install in minutes:

• Notepad (Windows 11 tables or plain TSV/CSV text): fast candidate intake on the go.
• LibreOffice Calc: the central database and workflow engine (filters, formulas, conditional formatting, mail merge source).
• LibreOffice Writer: offer/decline templates and mail merge for personalized emails.

What this DIY ATS will do

• Capture applicant records quickly (resume link, contact, role, source).
• Standardize screening criteria and compute weighted scores.
• Track stage and ownership (Applied → Phone Screen → Interview → Offer → Hired/Rejected).
• Surface stale applications automatically and remind you to follow up.
• Run mail merges for interview confirmations and decisions.

Step-by-step: build the DIY ATS

1) Design the fields and workflow stages

Start with a concrete, minimal schema. Too many columns = excuse to avoid updating. Use these core fields as a baseline:

• CandidateID (simple incremental like CAND-0001)
• FullName
• Email
• Phone
• RoleApplied
• DateApplied (YYYY-MM-DD)
• Source (LinkedIn, Indeed, Referral, Walk-in)
• CurrentStage (Applied, Screen, Interview, Offer, Hired, Rejected)
• Score (numeric)
• NextAction (calculated)
• Notes (short)

Tip: Keep Notes concise—this sheet is for throughput, not long-form commentary. Use a linked folder for resume PDFs if you need more detail.

2) Capture quickly with Notepad tables

Use Notepad for immediate intake: walk-ins, phone screen notes, or when recruiters forward candidate info. Notepad’s table or plain TSV output is an ultra-portable way to capture rows you can paste into Calc.

1. Open Notepad (Windows 11) and insert a small table or type a tab-separated line for each candidate.
2. Use the header row exactly as your schema. Example TSV header line (tabs between values):

CandidateID	FullName	Email	Phone	RoleApplied	DateApplied	Source	CurrentStage	Score	Notes

3. Example row (tab-separated):

CAND-0001	Alex Morgan	alex@example.com	555-0123	Barista	2026-01-12	Referral	Applied		First contact: walk-in

Save as a .txt or .tsv file encoded in UTF-8. Notepad tables make entering multi-column rows pleasant; if you don’t have Windows 11 tables, plain text tabs work identically.

3) Import into LibreOffice Calc

1. Open LibreOffice Calc → File → Open → choose your .tsv/.txt file.
2. In the Text Import dialog, choose Separated by Tab, set UTF-8, and check that the first row is treated as headers.
3. Format DateApplied as ISO date type and set columns to appropriate types (Text for IDs, Standard for numeric Score).

Now you have a simple table you can filter, sort, and augment.

4) Add required workflow controls (drop-downs, validation, freeze headers)

• Data → Validity: set CurrentStage to a list: Applied, Screen, Interview, Offer, Hired, Rejected.
• Freeze the header row (View → Freeze Rows) so stage navigation stays visible.
• Turn on AutoFilter (Data → AutoFilter) to make stage-based views instant.

5) Scoring: a simple weighted system

Define 3–4 screening criteria as columns (e.g., ExperienceScore, SkillsMatch, CultureFit) each 0–10, then compute a weighted total.

Sample columns and formula in Calc:

• ExperienceScore (B)
• SkillsMatch (C)
• CultureFit (D)

Weights (store as fixed cells at top or a hidden sheet): w1=0.5, w2=0.3, w3=0.2. Formula example for Score in row 2:

=ROUND((B2*$G$1 + C2*$G$2 + D2*$G$3), 1)

(G1:G3 contain weights, locked with $ references). Use RANK or SORT to create a shortlist.

6) Surface stale candidates and next actions

Create a helper column DaysOpen:

=TODAY() - DATEVALUE(E2)

Conditional formatting rules:

• DaysOpen > 14 → pale yellow (follow-up)
• DaysOpen > 30 → light red (stale; consider auto-reject)

NextAction formula (example):

=IF(F2="Applied", "Send screen invite", IF(F2="Screen", "Schedule interview", "Monitor"))

Now you can sort on NextAction or filter to create a daily action list for your hiring owner.

7) Schedule interviews and export to calendar

For simple scheduling, add columns: InterviewDate, InterviewTime, Interviewer. To export to Google or Outlook calendar:

1. Populate a small export sheet with Subject, Start Date, Start Time, Description, Location, Attendees (email addresses).
2. Save that sheet as CSV. Import into Google Calendar (Settings → Import) or Outlook (File → Open & Export → Import/Export) to create calendar events in bulk.

This avoids paid scheduling tools while keeping interviews visible to your team.

8) Personalize communication with LibreOffice Writer mail merge

Use Writer to create templates (interview confirmation, rejection, offer). Steps:

1. Writer → View → Data Sources (F4) → select your Calc file as the data source.
2. Drag fields (FullName, InterviewDate, InterviewTime) into your template.
3. File → Send → Email to send personalized mail via your default mail client (or save personalized documents for manual sending).

Mail merge avoids repetitive manual typing and keeps messaging consistent.

9) Backup, versioning, and access control

Data safety matters even for a basic ATS. Best practices:

• Store the master Calc file in an encrypted cloud folder (e.g., your paid cloud provider) or on an encrypted USB if you must stay offline.
• Keep dated backups: hires-2026-01-12.ods
• Limit who can edit the sheet—use a shared read-only export for stakeholders or keep an editing rota.
• For legal requests (GDPR/CCPA), keep a log of where resumes and interview notes are stored and how long you retain them.

Templates and practical examples (paste-ready)

Copy the following header row into Notepad (tabs) or directly into Calc as the first row:

CandidateID	FullName	Email	Phone	RoleApplied	DateApplied	Source	CurrentStage	ExperienceScore	SkillsMatch	CultureFit	Score	NextAction	Notes

Example data row:

CAND-0001	Alex Morgan	alex@example.com	555-0123	Barista	2026-01-12	Referral	Applied	7	8	9		First contact: walk-in

Formula cheat sheet (place in Score column):

=ROUND((H2*$G$1 + I2*$G$2 + J2*$G$3),1)

Days open helper:

=TODAY()-DATEVALUE(F2)

Case study: how a 6-person café reduced time-to-hire

One small café tested this approach in November 2025 after struggling with slow follow-ups and missed applicants. They used Notepad to capture walk-ins during a weekend hiring event, imported into LibreOffice, and used a two-factor scoring system (experience + culture fit). Results in the first two months:

• Time-to-first-interview cut from 7 days to 48 hours.
• Offers accepted increased by 20% because follow-up was faster and communications were consistent.
• Monthly SaaS ATS costs saved: approximately $60–$300 depending on vendors—a net positive for a micro-business.

This is typical for small operations where speed and low friction matter more than integrations and automated job boards.

Compliance and privacy—small-business checklist

Even a DIY ATS must respect data privacy and basic labor regulations. Make these simple checks non-negotiable:

• Collect candidate consent before storing CVs. Add a quick text note: “By submitting, you consent to storage for recruitment purposes.”
• Keep personal data limited to hiring needs. Don’t store sensitive categories unless legally required and consented.
• Set retention rules: e.g., delete or anonymize candidate data after 12 months unless consented otherwise.
• Control access: apply password protection to backup files or use encrypted cloud folders.
• Document processes: who can access the sheet, how to handle subject access requests, and deletion procedures.

Advanced tips and 2026-forward practices

• Keep AI off sensitive documents. Avoid pasting candidate resumes into public AI tools without anonymization; prefer local processing.
• If you need light automation, use LibreOffice’s built-in macros sparingly—record simple macros to export Today’s action list to a CSV.
• Use Pivot Tables (Data → Pivot Table) to generate quick hiring reports: hires by source, time-to-hire per role, and interviewer load.
• Plan a clean handoff if you upgrade to a commercial ATS: export your LibreOffice sheet to CSV for seamless import later.

When to upgrade to a paid ATS

The DIY approach is strategic for micro and small teams. Consider moving to a commercial ATS when:

• You consistently manage more than 30–50 active applicants at any time.
• You require integrated candidate sourcing (LinkedIn bulk sync), assessments, or interview automation.
• You need advanced compliance features (audit logs, DSAR workflows) that are costly to replicate manually.
• Your hiring team needs multi-channel integrations (Slack, HRIS, payroll) with automated pipelines.

Eight practical next steps (actionable checklist)

1. Open Notepad and create your header row in TSV format—save as hires-YYYYMMDD.tsv.
2. Import into LibreOffice Calc and apply Data Validity for CurrentStage.
3. Create 3 screening criteria and set weights in fixed cells.
4. Add conditional formatting for DaysOpen to highlight follow-ups.
5. Build a Mail Merge template in Writer for interview confirmations.
6. Export calendar CSV for interviews weekly.
7. Store master file in an encrypted folder and keep a dated backup each week.
8. Review monthly: number of applicants, time-to-first-contact, hires, and source quality.

“Start small, automate what you can, and keep candidate data secure.”

Final thoughts: fast, cheap, and accountable hiring

For very small teams, the goal is not to replicate every feature of an enterprise ATS. It’s to reduce time-to-hire, standardize decisions, and protect candidate data while minimizing cost and complexity. Notepad’s table features plus LibreOffice give you a surprisingly capable stack in 2026. Use the steps above, adapt the templates to your roles, and treat this as a living process: iterate monthly and add automation only where it reduces manual work without compromising control.

Call to action

Ready to try it? Copy the header row above into Notepad, import it into LibreOffice, and run the eight-step checklist this week. Want our free template pack (pre-built Calc + Writer mail-merge templates) and a one-page setup checklist? Visit employees.info/templates to download and get a 15-minute setup guide for your team.

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