User Management: Frequently Asked Questions

This page answers the most common questions admins ask about managing users in Bullhorn ATS. It covers adding and disabling accounts, updating existing users, working with departments and user types, and understanding how entitlements control what users can see and do. Questions are grouped by topic so you can jump directly to the area you need.

Adding User Accounts

How do I add a new ATS user account?

The best way to add a new user is to copy another user with a similar role. Follow the steps inHow to Add a New User Account in Bullhorn ATS to create a new user by copying an existing one.

How do I assign a new user to the correct department and user type?

Primary Department and User Type are required fields when creating a user. Select the appropriate values from the dropdown menus during setup. If the correct department or user type doesn't exist yet, contact Bullhorn Support before adding the new user.

If you're not sure which user type to assign, review User Types in Bullhorn ATS.

Do I need to contact Support to create a new user for me?

No. Any Admin user can create a new user account by following the steps here. The only scenario that requires Support involvement is adding a new email domain that hasn’t previously been used by your organization — see the note in the Email Settings section.

What should I do after creating a new user to make sure they can log In?

After saving the new account, confirm the following:

• Login credentials: The user has received their username and temporary password.

• Account status: The account is set to Active.

If the user can't log in, follow the steps in Troubleshooting Bullhorn ATS Login Issues.

Can I change a user’s username?

No. Usernames can’t be changed after an account is created. If a username change is genuinely required, contact Bullhorn Support.

I need to add a user with an email address on a domain we haven’t used before. What do I do?

Contact Bullhorn Support and provide an example user and the email address you’d like to add. Support will verify that you own the domain and add it to your organisation. Once that’s done for the first user, you can add all subsequent users with the same domain yourself.

I see the error “User already exists on the system” but I don’t have a user with that username. Why?

Bullhorn ATS usernames must be unique across all Bullhorn ATS environments, not just within your organisation. Another Bullhorn customer already has a user with that username. Choose a different one (for example, include your company name or initials as a prefix) and try again.

I see the error “This user type has reached its maximum number of users.” What should I do?

Some user types have a cap on the number of users assigned to them. If you hit this limit, you won’t be able to add new users to that user type until the cap is increased. Contact Support to request an increase.

Will adding a new user affect my billing?

Yes, adding a user account is billable if it takes your total active users above the limit in your Bullhorn contract. For questions about your contract or billing, contact the Bullhorn Billing team or your Account Manager.

How do I check how many licences I have remaining?

Refer to your Bullhorn contract or contact Billing Support. You can also contact your Account Manager for a license count.

How do I get a list of my active users?

Any admin user can generate a user list directly from the Bullhorn ATS. See How to Generate a List of Active Users in Bullhorn ATS for steps.

Disabling User Accounts

How do I disable a user account?

Go to Menu > Admin > Users, click the pencil icon next to the user you want to disable, then change their account status to Disabled. For a full step-by-step guide, including how to keep their records and tearsheets accessible, see How to Disable a User Account in Bullhorn ATS.

Can I delete a user account instead of disabling it?

No. User accounts can’t be deleted in Bullhorn. Disabling is the correct way to remove a user’s access and free up a user licence.

Will I be charged for a disabled user account?

No. Disabled accounts don’t count toward your active user billing. Only active and re-enabled accounts are billable.

What happens to a disabled user’s records when their account is disabled?

Disabling an account doesn't delete any records. Everything the user owned — candidates, jobs, contacts, placements — stays in the system and retains its original ownership. You should transfer those records to an active user before disabling the account. See Transferring Record Ownership in Bullhorn ATS for a guide.

A disabled user's records still appear assigned to them. Why?

Record ownership isn't changed automatically when an account is disabled. You'll need to transfer ownership manually using the Records Transfer function in their profile, or via the list views. See Transferring Record Ownership in Bullhorn ATS for a guide.

How do I transfer a departing user's records to another user?

Open the departing user's profile under Admin > Users, then use the Records Transfer option to reassign ownership to an active user.

Large-volume transfers may time out. If this happens, transfer record ownership via the list view instead. See Transferring Record Ownership in Bullhorn ATS for more information.

Do I need to recreate a disabled user’s Distribution Lists?

No. Distribution Lists owned by disabled users remain accessible directly so there is no need to recreate them.

Can I reverse a disable if I made a mistake?

Yes — see Re-enabling a User Account. Re-enabling makes the account billable again, so re-disable the user as soon as the issue is resolved.

Managing Existing Users

How do I reset a user's password?

Admins can reset any user's password from their profile under Menu > Admin > Users. Enter and confirm the new password, then save. You can also direct the user to the Forgot Password link on the login page to reset their own password, as long as their email address is correctly set on the account.

See Changing a User's Password for a complete guide.

If the password reset email doesn't arrive, check that the user's email address is correctly entered on their account and that the email domain is verified. Also check their spam folder. If the issue persists, contact Bullhorn Support.

How do I update a user's user type or department?

Open the user's profile under Menu > Admin > Users, update the User Type or Primary / Additional Department(s) fields, and save. The change takes effect immediately.

How do I give a user access to standard reports?

Report access is controlled by user type. See Managing Users' Access to Standard Reports and Changing a User's User Type for steps.

Why isn't a new user appearing as active in Bullhorn Analytics?

All users are automatically added to Bullhorn Analytics once they're marked as Active in Bullhorn ATS. Before they can access Analytics, an admin must activate them and assign them a user type in Analytics.

New users can take up to 24 hours to appear in Analytics after their account is created. If the user still isn't visible after that, verify that their account is set to Active in Bullhorn ATS. Contact Bullhorn Support if the issue persists beyond 24 hours.

For full details, see Activating Users in Bullhorn Analytics.

Can I enable SSO for a user after their account has been created?

Yes. If SSO is already enabled for your organization, go to the user's user's profile under Menu > Admin > Users. In the Account Information section, select your identity provider from the Identity Provider dropdown and complete the remaining fields.

For full steps, see the setup instructions for your SSO provider.

I need a list of which users are enabled for SSO. Can I get this myself?

No — this information can only be retrieved by Bullhorn Support via a backend query. Contact Support to request this list. If you need to mass-enable users for SSO, this must also be done by Support.

What is the Unassigned User, and should I be concerned about it?

The Unassigned user is a system account that acts as a placeholder for records not owned by any active user — for example, records imported without an owner, or records left unassigned after a user account was removed. It's also required for certain features to function. It's not a usable account, it's not billable, and it should never be reassigned or deactivated, as doing so can prevent some Bullhorn features from working correctly.

Departments

How do I add, edit, or delete a department?

Admins can add and remove users from departments via Menu > Admin > Users by opening the user's settings page and editing their primary and additional departments. However, departments themselves can only be added, edited, or deactivated by Bullhorn Support. Contact Bullhorn Support to make these changes.

What's the purpose of departments in Bullhorn ATS?

Departments control data visibility and ownership. Records such as candidates, jobs, and contacts can be associated with one or more departments, and a user's access to those records is determined in part by their department assignment. See How Departments Divide Data in Bullhorn ATS for more information.

Can I give a user view-only access to records owned by another department?

Yes. You can configure a user type to allow view-only access to records owned by another department without granting edit rights or record ownership. This configuration is done at the user type level via action entitlements. See User Action Entitlements in Bullhorn ATS for more information, and contact Bullhorn Support to make changes to a user type's entitlements.

Department visibility settings can be complex to configure correctly. Test the setup with a non-production user before rolling out broadly.

Can I restrict which records a user sees based on their department?

Yes. By default, users only see records associated with their own department. You can extend visibility to additional departments using entitlements. Contact Bullhorn Support if you need help configuring a user type.

User Types

How do I create a new user type?

If you're not on ATS Growth edition, contact Bullhorn Support to create a new custom user type. The easiest approach is to request a copy of an existing user type with specific changes or restrictions — for example, a copy of the Standard user type that can also view records owned by any department. Reach out to Support with your requirements and they'll help configure it.

If you're on ATS Growth edition, user type entitlements can't be customized. You have three fixed user types to assign users to: Administrator, Manager, and Standard.

How do I create a restricted user?

If you're not on ATS Growth edition, you can request a custom user type restricted to only the actions you need. User types determine what a user can see and do in Bullhorn by grouping together a set of action entitlements. Contact Bullhorn Support with your requirements, then assign the restricted user type to the relevant users.

How do I update the permissions on an existing user type?

Permissions are controlled by user type entitlements, and only Bullhorn Support can make changes to them. If you're not on ATS Growth edition, contact Bullhorn Support to request updates to a user type's entitlements.

Changes to a user type affect every user assigned to it immediately. If you need to change permissions for only one user, consider requesting a separate user type rather than modifying the existing one.

How many user types can I have?

If you're not on ATS Growth edition, there's no hard limit on the number of user types you can create. That said, it's best practice to keep the number manageable to reduce admin overhead.

If you're on ATS Growth edition, you have three fixed user types to assign users to: Administrator, Manager, and Standard.

Why can't I see the user type I need in the User Type drop down?

A user type only appears as an available option if at least one enabled user at your company is currently assigned to it. If the user type you need isn't showing, you have two options:

• Re-enable a disabled user who has that user type, assign that user type to another user, then disable the original user again.

• Contact Bullhorn Support to add a user to that user type.

What's the difference between an Admin user type and a Standard user type?

Admin user types have elevated permissions that give access to system configuration areas such as User Management, Field Mappings, User Types, and Departments. Standard user types are scoped to day-to-day recruiting tasks and don't include access to admin areas. The exact difference depends on which entitlements are enabled on each user type.

See User Types in Bullhorn ATS for more information.

User Action Entitlements

What are action entitlements / user type entitlements and what do they control?

Entitlements are the granular permission settings assigned to a user type. They control what users can see, access, and do within Bullhorn, including:

• Record visibility: Which record types are visible, such as Submissions and Placements.

• Record actions: Whether users can create, edit, or delete specific record types.

• Feature access: Access to features such as standard reports and mass email.

Entitlements are configured per user type by Bullhorn Support. For more information, see User Action Entitlements in Bullhorn ATS.

Why can't a user see a specific tab (e.g., Commission or Submissions)?

Tab visibility is usually controlled by entitlements on the user's user type. If a user can't see a tab, the relevant entitlement is likely not enabled for their user type. To resolve this, change the user's user type to one that includes access. If you're unsure which user types have access, or you need to change a user type's entitlements, contact Bullhorn Support.

Why can't a user see records owned by other users?

Visibility of records belonging to other users in your organization is controlled by user type entitlements (such as View Any Candidate, View Any Job). Contact Bullhorn Support if you need to restrict or expand visibility of records.

How do I enable a feature for all users, not just admins?

Some features are controlled by entitlements that are disabled on standard user types by default. Contact Bullhorn Support with the feature you need enabled, and they'll help assign the correct entitlements to your other user types.

Can I restrict a user's ability to edit a specific field or record Type?

You can restrict a user type from editing certain record types — either company-wide, based on department, or for records not owned by that user. However, you can't restrict individual fields by user type: the ability to edit a record grants access to all configured fields on that entity. Hiding a field hides it for all users regardless of user type. Contact Bullhorn Support if you'd like to restrict a user type from editing specific entity records.

What is the difference between View Any, View Department, and View Own entitlements?

These three entitlement scopes control how broadly a user can see records in Bullhorn. Understanding the distinction is important when configuring user types, because the names can be misleading.

• View Any: User can see all records of that type across the entire database, regardless of department.

• View Department: User can see all records owned by users in the same department as the viewing user.

• View Own: User can see only records owned by the user themselves.

For an explanation of how View Department entitlements work in practice, see How Departments Divide Data in Bullhorn ATS.

Can tab or feature visibility be restricted based on record status?

In most cases, entitlements apply at the user type level regardless of record status. One exception is the ability to edit a placement after it moves to Approved status.

Where can I find a full list of available entitlements?

There isn't a publicly viewable list of all available entitlements. If you'd like to see the entitlements currently assigned to your user types, contact Bullhorn Support and they can provide an export.

Goals and Quotas

Can I add an annual quota instead of quarterly?

No — quotas are set by quarter (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) within a given year. If you need to track annual performance, add a quota for each quarter of the year separately.

When do Goals and Quotas reset?

Goals reset automatically on the following schedule, adjusted for each user's time zone:

• Monthly Goals reset at 00:00:01 on the first day of each month

• Weekly Goals reset at 00:00:01 every Sunday

Reset times are adjusted for each individual user's time zone, not the organisation's default time zone.

Why can't I see the My Activity card or Sales Performance card?

You may need to add these cards to your dashboard if you have not used them before. Click Add Card in the upper-right corner of your dashboard to select from all your available cards. If the card you need is not in your list of options, contact Bullhorn Support to have it activated for your account.

Why can't I see goals or quotas for other users?

Visibility of other users' goals and quotas is controlled by your user type entitlements. Contact Bullhorn Support to enable the relevant entitlement. The options are:

• View Any Goal / View Any Quota: Allows you to view goals and quotas across your whole organization.

• View Department Goal / View Department Quota: Allows you to view goals and quotas for users within your department.

How can I see which opportunities are counted in a user's quota total?

The Deal Count column on the list view contains a hyperlink. Clicking this link opens a filtered list view of the exact opportunities contributing to that quota total.

Can I customize the columns on the Goals & Quotas list view?

You can add and remove columns from the Goals & Quotas list view using the Columns drop-down. Columns that don't appear in the drop-down by default can't be added — the available set is fixed.

Transferring Record Ownership

What record types can I transfer ownership of?

You can transfer ownership of candidates, contacts, jobs, opportunities, and leads. Company ownership is determined by the owners of associated contacts. To transfer a company, transfer its contacts. Placement ownership updates automatically when the associated job is transferred.

What happens to notes, attachments, and emails when a record is transferred?

All notes, attachments, and email messages associated with the record are retained. Nothing is lost during a transfer — only the Owner field changes.

How many records can I transfer at once?

Records Transfer via the Users page processes all records for an entity in one operation but may time out above 2,000 records. Records transfer via the List View transfers 500 records at a time (200 for the New Candidate List) and must be repeated in batches for larger volumes.

Should I transfer records to the new user or to the Unassigned user?

It depends on your goal. If a specific person is taking over the departing user's accounts and relationships, transfer directly to them. If you want to preserve the history without attributing past work to the replacement, transfer to the Unassigned user — the records remain accessible to the team but aren't attributed to any individual. Don't disable the Unassigned user.

Can I transfer records from a disabled user account?

Not directly. You'll need to temporarily re-enable the account first. Re-enable, complete the transfer, and re-disable on the same working day to minimize billing impact. See How to Disable a User Account in Bullhorn ATS.

I accidentally transferred records to the wrong user. Can I undo this?

There's no undo function. Run the transfer again, this time transferring ownership from the incorrect user back to the original owner or to the correct new owner.

Why don't I see a Manage Ownership option on the list view?

If you don't see a Manage Ownership option, your user type may not have the required entitlement. Contact Bullhorn Support to have it enabled.

Can I see who originally created an ATS record?

Yes. Open the record and go to the Activity tab, then expand Status History. The earliest entry in the list shows who first created the record — check the Modifying Person column for their name.

If the list is long, sort the Date Added column in ascending order to bring the earliest entry to the top.