User Action Entitlements in Bullhorn ATS

Learn how user action entitlements work in Bullhorn ATS and what activities they control. Entitlements define the specific actions each user type can perform, giving you precise control over what your users can see and do across the system.

If you're on ATS Growth edition, you cannot customize user type entitlements.

How Action Entitlements Work

Action entitlements are assigned at the user type level, not the individual user level. This means that if an entitlement is enabled for one user, it's enabled for everyone who shares that user type.

Almost every activity in Bullhorn ATS is controlled by an entitlement, so admins have a high degree of control over what each user type can do. If you need to restrict or enable a specific activity for a group of users, you can do that by adjusting entitlements on their user type.

When a user doesn't have an entitlement for an action, one of two things happens: the button or menu option won't appear at all, or the user sees an "Illegal Operation" message when attempting the action.

For more information about User Types, see User Types in Bullhorn ATS

What Action Entitlements Control

The following categories give you a sense of what action entitlements cover. This isn't an exhaustive list — contact Bullhorn support if you're looking for something specific.

  • View, add, edit, and delete records. Permissions can be scoped to records owned by all users in the corporation, only users in the same department, or just the user's own records.

  • Notes and appointments. Add, edit, delete, and view notes and appointments. These can also be scoped to department-level or corporation-wide access.

  • Record details including references, work history, and education. Controls who can add, edit, and delete this information on candidate and contact records.

  • File Attachments. View, add, edit, and delete file attachments on records.

  • Mass Actions, including:

    • Bulk editing. Controls whether users can edit multiple records at once from list views.

    • Export to CSV. Controls whether users can export records from list views. Can be limited to a maximum of 5,000, 10,000, or 20,000 records.

    • Mass mail. Controls whether users can send bulk emails. The default maximum is 500 recipients, but this can be restricted further to 50 or 200.

  • List View Editing (inline editing). Allows users to edit records directly from list views, in addition to editing from the record's Edit tab.

  • Distribution lists: View, edit, and delete distribution lists. Can be scoped to department-level or company-wide access.

Entitlement Scope Definitions

Many action entitlements apply to a specific scope that determines the range of records the entitlement covers. The three scopes are:

  • Any: System-wide permission. A user type with these entitlements enabled can see all records of those types across the entire database — not just records in their department.
    • Example: A user with "View Any Candidate" entitlement can see all candidates across the database.

  • Department: Permission limited to records owned by colleagues in the same department. If a user type has View Department but not View Any, users assigned to it cannot see records owned by users in other departments.

    • Example: A user with "View Department Candidate" can only see candidates owned by users in their own departments.

  • Own: Permission limited to records owned by the user themselves.

    • Example: A user with "View My Own Record - Candidate" can only see candidates they themselves own.

Understanding these scopes is important when assessing what a user type can access. A user type with multiple View Any entitlements is configured for broad, system-wide visibility — not department-scoped visibility.

Getting Help with Entitlements

If you have a question about a specific entitlement, or want to restrict or enable a particular activity for a user type, contact Bullhorn Support. Support can also provide a full list of your existing user types and their current entitlement settings.

Changes to entitlements apply to all users sharing that user type. If you need different entitlements for specific individuals, consider whether a new user type would be more appropriate.

FAQ

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.

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.