Use Last Email Received Date to Build Smarter Lists in Bullhorn Automation

Bullhorn Automation now lets you filter candidates, sales contacts, and leads based on when they last received an email. This makes it easier to build suppression lists that automatically respect engagement signals, so your outreach stays relevant and avoids redundant follow-ups.

This feature is available to Bullhorn ATS users only. It is not available for Bullhorn for Salesforce (BH4SF) environments.

The Last Email Received Date field was introduced with this feature release. No historical data is backfilled — the field only begins populating when an email is received after the feature is enabled for your environment. Emails received before enablement will not be reflected in this field.

Common Reasons You Might Use This Feature

  • You want to stop automated follow-ups after a contact has already replied.

  • You need to exclude recently emailed candidates from a new outreach campaign.

  • You want to build suppression lists that update automatically based on email activity.

  • You're looking to improve the candidate or contact experience by avoiding over-communication.

  • You need to segment lists based on how recently someone was emailed.

Build a List Using Last Email Received Date

The Last Email Received Date field is available as searchable list criteria for Candidates, Sales Contacts, and Leads. You can use it to create targeted lists or suppression lists based on email engagement.

  1. Navigate to List Building or Advanced Search in Bullhorn Automation.

  2. Select the entity type you want to filter: Candidates, Sales Contacts, or Leads.

  3. Locate the Last Email Received Date field in the available criteria.

  4. Choose a filter option:

    • Less Than or More Than: filter by a relative time range.

    • Before or After: filter by a specific date.

    • Has or Does Not Have: filter by whether a value exists.

  5. Apply the filter and save your list.

For Leads, this field becomes available after the first ATS sync completes following enablement.

Create a Suppression List with Last Email Received Date

One of the most effective uses for this field is building suppression lists that automatically exclude contacts or candidates who have recently engaged via email.

  1. Create a new list and select your entity type.

  2. Add Last Email Received Date as a filter criterion.

  3. Set the filter to capture records that have received an email within your desired timeframe (for example, Less Than 7 days).

  4. Save the list as a suppression list.

  5. Apply the suppression list to your automations to exclude recently contacted records.

This ensures that people who have already engaged are not sent redundant follow-ups.

Troubleshooting

If Last Email Received Date Is Not Appearing as a Filter Option

This feature must be enabled for your environment. Contact Bullhorn Support to request enablement.

If the Field Is Not Available for Leads

The field becomes visible for Leads only after the next ATS sync completes following enablement. Allow time for the sync to run, then check again.

If Suppression Lists Are Not Excluding Expected Records

Verify that the filter logic matches your intended criteria. Confirm that the records in question have email activity data populated in the Last Email Received Date field.

If Last Email Received Date Shows No Data for a Record You Know Has Received Emails

The Last Email Received Date field only captures activity from the point it was enabled for your environment. Emails received before enablement are not reflected in this field. If you recently had the feature enabled, allow time for new email activity to populate the field.

FAQs

Does this field track when someone replied to an email?

The Last Email Received Date field reflects when the contact or candidate last received an email, which helps you infer engagement timing and avoid over-communication.

Which entity types support this field?

Candidates, Sales Contacts, and Leads all support Last Email Received Date as searchable list criteria.

Do I need to configure anything to start using this field?

No configuration is required on your end. Once the feature is enabled by Support, the field is automatically available in List Building and Advanced Search.

Can I use this field directly in Automation Settings as a filter?

Not yet. Currently, the field is available in List Building and Advanced Search. A future enhancement is being considered that would allow Automation Settings to use this field as a dynamic filter.

How do I get this feature turned on?

Contact Bullhorn Support to request enablement.

Why does a record show no Last Email Received Date even though they've received emails before?

The Last Email Received Date field does not include historical email activity. It begins tracking from the date the feature is enabled for your environment. Only emails received after that point will populate the field.