Tags can pile up over time. After a few months of hiring you'll have near-duplicates, typos, and tags from roles you no longer recruit for. Tags & Sources in Settings is where you clean all of that up — it lists every tag and source tag in your account, shows how many candidates or jobs use each one, and lets you rename, merge, or delete them in bulk.
This article covers managing the tags themselves. To learn how to apply tags to candidates and jobs in the first place, see the related articles at the end.
Note: You need permission to manage candidates to open this page. To create, rename, merge, or delete anything on it, you also need the Manage tags and sources permission. Without it, you'll see the list but no editing controls.
Open the Tags & Sources page
Go to Settings > Workflow > Tags & Sources. You'll land on three tabs:
Tags for candidates — tags applied to candidate profiles.
Tags for jobs — tags applied to jobs. These are a separate list from candidate tags.
Sources — where your candidates came from.
Each tab lists its tags alongside a count of either Candidates (in Tags for candidates and Sources), or Jobs (in Tags for jobs). There's also an additional column showing the count of Job templates with each tag, if your account uses job templates.
Note: The three lists are completely separate. A tag you create for candidates won't appear on the jobs tab, and you can't merge across tabs.
Find a tag in the list
Once you have more than a screen's worth of tags, use these to narrow things down.
Search
Type into the search field at the top left. Each tab searches its own list — the placeholder tells you which one you're in, for example Search candidate tags.
Sort
Click a column header to sort by it. Click again to reverse the order. You can sort alphabetically by name, or by the number of candidates or jobs using the tag.
Tip: Sorting by the count column, smallest first, is the quickest way to surface one-off tags and typos that are worth merging or deleting.
Page through the list
The list shows 30 tags per page by default. Use the page controls at the top right or bottom of the table to move between pages. If you have more than 15 tags, a control below the table lets you change how many appear per page.
See which candidates or jobs use a tag
Click the number in the count column to jump straight to what's using that tag.
Tags for candidates — opens your candidate list filtered by that tag.
Sources — opens your candidate list filtered by that source tag.
Tags for jobs — opens your job list with the tag name entered as a search term.
Create tags
You can add tags here before anyone needs them — handy when you're setting up a naming convention for your team.
Go to Settings > Workflow > Tags & Sources and open the tab you want to add to.
Click + New.
Type a name in the Tag name field (or Source name on the Sources tab).
Press Enter, or click the suggestion below the field. The name appears as a chip under the field.
Repeat steps 3–4 for as many tags as you want to create.
Click Add tags (or Add sources).
A confirmation message tells you how many were added, and how many were skipped.
Note: If the name already exists, the suggestion below the field reads Tag already exists and the name won't be added. Tag names aren't case-sensitive, so typing "senior" when a Senior tag exists counts as a duplicate.
Note: Tag names are limited to 255 characters. Go over and you'll see Can't create, tag is too long.
Rename a tag
Find the tag in the list.
Click the pencil icon next to its name.
Type the new name.
Click Save.
The new name applies everywhere the tag is used. To back out without saving, click Cancel.
If you rename a tag to a name that already exists, Tellent Recruitee asks A tag with the same name already exists. Do you want to merge these tags? Confirm to combine the two, or cancel to leave both as they are.
Merge tags
Merging combines several tags into a single one. Everything tagged with any of them ends up carrying the merged tag instead.
Select the tags you want to combine using the checkboxes.
Click Merge in the toolbar above the list.
In the New tag's name field, type the name you want to keep. The selected tags appear as chips above the field — click one to reuse its name.
Click Merge.
Your selection carries across pages, so you can page through a long list and keep adding to it before you merge. Switching tabs clears the selection.
Important: You can't undo a merge. The dialog shows the same warning before you confirm.
Tip: Merging is the fix for the same idea spelled multiple ways — for example Java and Java developer. Pick the spelling you want to standardise on and merge the other tag into it.
Delete tags
Select the tags using the checkboxes.
Click Delete in the toolbar above the list.
Read the confirmation, then confirm.
Important: Deleting a tag also removes it from every candidate or job that uses it. You can't undo this. If you only want to tidy up duplicates, merge them instead.
FAQs
Can I merge a candidate tag with a job tag?
Can I merge a candidate tag with a job tag?
No. Each tab is its own list, and merging only works within a single tab.
What's the difference between a tag and a source tag?
What's the difference between a tag and a source tag?
A tag describes the candidate or the job — a skill, a location, a stage in your process. A source tag records where a candidate came from. They live on separate tabs and are managed the same way.
Why can't I see the New, Merge, or Delete buttons?
Why can't I see the New, Merge, or Delete buttons?
Your role may be missing the Manage tags and sources permission. You can still view the list and click through the counts.
Are tag names case-sensitive?
Are tag names case-sensitive?
No. Senior and senior are treated as the same tag.
Is there a length limit for a tag name?
Is there a length limit for a tag name?
Yes — 255 characters.
Can I undo a merge or a deletion?
Can I undo a merge or a deletion?
No. Both these actions are permanent.
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