Custom fields let you store the information that matters to your recruitment process, right where you work: on candidates, projects, requisitions and job profiles. Need to know a candidate's notice period, which department a project belongs to, or what type of contract a role offers? Create a custom field once, and it shows up in profiles, forms, filters and reports across Teamdash.
Why custom fields are a game-changer for recruiters
Every organisation tracks slightly different things. Instead of keeping that information in comments, spreadsheets or people's heads, custom fields turn it into structured data that the whole team can see, filter and report on.
Key benefits:
One source of truth – Everyone fills in the same field in the same format, so the data stays clean and comparable.
Less manual work – Map form questions straight into custom fields, so candidates fill them in for you.
Faster searching – Filter the Talent Pool by your candidate custom fields, for example everyone available within a month.
Better reporting – Slice your reports by project custom fields such as department or contract type.
Right data, right people – Decide which roles can see sensitive candidate fields.
In short, custom fields make Teamdash fit your process, not the other way around.
Where to find it?
From the main menu on the left, open Data structure and click Custom fields.
Who can view, create, edit and delete custom fields is set in the role permissions. By default, the Regular role can only view them.
What the Custom fields page looks like (quick visual guide)
Add field – Create a new custom field.
Entity types – Filter the list by where the fields are used. Shift+click to select several. When none are selected, all fields are shown. You can also use the search box on the left.
Entities – Shows where each field is used: P = Projects, R = Requisitions, C = Candidates, JP = Job profiles. The light grey text under a field name is its description.
Edit, Archive, Actions – Change the field, archive it, or delete it from the Actions menu.
Field types
Teamdash has 14 field types. Pick the one that matches the kind of answer you expect:
Text – A short single-line answer, such as a reference number or a link. Can have validation rules (see below).
Text area – A longer, multi-line answer, such as notes or a description.
Select – Choose one option from a list you define (for example Notice period: Available immediately, 1 month, 2 months…).
Multi-select – Choose several options from a list (for example Languages: English, German).
Date & time and Date – Pick a date, with or without a time.
Checkbox – A simple yes/no.
Multilingual text – Text that can be entered in several languages. You choose the languages when you create the field.
User – Pick a Teamdash user (for example a hiring manager).
Location and Multiple locations – Pick one or more of your saved locations.
File and Multiple files – Upload one or more files.
Multi-level select – Choose from a list with levels, such as Department → Team (see below).
Tip: Choose the type carefully. The field type can't be changed after the field is created.
Creating a custom field
Click + Add field. A panel opens on the right. Let's create a Notice period field for candidates as an example.
1. Label, type and options
Label – The name users see.
Type – Choose the field type.
Options – For Select, Multi-select and Multi-level select fields, add the choices with + Add option. Drag the handle on the left to change the order. If you rename an option later, the new name is updated everywhere it is used.
2. Entity types, required fields and visibility
Entity types – Tick where the field should be used: Projects, Requisitions, Candidates and/or Job profiles. One field can be used in several places.
Required – Turn on the toggle if the field must always be filled in for that entity type. For Requisitions, Required applies to all requisition templates.
Visibility (candidate fields) – Decide who can see the field.
Show on candidate card (candidate fields) – Show the value on the candidate cards in your project boards and in the Talent Pool list.
Description – Optional helper text that is shown below the field, so users know what to fill in.
Click Save, and the field is ready to use.
Visibility options for candidate fields
Visible to all – Everyone who can see the candidate can see the field.
Restricted to specific roles – Pick the user roles (for example Administrator, Regular user) that can see the field. Great for sensitive information such as salary expectations.
Hidden – The field is hidden from everyone, including administrators.
Validation rules
Text fields can check what users type in:
Value must be a number – Only numbers are accepted.
Value must be a valid URL – Only web addresses are accepted, for example a portfolio link.
You can choose one of the two rules. The rules are applied when users fill in the field.
Multi-level select
Use a Multi-level select field when your options have levels, for example a department and the teams inside it.
Options source – Choose Custom levels to type in your own options, or Team levels to use your Teamdash teams structure. The options source can't be changed after the field is saved. With Team levels you can also tick Default value to user team level.
Any level / Final level only – Use Any level when people can choose a broad category (Customer Support) or a specific item (Tier 1 support). Use Final level only when they must choose the most specific item.
+ Add top-level option adds a new main option. Click the ⊕ icon on a row to add a sub-option under it. Use the arrows to move options up and down.
This is how it looks when someone fills it in:
Editing, archiving and deleting fields
Editing a field
Click Edit next to a field. You can change the label, options, entity types, visibility and description.
The Type is locked. A field type can't be changed after creation.
Options that are already saved can't be removed, but you can hide them with the eye icon. Hidden options are no longer offered to users, but existing data is kept. At least one option must stay visible.
Archiving and restoring
Click Archive when you no longer need a field but want to keep its data. The values of archived fields become read-only. Archived fields are listed at the bottom of the page under Archived fields, where you can Restore them at any time.
Deleting
Delete is only offered when the field has no values and isn't required anywhere. To remove such a field, open Actions next to the field and choose Delete. If the field already has data, archive it instead.
Where you can use custom fields
Once a field is created, it appears automatically in every place that matches its entity types.
On the candidate profile
Candidate fields are shown in the top section of the candidate profile. To fill them in or change them, click Edit on the profile.
In the edit view, the small card icon next to a field label shows that the field is also displayed on the candidate card. The description appears under the label.
On the candidate card
Fields with Show on candidate card turned on are shown on the candidate cards on your project board, so you can see the key facts without opening the profile. Read more about the Candidate Preview Card.
In projects
Project fields appear on the Edit project tab. Required fields are marked with a red asterisk and must be filled in before the project can be saved. Multi-level fields that use Team levels can be pre-filled with the user's team. Values can also be copied into a project from a requisition, a job profile or a project template. Values that come from a requisition stay controlled by the requisition.
In job profiles
In a job profile, click + Add fields in a section to choose which custom fields the profile uses.
Click + next to a job profile field to add it to the section.
+ Create field lets you create a new custom field without leaving the job profile.
Under Fields from other entities, tick fields that are currently used only for projects, requisitions or candidates, then click Link fields to make them available on job profiles too.
In requisitions
Requisition fields appear in the requisition form. Requisition templates can set default values and show or hide a field based on another field's value. Approval flows can use field values too, for example, to add an extra approval stage only when the budget is over 10,000. Read more in Job Requisitions (Add-On).
In forms
Let candidates fill in your custom fields for you. In the form builder, choose the custom field in the Candidate profile target field of a form field. The answer is saved straight into the candidate's profile.
Only custom fields that fit the form field type are offered. For example, a Select form field can be mapped to a Select custom field.
When you map a Select form field to a custom field, the custom field's options are filled in automatically under Items.
Referral forms are pre-filled with the candidate's custom field values.
In the Talent Pool
Candidate custom fields can be used as filters in the Talent Pool. Click + Add filter, choose your custom field, and pick the values you're looking for.
Tip: Save the filter with Saved filters, so you can find, for example, all candidates who can start within a month in one click.
In reports
Custom fields make your Reports even more powerful:
Quick filters – Project custom fields with options (for example Department or Contract type) appear in the filter bar, so you can filter every widget by them.
Grouping – Widgets such as Candidate progression can group the data by project or candidate custom fields in the Value group setting.
In landing pages (merge tags)
Project, requisition and job profile custom fields can be added to your job ads as merge tags, so the text fills itself in from the project. Read more in Merge Tags in Landing Pages.
More places that use custom fields
Depending on the features and add-ons you have, custom fields are also used here:
Offers – Each offer template can include custom fields (with its own Required setting). Field values can be used as merge tags in offer emails and offer documents, and in offer approval rules. Required offer fields must be filled in before an offer can be marked ready.
Career pages – Careers blocks can let candidates filter jobs by project custom fields and show them on the job cards. You choose the fields in each block. The older careers block can also group jobs by a field.
Project and requisition lists – Filter the lists by Select and Multi-select fields (projects also by Multi-level select fields).
Approvals – Requisition, offer and job ad approval flows can include stages based on custom field values.
Exports and documents – Field values are included in exports such as the project candidates Excel export and the project status report, the monthly hiring report and the activities report, and in decision documents.
Automations – The Send webhook action includes the candidate's and project's custom field values.
Candidate import and API – When you import candidates from Excel, columns are matched to custom fields by their label. Custom fields are also available in the Teamdash API. AI assistants connected through the Teamdash MCP can search candidates by custom fields and read the values, but can't change them.
Merging candidates – If two profiles have different values, you choose which one to keep.
GDPR – When a candidate is anonymized, their custom field values are cleared too.
AI screening – The AI screener doesn't use form answers that are saved to candidate fields with restricted visibility, so sensitive answers stay out of AI scoring.
Custom activities – Custom activity types have their own, separate list of fields. You set them up with the activity type, not on the Custom fields page.
FAQ
Can I change the type of a field after it has been created?
No. The field type is locked after creation. Create a new field with the right type and archive the old one.
What happens to existing data when I hide an option?
Nothing is lost. A hidden option is no longer offered to users, but candidates, projects or requisitions that already have this value keep it.
What's the difference between archiving and deleting?
Archiving keeps the field and its values (read-only), and you can restore it later. Deleting removes the field, and it is only possible when the field has no values and isn't required anywhere. If you're unsure, archive.
Can one field be used for both projects and job profiles?
Yes. Tick several entity types when you create or edit the field. In a job profile you can also link existing fields from other entities with Link fields.
How do I make a field mandatory?
Edit the field and turn on Required next to the entity type, for example Projects. Users then must fill in the field before they can save.
How can I keep sensitive candidate information private?
Set the field's visibility to Restricted to specific roles and choose the roles that may see it. Read more about user roles.