You can add tags to a Contact (or candidate), Company, or Job to categorize it, and then use the tags in Find to filter your records. The steps are the same for every record type. You can also add or remove tags for up to 200 contacts at once, from the Contacts tab or from a search.
What are tags used for?
Tags let you define a record by a skill set or characteristic that you may not find on a resume. The text of a resume is already searchable, so tags give you another way to query your database alongside keyword searches. For example, you can add a “sales manager” tag to a candidate after you confirm that they are one, so a search on the tag returns only verified candidates.
To learn more about tags and how to set them up, see Managing, Creating, and Exporting Tags.
How to add a tag to a record
This example uses a Contact. The steps are the same for companies and jobs.
Open the record. For a Contact, this is the contact form.
Find the tag category you want to add tags to, and select it.
Add a tag in one of two ways:
Type the tag name. A list of matching tags appears. Select a match, or finish typing to create a new tag, if you are allowed to. See the note below.
Use the magnifying glass. Select it to look for an existing tag in the list.
To add more tags, repeat step 3. You can add multiple tags to a record.
Select Save at the top of the page. The tags are not added until you save.
💡 Pro Tip: Before you add a new tag, check the existing list. Typing a tag name shows matching tags, so you can choose an existing one and avoid creating a near-duplicate.
Who can create new tags?
Any user can add an existing tag to a record. To create a new tag by typing it:
Administrators can create a new tag in any tag category.
Users who are not administrators can create a new tag only in Tags (No Category), the general category.
How to add or remove tags in bulk
You can add tags to many contacts at once, or remove tags from them, up to 200 contacts at a time. You can do this from the Contacts tab or from a search.
Open the Contacts tab, or run a search.
Select the contacts you want to change, up to 200.
Open the Selected contacts drop-down, which shows the number of contacts you selected, such as 5 Selected contacts.
Select Tag.... The Select Tags window opens.
Choose Add to add tags to the selected contacts, or Remove to remove the tags you choose from them.
In the field for each tag category, type a tag name or select the magnifying glass to choose a tag.
Select OK.
For more on bulk operations, see Bulk Tagging.
How do you find records by tag?
All users can search and filter by the existing tags in any category. Use Find to see only the records that have the tags you choose.
Open the Contacts area and select Find.
In the panel on the right, find the Tags section. It appears by default after you select Find.
In the field for each tag category you want to filter on, type a tag name or select the magnifying glass to choose a tag.
The Tags section includes a field for every tag category you have, including the general Tags (No Category), so you can combine tags from different categories in one search.
If the Tags section is not in the panel, select Add Field at the top of the panel and choose Tags.
Should you match all, any, or none of your tags?
At the bottom of the Tags section, the setting reads Result must have all of these. It controls how Crelate treats the tags you choose, and it can change your results a great deal. By default, the setting is all.
Option | Which records you get |
ALL of the selected tags | Only records that have every tag you selected. |
ANY of the selected tags | Records that have at least one of the tags you selected. |
NONE of the selected tags | Records that have none of the tags you selected. This includes records with no tags at all, and records with other tags. |
For example, if you select the tags “Sales” and “Manager”:
With ALL, you see only records tagged with both “Sales” and “Manager.”
With ANY, you see records tagged “Sales,” records tagged “Manager,” and records tagged with both.
With NONE, you see records that have neither “Sales” nor “Manager.” These include records with no tags and records with other tags.
To change the setting:
Select the linked word ALL at the bottom of the Tags section. The Show records with... menu opens.
Choose ALL of the selected tags, ANY of the selected tags, or NONE of the selected tags.
The linked word then changes to match your choice: all, any, or none. Your results update to match. To change the setting again, select the linked word.
When would you use each option?
Teams use tags in many different ways, so these examples show how each option might help. They are not rules.
Use ALL to narrow your results. Suppose you tag candidates “Sales” and “Manager” after you confirm their experience. Searching for ALL of those tags returns only the candidates who have both.
Use ANY to widen your results. If you want everyone with a sales background or a management background, search for ANY of the tags. You see candidates tagged with one or both.
Use NONE to exclude records. Here are two ways a team might use it:
Find candidates who do not have the tags yet. If your team adds “Sales” and “Manager” after reviewing a candidate, searching for NONE of those tags gives you a list of candidates who have neither, which could be a list to review next.
Leave out a group you do not need. Suppose you are filling a permanent role and want to skip contractors. Select the tag “Contractor” and search for NONE of the selected tags. You see the records that are not tagged “Contractor.”
What happens when you select only one tag?
All three options work with a single tag. With one tag, ALL and ANY return the same records, which are the records that have that tag. NONE returns the opposite, which is the records that do not have it. The options behave differently from each other only when you select more than one tag.
How can you see tags in a list of records?
You can show each record’s tags as a column in your list.
Open the list, such as the results of a Find.
Select the three-dot menu in any column heading.
In the list of columns, select the checkbox next to Tags.
The Tags column then appears in your list. It shows all of the tags on each record, not only the tags you filtered by. (Screenshot)
How can you export tags from a list of records?
Users who are not administrators cannot export tags from Settings, but anyone can export the tags on their records. Add the Tags column to your list, and then export the list.
Add the Tags column to your list, as described above.
Select the export icon in the top right corner.
In the Exporter panel, choose what data to export, what to export, and the file type, which can be Comma-Separated, Microsoft Excel 2016, or Microsoft Excel 2019+.
Select Start Export.
The export includes the columns in your current view, so it includes the Tags column.
💡 Pro Tip: Add the Tags column to your list before you export, so each contact’s tags are included in the file.
Key takeaway
You can add tags to Contacts, Companies, and Jobs, and use them in Find to filter records, matching all, any, or none of your selected tags. Select the tag category on the record, add or create a tag, and select Save. You can add or remove tags for up to 200 contacts at once, and anyone can export the tags on their records by adding the Tags column to a list.
What's Next?
Learn more about tags and bulk operations.