Extending Record Ownership in Zoho Recruit

By default, every record in Zoho Recruit has a record owner, who is responsible for managing and overseeing all activities within that record such as updating fields, adding new information, or making edits. This user is called the primary record owner. However, recruitment is often a team effort. For example, a recruiter may need to collaborate with a hiring manager to review shortlisted candidates, or involve a technical interviewer for a specialized role. In many such cases, it becomes essential to include multiple team members in managing a single record.

In such scenarios, you can use the User Field to extend ownership of a record to multiple users. As co-owners, these users can update, modify, add, or delete details on the record as permitted, or simply view the record based on their access privileges.

Availability

Available for	Profile Permissions	Users with Customize Zoho Recruit permission can create or edit User fields.
	Editions	Staffing Agency and Corporate HR
	Plans	Enterprise (Including Zoho One and People plus)
	Modules	Job Openings, Candidates, Interviews, Clients, Contacts, Vendors, All Custom Modules.

Types of User Fields

Zoho Recruit provides two types of user fields, you can choose either of them based on your requirement on how you want to share access.

1. Single User Field

Used to assign one extra user to a record.
You can add up to five such fields per module.

Examples: Candidate Owner, Account Manager

Let’s say a recruiter, Sarah, is handling a candidate record. She’s the main owner, but she wants her colleague Jake to also track updates and follow up with the candidate. In this case, a Single User Field works best — she can add Jake as the Co-Owner, so he gets access to collaborate without changing the main ownership.

2. Multiple User Field

Used to assign more than one user (up to 10) to the same record.
You can have only one multiple-user field in a module.

Examples: Assign recruiter

Now imagine a hiring drive where multiple recruiters are sourcing for the same job opening. Here, a Multiple User Field comes in handy. You can Assign Recruiters — say, Sarah, Jake, and Emma to the same record, so all of them can view progress, share notes, and stay aligned throughout the hiring process.

Adding a User Field

Adding a user field to a record layout is done by simply dragging and dropping the field to the layout editor.

Log in to Zoho Recruit with admin rights.
Go to Setup → Customization → Modules.
Select the module where you want to add the field (like Candidates or Job Openings).
The Layout Editor opens. From the New Fields tray, drag and drop User Field into your layout.
Give the field a name — for example: Secondary Owner, Interviewer, or Recruiter.
Choose the field type:
Single User - You can add up to 5 single user fields in a module.
Multiple Users - You can add only 1 multi-user field in a module that can include up to 10 users.
Turn on or off Allow Record Accessibility, depending on whether you want users to have access to the shared records.
Set the level of access for the shared users:
Read Only: Can only view the record.
Read/Write: Can view and edit, but not delete.
Full Access: Can view, edit, and delete.
Click Done and Save Layout.

Note:
- The Edit & Delete option will apply based on the user’s profile permission. If a user does not have Edit/Delete permission in their profile but has access to a shared record with "Read/Write" / “Full Access,” the user cannot Edit/Delete the record. Edit/Delete action is always controlled by the profile-level edit/delete permission, not by the shared access level
- Record sharing applies only to the base record. Access is not extended to related data such as Associated Candidates, Notes, Emails, Activities, or other related lists.

How to Use the User Field

The User Field is created, it can be associated with various features. Once created, you can use it to assign or share records with other users across these features.

Here’s how you can do it:

From the Record Page: Click and edit the User field directly.
From the List View: Use Mass Update to assign multiple records at once.
While Creating a Record: Assign a user right from the creation form.
Using Quick Create: Use the quick add option to assign users.
When Editing a Record: Update the User field while editing.
Using APIs: Assign users through Create or Update Record APIs.

Tip:

When you create a User field for any module, Zoho Recruit automatically creates a system custom view called “Co-Owner <Module Name>” (for example, Co-Owner Candidates).

This view helps users quickly find all records that are shared with them.

Understanding “Allow Record Accessibility”

The Allow Record Accessibility option decides whether users added through a User field can actually access the record or not.

What It Does

If this option is ON, shared users can see and work on the record (based on the access level you gave them).
If it’s OFF, the shared users will no longer be able to see or access those records.

Behind the Scenes

When you turn this option on or off, Zoho Recruit runs a background process to update permissions safely.
Once done, you’ll see a confirmation message.

Example

Let’s say you created a User field called Co-Owner, and shared several records using it.
If you later turn off Allow Record Accessibility:

All those shared records will instantly stop being visible to those co-owners.
The records will also disappear from their Co-Owner <Module Name> view.

How to Turn Off Record Accessibility

If you want to revoke shared access:

In Zoho Recruit, there may be situations where you want to retain an associated user as a point of contact but don’t want them to have access to the record or share ownership rights. In such cases, as an admin, you can regulate record accessibility for that associated user.

Example:

In a hiring process, the primary recruiter might own the candidate record, while the hiring manager collaborates for interview feedback and final decisions. The hiring manager can remain as a co-owner for communication and support purposes. However, if you prefer not to share record access or ownership, their privilege to view or edit the record can be revoked.

This can be managed by unchecking the Allow Record Accessibility option in the User field. This setting lets you decide whether the associated user can access the record or not.

To revoke record accessibility:

Go to Setup > Customization > Modules
In the Modules tab, select the corresponding module (for example, Candidates or Job Openings).
In the layout builder, click the setup icon next to the user field and select Edit Properties.
In the User Field Properties page, uncheck the Allow Record Accessibility option.
Click Done and Save Layout.
Once done, you'll see a confirmation message.

Modules That Don’t Support User Fields

Some modules don’t support User field. You can’t create or use them in these modules:

Referrals
Tasks
Events
Calls
Offers
Submissions
Reviews

Note: If you try to use APIs to add User Field data in these modules, the system will ignore those parameters.

Useful to Know

When You Delete a User Field

If you delete a User field, all access granted through it is automatically revoked.

No leftover sharing permissions remain — the system cleans it up for you.

If You Downgrade Your Edition

If your account moves from Enterprise Edition to a lower edition:

User Field sharing stops working.
The fields will still appear (for data reference), but the sharing functionality will be disabled
If You Downgrade Your Edition

Useful Quick Comparison: Single vs Multiple Fields

Feature	Single User Field	Multiple User Field
How many you can add	Up to 5 per module	1 per module
Users per field	1 user	Up to 10 users
Examples	Candidate Owner, Account Manager	Assign recruiter
Access control	Yes (Read / Read-Write / Full Access)	Yes (Read / Read-Write / Full Access)

User Field | Zoho Recruit