Overview
A number of iCIMS' Talent Cloud products leverage filters and subgroups as part of searching and reporting, including:
- iCIMS Connect (Legacy CRM)
- iCIMS Applicant Tracking
- iCIMS Offer Management
- iCIMS Onboarding
Filters are the attributes that allow users to refine their searches based on selected values, whereas sub-groups are sub-categories under each filter to further help fine tune the search results to a more narrow selection.
Users can select is or is not as the search operator for filters and subgroups; for text-based searches, users also have the options of contains or does not contain. Searches run with an is or an is not operator return results that are exact matches for the search terms entered. Searches run with a contains or a does not contain operator cast a broader net, returning results that may include only parts of the search terms entered. While filters and subgroups are available for all searches and reports that use the search form, this article includes examples of Job searches to illustrate this functionality.
Helpful Hint: How Search Filters Are Organized
When you run searches and reports, the filters you set retrieve data from associated information fields within the relevant profile type. Knowing where a field is located on a profile is helpful when adding a filter to your search. For example, the Job Folder field can be found on the Detail tab of a Job profile (and also in the profile card, highlighted in gray).
Because you know that the Job Folder field is located on the Detail tab, you can add the Job Folder filter by expanding the Detail tab header in the Filters popup and locating Job Folder. Alternatively, if you did not know where the field is located or simply wanted to save time, you could search in the Filters popup for job folder.
Additionally, iCIMS has identified a variety of information that can be helpful in building a search that is not captured on profile tabs. This information includes, but is not limited to:
- General
- Provides access to information like profile Created Date and Updated Date.
- Icons
- Allows the user to add useful icons to the search results.
- Reporting & Advanced Options
- Each search type provides access to relevant Reporting & Advanced Options for filters and/or columns. The exact options available will vary based on search type and user permissions.
Advanced Fields and Filters
Dynamic Filters
Dynamic filtering is a robust tool available to user admins only that allows them to create search filters that leverage dynamic values relative to a logged-in user's Person profile. (For those familiar with system searching, this is similar to the @userid functionality, but much more powerful.) With dynamic filtering, user admins can create a single search template that provides tailored results to individual users.
Traditionally, when a filter is added to a search, a static value is set for that filter. That static value then determines what profiles are returned in search results. For example, a user adds the Department filter to a Job search and selects a specific department (e.g., Marketing) as the value for that filter. The results for this search then only contain Job profiles within the specified department.
With dynamic filtering, a value that is relative to the person running the search is used instead of a static value to provide more personalized results.
After adding a filter to a search form, selecting the Dynamic Filtering icon opens a popup (similar to the filter picker) that allows the user admin to set a relative value for the filter.
The Dynamic Filtering popup contains options (i.e., profile fields) from the Person profile. From the popup, the user admin selects the appropriate profile field for the filter to compare against when determining search results.
For example, a user admin adds the Department filter to a Job search and clicks the Dynamic Filtering icon. From the popup, the user admin selects Employee Tab > Department and saves the value. (Depending on how your organization has configured the Person profile, the profile fields available as options on this popup may vary.)
On the search form, the filter value then displays as My Department.
After this search is saved as a template and shared with other users, each user that logs in to the system and accesses the search will have their search results filtered by the department listed in the Department field on the Employee tab of their Person profile. This dynamic filtering happens automatically, without each user needing to modify the search template to reflect their own department.
Note: When using a search template containing a dynamic filter, a user must have the profile field referenced by the dynamic filter completed on their Person profile or the search template will not return any results (or may return incorrect results) for that user. When creating a search template that includes a dynamic filter, ensure the users who will be leveraging the search template have data in the appropriate fields on their Person profile.
Relational Fields
A relational field is a more advanced feature within the searching and reporting tool. Relational fields may be brought into search results from a profile in the system that is NOT the kind of profile expected based on the search type. For example, if a user ran a Job search that included the name of each job’s hiring manager, the hiring manager’s name would be considered a relational field because it is actually being pulled from the hiring manager’s Person profile, not the Job profile.
When you have selected a filter that is a relational field, a small icon will display beside the field name, as shown below.
Tips:
- To remove a filter, click the red Delete (X) icon to the right of the column name.
- To move a column up or down in the sequence, click the grip icon to the left of the column name, then drag the column to the desired place in the sequence.
Adding Subgroups
Use subgroups when your filters use AND/OR logic. To do this, think of your filters as groups. For example, let’s say you are searching for jobs that are either in the Approved folder status OR were created this year AND have a hire type of New.
| Group 1 | | Group 2 (subgroup) |
| Folder Status: Approved | OR | Created: This Year
AND
Hire Type: New |
As indicated above, you would end up with two groups. Notice that all groups after the first one are considered subgroups.
When entered in the Job Search: Filters fields, it would look like this:
Using Any/All Logic with Groups and Subgroups
Notice that the any/all dropdown lists determine AND/OR logic. For example, let’s assume you wanted to change the search to searching for jobs that are in the Approved folder status AND were created this year OR have a hire type of New.
| Group 1 | | Group 2 (subgroup) |
| Folder Status: Approved | AND | Created: This Year
OR
Hire Type: New |
When entered in the Job Search: Filters fields, it would look like this:
Searching & Reporting Curriculum
The iCIMS Knowledge Base includes additional resources to introduce users to searching and reporting within the iCIMS system. These resources have been compiled in the following article: Searching & Reporting Curriculum.
