Beyond a resume, you'll often want to keep documents and context with a candidate — an extra file, a private observation, feedback for a specific interview.

This article covers where files and notes live and who can see them.

Attaching files

• Files live at the Contact or Application level, separate from the resume that was uploaded or parsed on creation.

• Email attachments can be added to Files directly. From the Conversations tab (on either the candidate profile or a job application), an "Add to Files" button lets you save an attachment that was sent or received by email into that candidate's Files section — no need to download and re-upload manually.

• This only works for job-linked conversations. The "Add to Files" option is hidden for adhoc or standalone emails that aren't tied to a specific job application.

• Attachments a candidate sends back in an email reply are tracked too, not just what your team sends out.

• Email attachments can be up to 15 MB in total. You can attach any number of files to an email (including offer-related emails), as long as they add up to less than 15 MB.

Notes: three levels, three audiences

Notes exist at three different levels, and each has a different visibility scope:

• Contact-level notes — visible to anyone who has access to that contact (recruiters, hiring managers, admins).

• Application-level notes — visible only to the hiring team on that specific job, plus admins.

• Interview-level notes — visible only to the specific interviewer, the hiring team on that job, and admins.

These levels are deliberate and don't merge automatically. If a candidate reapplies for a new role, the Notes tab on their new application won't show notes from their earlier application or their Contact-level notes — you'd need to check the candidate profile separately to see that history. This is expected behavior, not a bug, though it's a common point of confusion for recruiters working with repeat candidates.

Private notes

• Marking a note private restricts it to: the person who wrote it, anyone with the View private notes permission (Super Admin by default), and anyone explicitly @-tagged in that specific note.

• Admins without the private-notes permission can see public notes only — private notes stay hidden from them unless they're tagged in a specific one.

• Tagging someone in a private note is the supported way to share a specific note with someone who wouldn't otherwise see it — for example, handing off context to a colleague while you're out. It grants access to that one note, not to all of your private notes generally.

Tagging someone doesn't give them access

When you tag someone in a note, they get an email and an in-app notification with the note's text. To be sure they can also open the note in Kula, give them access to the job or candidate — for example, add them to the job's hiring team rather than only to one interview.

Good to know

• A note has to be submitted, not just typed. If you type a note and navigate away before pressing Enter (or otherwise confirming it), the note is never saved — it can look like your note "disappeared," but nothing was actually deleted; it just never reached the server.

• Files and notes (both public and private) carry over when a candidate is transferred between jobs. This is different from some other job-specific items — like scheduled or in-progress interviews and pending emails — which don't transfer.

• Notes feed into AI-generated candidate summaries. If your account has the AI Assistant enabled, it can read and summarize notes (respecting private-note permissions) alongside interviews and activity when answering questions about a candidate.

FAQ

• Where do I attach a file to a candidate? From the Files tab on the candidate profile or the job application, or via "Add to Files" on an email attachment in the Conversations tab (job-linked conversations only).

• Can I see notes from a candidate's earlier application when reviewing them for a new role? Not automatically — application-level notes are scoped to that specific application. You'd need to check the candidate's candidate profile separately to see notes from other applications or the contact record itself.

• I marked a note private — who can actually see it? Just you, anyone with the "View all private notes" permission (Super Admins by default), and anyone you explicitly @-tag in that note.

• I tagged someone in a note but they say they can't see it — what's going on? They still get an email and notification with the note's text. To open the note in Kula, they need access to the job or candidate — add them to the job's hiring team.

• Do notes and files carry over if I transfer a candidate to another job? Yes — notes (public and private), files, conversations, and activity history all transfer with the candidate. Scheduled or in-progress interviews and pending emails do not.

Need help?

If you have questions or need assistance, reach out to us at support@kula.ai or use the in-app chat.