ATS platform guide

How to beat Lever ATS.

Used by 5,000+ companies, strong in mid-market tech and startups

Lever combines ATS and CRM functionality into a single platform, making it popular with companies that prioritize proactive sourcing and relationship-based recruiting. Its clean interface and strong candidate relationship management tools make it a favorite among talent teams at growing companies.

Companies using Lever

ShopifyNetflixKPMGAtlassianRedditLyftTwilioCalm

Formatting tips for Lever

Follow these rules to make sure Lever can parse your resume correctly.

Lever's parser handles standard formatting well - keep it simple with clearly delineated sections

Avoid complex tables or multi-column layouts - Lever reads top-to-bottom, left-to-right

Use bolding for company names and job titles - Lever's display preserves basic formatting

Include a clear contact section at the top - Lever maps name, email, and phone from the resume header

Standard bullet points render correctly; avoid nested bullets which may flatten unpredictably

Keep file sizes under 10MB - Lever rejects larger uploads silently

Keyword strategies for Lever

Each ATS handles keywords differently. Here is how Lever processes them.

1

Lever's search is full-text - every word in your resume is searchable by recruiters, so include relevant terms naturally

2

Match the seniority level language from the posting (e.g., 'senior', 'lead', 'staff', 'principal')

3

Include company names that are recognizable in your industry - Lever recruiters often search by past employer

4

List programming languages, frameworks, and tools explicitly in a skills section - recruiters filter by these tags

5

Use industry-specific terminology - Lever's CRM tagging system relies on exact term matching

6

Include location information - Lever supports geographic filtering in candidate search

Common rejection reasons

These are the most common reasons resumes get filtered out by Lever.

Archived as a duplicate - Lever tracks all previous interactions, and reapplying without updates flags you

Failed pipeline stage criteria - Lever uses configurable stage gates

Resume did not match sourcing tags - recruiters search the CRM by skills, titles, and company tags

No response to outreach - Lever's CRM nudges recruiters to archive unresponsive candidates

Screened out by custom qualification questions in the application form

Candidate tagged as 'not a fit' from a previous application cycle

Insider tips

If a recruiter reached out to you via Lever's nurture campaign, replying positively moves you to the top of the pipeline - always engage with these outreach emails
Lever tracks every touchpoint - if you've been contacted before, reference that interaction when reapplying
Lever's candidate-facing portal is minimal - don't expect detailed status updates; follow up with the recruiter directly
When applying through Lever, the 'Additional Information' field is visible to every interviewer - use it strategically for context that doesn't fit on your resume
Lever supports Easy Apply integrations - but uploading a tailored resume gives you much better parse results than auto-import from LinkedIn

Accepted file formats

.pdf.docx.doc.txt.rtf.odt

Test your resume against Lever.

Upload your resume and paste the job description. See which keywords are missing and fix formatting issues before you apply.

Check ATS score, free

Frequently asked questions

How do I format my resume for Lever?▾

Lever's parser handles standard formatting well - keep it simple with clearly delineated sections Avoid complex tables or multi-column layouts - Lever reads top-to-bottom, left-to-right

What file format should I use for Lever?▾

Lever accepts .pdf, .docx, .doc, .txt, .rtf, .odt. DOCX is generally recommended for better parsing accuracy.

Which companies use Lever?▾

Major companies using Lever include Shopify, Netflix, KPMG, Atlassian, and many others.

Why was my resume rejected by Lever?▾

The most common reason is formatting issues that prevent proper parsing. Archived as a duplicate - Lever tracks all previous interactions, and reapplying without updates flags you