Lever ATS Resume Format Guide: Optimize Your Resume for Lever
Lever combines ATS and CRM (Candidate Relationship Management) functionality, making it unique among hiring platforms. Used by companies like Shopify, Netflix, and KPMG, Lever's dual approach means your resume data is used for both immediate screening and long-term candidate relationship building. Here's how to optimize for Lever's specific parsing behavior.
Lever's Unique ATS + CRM Approach
Unlike traditional ATS platforms that focus solely on application processing, Lever maintains candidate profiles as ongoing relationships. When you apply through Lever, your data isn't just used for the current job—it becomes part of a talent pool that recruiters can search for future opportunities.
This means your resume optimization for Lever should think beyond the immediate application. The keywords, skills, and experience on your resume become searchable data points that could surface your profile for future roles you never applied to.
Lever's CRM functionality also means that recruiters may have previous interaction history with you. If you've applied to the same company before, the recruiter can see your entire history, making it important to update your resume between applications.
Lever Resume Parsing Specifics
Lever's parsing engine handles most standard resume formats well. It extracts contact information, work experience, education, and skills with reasonable accuracy. The parser supports DOCX, PDF, and plain text files.
One Lever-specific behavior is its emphasis on structured work history. The parser expects each job entry to include a title, company, dates, and description. If any of these elements are missing or ambiguous, the parsed entry may be incomplete.
Lever also parses LinkedIn profile URLs if included on your resume, potentially pulling additional data to enrich your candidate profile. Including your LinkedIn URL can provide the recruiter with a more complete picture of your background.
| Lever Feature | How It Affects You | Best Practice |
|---|---|---|
| CRM candidate pool | Your profile is searchable for future roles | Include broad, relevant skills for long-term visibility |
| Application history | Recruiters see your previous applications | Update your resume between applications |
| LinkedIn integration | May pull data from your LinkedIn | Keep LinkedIn profile current and aligned with resume |
| Structured parsing | Expects standard work entry format | Include title, company, dates for each role |
| Source tracking | Tracks how you found the job | Note referrals if applicable |
Formatting Best Practices for Lever
Lever works best with clean, single-column resumes that follow standard formatting conventions. The parser handles both chronological and combination resume formats well, but pure functional resumes (skills-based without chronological work history) may parse poorly.
For dates, Lever is flexible but performs best with consistent formatting. Use 'Month Year' or 'MM/YYYY' throughout your resume. Avoid using only years (e.g., '2020 – 2022') as this provides less precise experience calculation.
Lever's skills extraction scans the entire document, so embedding skills in your work experience descriptions complements a dedicated skills section. This dual approach ensures keywords are captured regardless of the parser's extraction method.
Making the Most of Lever's Features
Lever's candidate portal typically allows you to manage your profile and applications. Take advantage of this by keeping your profile updated with current information, even when you're not actively applying.
Some Lever implementations allow candidates to indicate interest in the company generally, not just specific positions. This 'general interest' option adds you to the talent pool for future consideration. If you like a company but don't see a perfect role, use this feature.
Referrals are particularly powerful in Lever's system. When an employee refers you, the referral note is attached to your profile and visible to every recruiter who views your application. A strong referral can significantly influence the hiring decision.
Pro Tips
Include your LinkedIn profile URL on your resume to enable Lever's LinkedIn integration
Think long-term with your keyword strategy—your Lever profile persists for future role matching
Update your resume between applications to the same company, as Lever tracks your full application history
Include specific dates (month + year) for each position rather than just years
Take advantage of Lever's general interest feature if available on the company's career page
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Having a LinkedIn profile that contradicts your resume—Lever may surface both to the recruiter
Resubmitting the exact same resume to the same company through Lever without improvements
Using a functional resume format without chronological work history, which Lever struggles to parse
Ignoring the Lever candidate portal after applying—keeping your profile updated helps for future opportunities