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Applying on Lever: how your resume is read

A Lever application is one page on jobs.lever.co: attach your resume, and the form tries to auto-read it into your name, email, phone and current company. Lever's help center lists Word, PDF, RTF, HTML, OpenOffice and WordPerfect files as formats its parser reads. Check every filled field, answer the employer's questions and submit.

By Ruubu Editorial Team · How we write and check these pages

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How does applying on Lever work?

Lever's postings API documentation calls the hosted application form the best practice, so most Lever jobs end on the same one-page form. It starts with the resume upload, then asks for your name, email, phone, location, current company and links, followed by the employer's questions and optional equal-opportunity questions.

  1. Attach your resume

    On the Lever-hosted form we read, the first field is Attach resume/CV. While it works the form shows Analyzing resume, then Success or Couldn't auto-read resume. The same form accepted files up to 100 MB.

  2. Check the fields it filled

    Lever's parser adds information such as name, organization and contact details. If the form could not auto-read your file, type them in; a failed read does not stop the application.

  3. Add links

    Lever forms ask for links such as LinkedIn, GitHub or a portfolio. Paste full addresses so they work when a recruiter clicks them.

  4. Answer the employer's questions

    Employers add their own questions, for example whether you are eligible to work in the country of the job, and can make extra fields required.

  5. Submit

    Lever creates a candidate from at least your name and email. Its documentation says candidate records are merged when email addresses match, so applying twice with one email updates one record.

Which resume file formats does Lever read?

Lever's help center lists the file types its resume parser can read: Word (including .docx), PDF, Rich Text (RTF), Corel WordPerfect, HTML, MS Office HTML and OpenOffice (ODF). A PDF with selectable text or a DOCX is the simple choice; a scanned page or a picture of a resume gives the parser no text.

If the form says Couldn't auto-read resume, check that the file has selectable text and one reading order, then type the fields in. That message only covers what this form could fill from your file; it says nothing about how a recruiter will rate you.

Ruubu exports text-based PDF and DOCX files from every template. 42 of the 55 templates carry the ATS-safe label, built to read in one order; the ATS resume builder starts you on one.

What should you check after Lever auto-reads your resume?

Lever fills a handful of fields from your file, not your whole history, so the check is quick: your full name, email, phone, current location and current company. Fix any field that came out wrong before you scroll down, because the recruiter sees these at the top of your profile.

  • Full name: spelled the way you want to be addressed; the form also lets you add pronouns.
  • Email: one address for every Lever application to the same company, because records with the same email are merged.
  • Phone: with your country code if you apply abroad.
  • Current company: the employer from your latest role, not a client or a school.
  • Links: complete URLs for LinkedIn, GitHub and portfolio, checked once in a new tab.

What else does a Lever application ask?

Below the contact fields, Lever forms carry the employer's own questions, which can be required, and on US forms such as the Lever-hosted one we read, a voluntary equal employment opportunity survey about gender, race and veteran status. The survey is optional and kept separate; the employer's questions are where eligibility answers such as work authorization go.

Lever's API also lets employers ask for marketing and data-storage consent, so you may see a checkbox about being contacted for future roles. Ruubu for Chrome fills visa, sponsorship and salary answers only from the answers you saved yourself.

How does Ruubu help with a Lever application?

On Lever, Ruubu for Chrome fills your details, work history and links, attaches your resume PDF after you check a preview, and offers Confirm and submit once every required field is filled and no CAPTCHA is on the page. Your click presses the form's own submit button once; nothing is sent without it.

Want to know before you upload whether a parser can read your file? Open What a parser reads in the editor's Download menu: it reads your exported PDF and DOCX back and lists the name, email, phone, headings and jobs a rule-based parser finds.

Paste the job link into the Job Link Optimizer to score your resume against that posting before you apply, then export the tailored copy.

What Ruubu for Chrome does on Lever

  • Autofill on application forms

    Ruubu for Chrome fills your details, work history and education and attaches your resume PDF, after you check a preview. Beta means the form is filled by the general field matcher, so look it over more closely.

  • Confirm and submit

    On one-page forms, the button turns on only when every required field is filled and no CAPTCHA is on the page. Your click presses the form's own submit button once.

From the extension version in the Chrome Web Store today. Beta means the form is filled by the general field matcher, so look it over more closely.

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Questions about Lever

What does Couldn't auto-read resume mean on Lever?

The form could not fill your name and contact fields from the file. You can still apply: type the fields in. Before your next application, check the file has selectable text and one reading order.

Does Lever accept a DOCX?

Yes. Lever's help center lists Word files, including .docx, among the formats its parser reads, along with PDF, RTF, HTML, OpenOffice and WordPerfect.

Do I need an account to apply on Lever?

No. The Lever-hosted form takes the application on the page. Lever needs at least your name and email, and merges candidate records that share an email address.

Can Ruubu submit a Lever application for me?

Only when you click. Ruubu for Chrome fills the form, and Confirm and submit presses the form's own button once when every required field is filled. Nothing is sent in the background.

Sources

Vendor documentation read on the date shown. Employers configure their own sites, so a form you see can differ.

Lever is a trademark of its owner. Ruubu is independent and not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Lever.

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