What a Lever application form asks for and how to fill it in
Every Lever application form asks for a resume, full name, email, phone, current location and current company, and only name and email are required by default. Employers can make the others mandatory and add link questions, custom questions and, in the United States, equal-opportunity questions. This guide covers each part, based on Lever's own help articles for employers, so you know what to expect before you click Apply on a jobs.lever.co page.
The fixed fields
Lever says the following questions are included on every application form and cannot be deleted: resume, full name, email, phone, current location and current company. Full name and email are required by default; an employer can mark the rest mandatory. An employer can also add an optional pronouns field (it can never be mandatory) and an additional-information box.
If you upload a resume, Lever fills in the current location from it. If it can't be read, you pick a location from a drop-down as you type.
Preferred location and links
- Preferred location. Postings with several locations automatically get this question, answered from a drop-down.
- Link questions. Employers can ask for URLs such as LinkedIn or GitHub. Lever adds the word "URL" to the label, so "GitHub" appears as "GitHub URL".
Custom questions
Employers can add their own questions to a posting. Lever's list of question types is single-line text, paragraph text, dropdown, file upload, multiple choice, checkboxes and university picker. A file upload accepts up to 100 MB. Lever's guidance to employers is that a required cover letter or resume should be requested through a file upload question, so if you want to send a cover letter, look for one rather than assuming the form has a slot. Employers are also told that Lever's resume parser already captures email, previous employers and contact information, so a well-built form shouldn't ask for those twice.
Equal-opportunity questions
Lever lets employers display EEO questions on postings and survey candidates who don't apply through the Lever-hosted site. Its help page says the questions should only be asked on U.S.-based postings, and for postings with several locations the survey is shown based on your preferred location or the posting's primary location. US federal contractors can show a long or shortened format. You'll see these at the end of the application.
How the resume upload works
Lever's resume parser extracts information from the resume and adds it to the candidate's profile, including name, organization and contact details. It reads Word (including .docx), PDF, RTF, WordPerfect, HTML, MS Office HTML and OpenDocument files. It can't read image files such as JPG or PNG. Lever's test: if you can't highlight text in the document with your cursor, it's probably not parseable. For scanned documents, convert them to a supported file type first. Employers can also turn off email parsing, in which case you type your email yourself.
A short checklist
- Upload a text-based PDF or Word resume, tailored to the posting (how to tailor a resume).
- Check name, email and phone, then the location Lever filled in.
- Add link URLs only if the form asks for them.
- Answer custom questions in your own words; use the file upload slot for a cover letter if there is one.
- Submit, then look for the confirmation page or email; see how to check your Lever application status.
How Applier handles Lever forms
We fill in and submit Lever applications for you on the employer's own form, with a resume and cover letter tailored to each job. Questions are answered from your profile and any answer Applier filled in is listed in your dashboard for you to check. Employer emails such as verification codes go to the application mailbox Applier gives you. Read how Applier works and auto-applying to Lever jobs.
Related guides
- How to check your Lever application status
- Can you apply twice to the same job on Lever?
- What an applicant tracking system does with your resume
Real interview invites from members' inboxes
See more interview invites →
Meta
Google
AWSFrequently asked questions
Which fields are required on a Lever application?
Every Lever form includes resume, full name, email, phone, current location and current company. Full name and email are required by default, and employers can make the other fields mandatory.
What resume file types does Lever accept?
Lever's parser reads Word (including .docx), PDF, RTF, WordPerfect, HTML, MS Office HTML and OpenDocument files. It can't read image files such as JPG or PNG; if you can't highlight text in the document, it probably can't be parsed.
Do I need a cover letter on Lever?
Only if the employer asks. Lever's guidance to employers is to request a cover letter through a file upload question, which accepts files up to 100 MB. If the form has no such question, there is no cover letter field.
Sources
- Configuring your Lever Application Form, Lever Help Center, 2026
- Understanding Resume Parsing, Lever Help Center, 2026
- Adding Custom Application Questions to Job Postings, Lever Help Center, 2026
- Configuring and using equal employment opportunity (EEO) questions, Lever Help Center, 2025