# Lever ATS Resume Format & Limits > Lever takes resume files up to 10 MB and parses Word, PDF, RTF, WordPerfect, HTML and OpenDocument files, but not images. Its help centre is specific about when a parse fails, and most of the reasons are about how the file arrived rather than how it looks. | | | | --- | --- | | System | Lever | | Vendor | Lever | | Also known as | Lever ATS | | Rendered page | https://atsprep.com/ats/lever | | This document | https://atsprep.com/ats/lever.md | Lever documents its resume intake plainly. Its help centre gives a size limit, lists the formats its parser can read, and says outright that it cannot read images. It also names the situations where nothing gets pre-filled at all, and those depend on how the employer set Lever up rather than on anything in your file. ## Taking the file in | | | | --- | --- | | Accepted file types | PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, TXT | | Maximum upload size | 10 MB | Source: [Lever Help Center, adding and deleting resumes](https://help.lever.co/s/article/Adding-and-deleting-resumes) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ## Autofill When a resume is parsed, Lever extracts the readable information and fills the matching fields on the candidate profile, including name, organisation and contact details. If parsing does not work, Lever's documented fallback is to type the information into the profile by hand. A failed parse leaves a thinner record. It is not a rejection. Source: [Lever Help Center, understanding resume parsing](https://help.lever.co/s/article/Understanding-Resume-Parsing) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ## What Lever does differently ### The resume limit is 10 MB Lever's help centre states that the maximum resume file size that can be uploaded is 10 MB. A text-based resume is a small fraction of that. A file near the limit almost always means embedded images, and images are the one thing Lever says it cannot read. Source: [Lever Help Center, adding and deleting resumes](https://help.lever.co/s/article/Adding-and-deleting-resumes) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ### Images are never parsed Lever says it cannot parse information from image files such as JPG or PNG. Its own test is simple: if you cannot highlight the text in the document with your cursor, the document is probably not parseable. A scanned PDF fails that test. Source: [Lever Help Center, understanding resume parsing](https://help.lever.co/s/article/Understanding-Resume-Parsing) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ### The parse list is not the upload list The uploader names .doc, .docx, .pdf and .txt as examples of what it takes. The list of formats Lever can parse is Word, PDF, Rich Text (RTF), WordPerfect, HTML, MS Office HTML and OpenDocument. Plain text is not on it, so PDF or DOCX is the safer choice. Source: [Lever Help Center, understanding resume parsing](https://help.lever.co/s/article/Understanding-Resume-Parsing) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ### Employer-hosted forms do not pre-fill Lever lists six ways an employer can run its careers site. In five of them the application is hosted by Lever and resumes are auto-parsed to pre-populate the form. In the sixth, where the employer builds its own application form on Lever's API, Lever states that auto-parsing to pre-populate applications is not supported. Source: [Lever Help Center, Lever career site options](https://help.lever.co/s/article/Lever-Career-Site-Options) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ### Some employers skip the email address Lever has a setting called Skip email address parsing. When an employer turns it on, the email field on profiles created from applications is left empty and filled in by hand. Everything else is still parsed. The email you type into the form is the one that counts. Source: [Lever Help Center, configure your Lever-hosted job site](https://help.lever.co/s/article/Configure-Your-Lever-hosted-Job-Site) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ### A region becomes the nearest city If a resume gives a region rather than a legally recognised city, such as New York Metropolitan Area, Lever's parser matches it to the closest structured location, and Lever notes this can attribute the wrong location. Where a job board passes its own location answer, that answer replaces the parsed one. Source: [Lever Help Center, understanding resume parsing](https://help.lever.co/s/article/Understanding-Resume-Parsing) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ### Every interviewer can open your resume Lever treats resumes as documents for everyone involved in the hiring. They are visible to all of the candidate's followers and to the interviewers on the interview plan. Whatever is in the file, every person on the panel can read it. Source: [Lever Help Center, adding and deleting resumes](https://help.lever.co/s/article/Adding-and-deleting-resumes) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ## What to do about it ### Make sure the text can be highlighted Open the file and try to select a line. If you cannot, Lever cannot read it either. Export again from the document itself rather than scanning or printing to an image. ### Send PDF or DOCX, not TXT Both are on Lever's parse list. Plain text uploads, but it is not on that list, so there is no reason to take the risk. ### Stay well under 10 MB A plain resume is usually well under 1 MB. If yours is larger, look for a photo, a background image or embedded fonts and remove them. ### Write a city, not a region Put the actual city you live in. A metropolitan area or a broad region gets matched to the nearest city on Lever's list, and it may not be the one you meant. ### Fill the form as if nothing was parsed Some employers' forms are not pre-filled and some skip the email address. Check every field on the application and type in anything that is missing. ## Questions ### What is Lever? Lever is an applicant tracking system that employers use to post jobs, collect applications and manage candidates. ### How do I know if an employer uses Lever? Most Lever applications sit on a jobs.lever.co address, followed by the company name, for example jobs.lever.co/company/…/apply. Some employers embed Lever's job list in their own careers site, so the application page is the place to check. ### Does Lever read PDF resumes? Yes. Adobe PDF is on Lever's list of formats it can parse, as long as the PDF holds real text. Lever says it cannot parse images, so a scanned PDF will not fill any fields. ### What file types does Lever accept for a resume? Lever's uploader names .doc, .docx, .pdf and .txt as common types it supports. The formats it can parse are Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, Rich Text (RTF), Corel WordPerfect, HTML, MS Office HTML and OpenDocument. Image files such as JPG or PNG cannot be parsed. ### What is the Lever resume size limit? 10 MB. Lever's help centre states that the maximum resume file size you can upload is 10 MB. ### Why did my resume fail to parse in Lever? Lever names the causes. The file is an image or a scan, with no text you can highlight. The resume was imported by email or through the Lever Chrome extension. The candidate was added through Lever's API. Or the employer runs its own application form, which Lever says does not auto-parse. Lever does not publish a list of layout problems that break its parser. ### Does a failed parse mean Lever rejected my application? No. Lever's documented fallback is to type the information into the candidate profile by hand. The parse affects how complete your record is, not whether the application was received. ## Exporting from ATSPrep to Lever ATSPrep exports a linear, single-column, parser-safe document. Against Lever's published list of accepted types: - **PDF** — on Lever's accepted list - **DOCX** — on Lever's accepted list ## The other guides - [Greenhouse](https://atsprep.com/ats/greenhouse) — Greenhouse takes PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF and TXT, and will not parse a resume larger than 2.5 MB. Its own support docs name what makes a parse fail: columns, contact details in a header, abbreviated job titles and more. - [Oracle Taleo](https://atsprep.com/ats/taleo) — Oracle ships Taleo with a 1 MB default attachment limit and no resume parser of its own. Parsing only works if the employer has enabled a third-party partner integration, so behaviour differs from one Taleo site to the next. - [SmartRecruiters](https://atsprep.com/ats/smartrecruiters) — SmartRecruiters accepts PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, JPG and PNG at 2 MB per file, and its CEO named Textkernel as the parsing engine, whose own documentation warns about PDFs more bluntly than any resume blog does. - [Ashby](https://atsprep.com/ats/ashby) — Ashby accepts PDF, DOC and DOCX up to 50 MB but does not support Markdown. Its docs name the two reasons a resume fails to parse, and its better parser is an opt-in feature some employers never switch on. - [Workable](https://atsprep.com/ats/workable) — Workable accepts PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, HTML and ODT for a resume, with a 5 MB ceiling, while other attachments on the same form are allowed four times that size. - [Manatal](https://atsprep.com/ats/manatal) — Manatal takes PDF, DOC, DOCX and RTF, parses every resume the moment it lands with a parser it built rather than licensed, and keeps the original file where recruiters can open it. - [SAP SuccessFactors](https://atsprep.com/ats/successfactors) — SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting parses resumes with Textkernel in 15 languages, takes resumes up to 5 MB, and says plainly that parsing is not always accurate. What SAP's own documentation says, with links. - [BambooHR](https://atsprep.com/ats/bamboohr) — BambooHR takes uploads up to 20 MB in common formats including PDF, DOC and DOCX. Its help center does not describe resume parsing: recruiters open your resume as a document, and the application form is filled in by you. - [Jobvite](https://atsprep.com/ats/jobvite) — Jobvite accepts twelve file types for a resume, from PDF and DOCX to images and spreadsheets, but its own help centre says scanned or locked PDFs cannot be added and image files are not parsed. - [Recruitee](https://atsprep.com/ats/recruitee) — Recruitee takes PDF, DOC, DOCX, ODT, RTF and TXT, plus JPG and PNG images of a CV. Its help centre says the parser needs a readable email address, which is usually missed in a header or footer, and that highly visual CVs are the most common reason a file cannot be read. - [Workday](https://atsprep.com/ats/workday) — Workday's own careers site takes DOC, DOCX, HTML, PDF or TXT resumes up to 5 MB. Its documentation says parsing results vary with format and word order, and that images and image-based styles get in the way. - [iCIMS](https://atsprep.com/ats/icims) — iCIMS extracts text from PDF, Word, RTF, plain text, HTML and OpenDocument resumes by default and fills profile fields from the file you upload. It does not publish a resume size limit. - [JazzHR](https://atsprep.com/ats/jazzhr) — JazzHR takes PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, ODT and TXT resumes up to 5 MB. Its own support docs say a scanned resume is treated as an image: no name, no email, nothing searchable. - [Breezy HR](https://atsprep.com/ats/breezy-hr) — Breezy HR takes DOC, DOCX, Pages, PDF, RTF and TXT resumes. Its docs say a scanned resume, or one in an unsupported language, is not parsed, and its AI review tools skip any resume that wasn't. - [Personio](https://atsprep.com/ats/personio) — Personio parses PDF and DOCX CVs with Textkernel, if the employer has opted in. Its own help centre lists ten reasons a parse fails, from headers and tables to 8 pt text and skill bar charts. - [Dayforce](https://atsprep.com/ats/dayforce) — Dayforce takes DOC, DOCX, PDF and RTF resumes up to 5 MB. Import Resume parses the file into your candidate profile, and uploading again overwrites what the last one filled in. - [Pinpoint](https://atsprep.com/ats/pinpoint) — Pinpoint takes a CV as PDF or DOCX, and nothing else. Its software reads the CV on upload to write the candidate summary recruiters see first. - [Comeet](https://atsprep.com/ats/comeet) — Comeet, now Spark Hire Recruit, takes PDF, DOC and DOCX resumes and parses them in 39 listed languages. Arabic and Korean are not among them, and a file that is not a true PDF may not even open. ## About ATSPrep ATSPrep (https://atsprep.com) is a free resume and application workspace. Match experience to a posting, strengthen claims with evidence, and track the next action. Its PDF check shows text recovered by ATSPrep's extractor, not an employer's proprietary ATS or hiring decision. - **Price:** free. Checking, importing, editing and downloading cost nothing, and downloads carry no watermark. Everything listed here is free. - **Account:** none needed to check, import or edit a resume. A free sign-in is needed to download after the first file, to sync, and for more checks or more than 5 AI edits. - **Your file:** parsed and exported inside the browser. The resume file itself is never uploaded. - **Optional:** text leaves the browser only when you press a button: semantic match and AI edits (the lines involved), a job link (the link) and Pip voice calls (your speech). Never your contact details, and none of it is stored. - **Connection:** some tools load on first use and need a connection to download. Local storage is not a cloud backup. - **Accepts:** PDF, DOCX, TXT, Markdown, or pasted plain text. Start here: https://atsprep.com/studio