Lever Resume Tips for Design Professionals
Lever has specific parsing rules for Design roles. The most critical keywords to include are UX design, UI design, product design, Figma. Keep your resume text-focused for ATS parsing even though you are a designer
Lever is the preferred ATS at design-forward technology companies, startups, and digital agencies where UX, UI, and product design roles are hired. Lever's candidate relationship management approach means design portfolios linked in applications are visible alongside resumes, but the system still relies on resume text for search and filtering. Learn how ATS scoring algorithms work in our ATS Score Calculation Guide.
How Lever Handles Design Resumes
- Lever indexes resume text for search but does not parse or index portfolio content from linked URLs
- The system supports file attachments beyond the resume, allowing portfolio PDFs to be included
- For design roles, Lever's search filters commonly target tool proficiency, design methodology, and industry experience
- Lever's candidate profile view shows resume, portfolio link, and application responses on a single page for reviewers
- The system tracks candidate engagement history across multiple applications and sourcing outreach
Parsing Quirks to Watch For
- Design tool names (Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD) are reliably parsed and searchable
- Portfolio URLs from Behance, Dribbble, or personal domains are preserved as text strings
- Design methodology terms (design thinking, double diamond) may not be in Lever's default taxonomy
- File attachments are stored but their content is not indexed for search purposes
- Resumes with heavy visual design elements lose formatting when parsed to the text-based candidate profile
Format Recommendations
- Keep your resume text-focused for ATS parsing even though you are a designer
- Include portfolio URL prominently in the header and summary section
- List design tools explicitly: Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, Framer, Webflow, Miro
- Quantify design impact: user satisfaction scores, conversion improvements, task completion rates
- Name design methodologies: design thinking, user-centered design, accessibility (WCAG), design systems
Keywords That Lever Weights for Design
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Scan Against Lever →Step-by-Step Application Tips
- Apply through the company's Lever career page
- Upload a clean, text-readable resume (not a visually designed resume that parses poorly)
- Add your portfolio URL in both the resume and any portfolio field provided
- Attach a portfolio PDF as a supplementary file if the option is available
- Answer application questions about your design process and methodology
- Include case study descriptions in application text fields to supplement portfolio links
Full Lever Guide: Read the complete Lever ATS guide →