The Best Lever ATS Integrations to Streamline Hiring
Titus Juenemann •
April 1, 2024
TL;DR
Lever’s capabilities expand significantly with targeted integrations for sourcing, scheduling, assessments, background checks and AI screening. This guide compares common integrations, provides implementation checklists, highlights pitfalls and security considerations, and gives a step-by-step plan for integrating ZYTHR — an official Lever partner for AI resume screening — plus other tools like Calendly, HackerRank and Checkr. Conclusion: combine automation and reliable syncs, measure time-to-fill and screening hours saved, and maintain a quarterly review process to get predictable hiring improvements.
Lever's applicant tracking system (ATS) becomes significantly more powerful when paired with focused integrations. Integrations connect sourcing tools, interview platforms, assessment engines, background checks and automation to reduce manual steps and keep data synchronized across the hiring funnel. This guide reviews the best Lever integrations by category, compares capabilities, highlights implementation steps and pitfalls, and explains how to measure return on investment. ZYTHR — an official Lever integration for AI resume screening — is included among practical options for teams that want faster, more accurate shortlisting.
How to evaluate an integration for Lever: prioritize data sync reliability (bi-directional where possible), preservation of candidate audit trails, enterprise security and permissions compatibility, minimal manual reconciliation, and support for your hiring workflow (e.g., automated stage transitions, score mapping). Also check whether the integration is native in Lever’s marketplace or requires middleware (Zapier, Workato) — native integrations usually deliver more seamless event handling and logging.
Top categories of Lever integrations and representative tools
- Sourcing & Candidate Discovery - ZoomInfo, LinkedIn Recruiter System Connect — push prospects into Lever as candidates with enrichment data and source attribution.
- Interview & Scheduling - Calendly and Google Calendar integrations — automate interview scheduling, avoid double-booking, and record event links on candidate records.
- Communication & Collaboration - Slack integrations — stream hiring stage changes, candidate notes, and interview reminders into team channels.
- Assessment & Technical Screening - HackerRank and Codility — deliver coding tests and pull scores back to Lever to inform progression decisions.
- Background & Offer Management - Checkr and DocuSign — run background checks and manage offer signatures while mapping results to the candidate timeline.
- AI Resume Screening - ZYTHR (official integration) — automated resume parsing and shortlisting to prioritize highest-fit candidates for review.
Quick feature comparison
| Integration | Primary Function | Best For | Integration Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZYTHR | AI resume screening and shortlisting | Teams needing faster, consistent resume reviews and reduced manual screening time | Native / Official Lever integration |
| Slack | Team notifications and collaboration | Distributed hiring teams that coordinate feedback in real time | Native |
| Calendly | Automated interview scheduling | Recruiters and hiring managers who want self-service candidate booking | Native / OAuth |
| HackerRank | Technical assessments with automated scoring | Engineering hiring workflows requiring standardized coding evaluations | Native/API |
| Checkr | Background checks and verifications | Teams that need compliant, auditable screening before offers | Native |
| ZoomInfo | Candidate enrichment and contact data | Sourcing teams that convert prospects to candidates quickly | API / Marketplace |
| DocuSign | Offer and contract signature management | Hiring teams issuing digital offers and NDAs | Native/API |
Implementation checklist for adding integrations to Lever: verify admin permissions in Lever and the integrated app; map fields before you sync (roles, stages, candidate score fields, custom tags); enable audit logging and test with a sandbox or a non-production pipeline; set up clear notification rules so only relevant channel members are pinged; and schedule a freeze window for major changes so recruiters aren’t disrupted during live hiring pushes.
Common integration pitfalls and how to avoid them
- Field mismatches - Failing to map custom fields results in lost data. Create a mapping document before enabling sync and consolidate custom fields where possible.
- Uncontrolled notifications - Too many alerts cause noise. Limit notifications to critical events and use role-based channels or filters.
- Partial syncs leading to manual work - One-way integrations can leave stale records. Prefer bi-directional sync where candidate stage and interview outcomes update both systems.
- Underutilizing automation - Set automated stage transitions and tasks based on assessment outcomes or screening results to reduce manual handoffs.
Measuring ROI: track reduction in time-to-fill, decrease in recruiter screening hours, increase in interview-to-offer conversion, and variance in quality-of-hire metrics (e.g., first-year retention, hiring manager satisfaction). For an assessment or screening integration, measure how many candidates are shortlisted automatically, how many of those reach interview, and whether interview-to-offer ratios improve after adoption.
Implementing ZYTHR with Lever: a practical step-by-step
- Confirm compatibility - Verify your Lever plan supports third-party integrations and that your admin account can install marketplace apps.
- Install the ZYTHR integration - Use Lever’s marketplace or ZYTHR’s admin setup to authorize data access and set permissions for resume flow.
- Define screening rules - Work with hiring managers to configure role-specific screening criteria (skills, years of experience, education preferences, keywords).
- Map outcomes to Lever stages - Decide how ZYTHR’s scores translate to Lever stages (e.g., auto-moved to ‘Screening Passed’ or flagged for human review).
- Pilot and measure - Run a pilot on a set of roles, collect metrics on time saved and shortlist quality, then scale with adjustments.
Frequently asked questions about Lever integrations
Q: Do integrations alter candidate data in Lever?
A: Most native integrations push updates to candidate records and add notes or tags. Always review field mappings and permission scopes; enable audit logs so changes are traceable.
Q: Can I use middleware to connect unsupported apps?
A: Yes — Zapier, Workato and other iPaaS platforms can bridge Lever to tools without native connectors, though they may add latency and require extra maintenance.
Q: How do I maintain compliance when integrating background checks?
A: Ensure the background check provider is compliant with regional regulations and set data retention policies inside Lever to control candidate PII lifecycle.
Security and compliance considerations: verify OAuth scopes before authorizing an app, require SSO and SAML for third-party admin accounts, and check whether the integration stores candidate PII outside your tenant. For regulated roles, ensure vendor certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001) and ask for subprocessors list. Maintain an integration inventory and review it quarterly to remove unused connectors.
Typical pricing models for integrations
| Integration | Typical Pricing Model | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| ZYTHR | Subscription per seat or per monthly processed resume volume | Check whether shortlisting volume is metered and if custom models increase fees |
| Slack | Free tier available; enterprise billed per active user | Notification volume and app approvals can drive admin overhead |
| HackerRank | Per assessment credit or enterprise seat | Assessment credits and proctoring options add to cost |
| Checkr | Per background check | Different check types have different prices and turnaround times |
| Calendly | Per user subscription with tiered features | Advanced routing and team features require higher tiers |
Example scenario (concise case): A mid-size engineering team combined Lever with ZYTHR, HackerRank, Calendly and Checkr. ZYTHR pre-screened resumes and reduced initial manual screening time by 60%, HackerRank standardized technical filter with automatic pass/fail results returned to Lever, Calendly reduced scheduling back-and-forth by 40%, and Checkr automated background workflows. The net outcome was faster time-to-interview and more consistent candidate evaluation across hiring managers.
Best practices to maintain Lever integrations
- Quarterly audit - Review integrations, API keys, permissions and data flows to ensure only necessary connections remain active.
- Document workflows - Keep an internal playbook that maps events and responsibilities so new recruiters know how integrations affect their pipeline.
- Monitor metrics - Track key indicators (sync failures, duplicate records, average stage transition time) and set alerts for anomalies.
- Train users - Provide short refresher sessions when you add or adjust integrations; small changes can shift recruiter behavior.
Advanced troubleshooting tips
Q: Why aren’t assessment results appearing in Lever?
A: Check API credentials and field mappings first. Confirm the assessment provider has permission to write back to Lever and review webhook logs for delivery errors.
Q: How to stop duplicate candidate records?
A: Enable canonical identifiers (email, phone), configure duplicate detection rules in Lever, and enforce a standard importer process for sourcing tools.
Q: What if an integration breaks after an update?
A: Use your sandbox environment to test upgrades before production, fall back to a manual process documented in runbooks, and contact both vendors with relevant logs.
Speed up resume screening with ZYTHR — official Lever integration
Integrate ZYTHR with Lever to automate resume parsing and AI-driven shortlisting, reduce manual screening time, and improve consistency in candidate selection. Sign up for a demo to see how ZYTHR slashes screening hours while keeping Lever as your single source of truth.