Why you should send your resume as a PDF (and how to convert it)
2026-10-27
You spent hours lining up your resume perfectly in Word. Then the recruiter opens it on a phone, or in a different word processor, and the fonts change, bullet points move and your one-page CV spills onto a second page. Sending a PDF prevents this.
Why PDF is better for resumes
- It looks the same everywhere. Fonts, spacing and page breaks are fixed.
- It can't be edited by accident. Nobody can change your details while reading it.
- Applicant tracking systems read it. Most job portals accept and parse text-based PDFs.
- It looks professional. A file named Firstname-Lastname-Resume.pdf is easy for recruiters to find.
How to convert
- Open Word to PDF.
- Select your .docx or .doc file.
- Click Convert to PDF and download it.
Open the PDF and check every page before you send it.
Tips for a great PDF resume
- Name the file properly: for example Anitha-Kumar-Resume.pdf, not final_v3.pdf.
- Keep it small: most resumes are under 300 KB. If yours has a large photo, use Compress PDF.
- Use common fonts like Calibri, Arial or Times New Roman so they convert perfectly.
- Keep it text-based. Don't paste your resume as an image; recruiters' software can't read text in pictures.
- Add page numbers to a two-page CV with Add page numbers.
Need to make a change later?
Keep your original Word file. Edit that, then convert again. If you only have the PDF, PDF to Word can turn it back into an editable document.