Word vs PDF: the 30-second decision table
The format question has a short answer — follow the posting; otherwise PDF — and a few situations where the answer flips.
Send PDF when…
Applying by email or upload with no instructions: PDF freezes your layout on every device and can't be accidentally edited. Modern ATS parse text-based PDFs fine. The file name matters more than people think: maria-santos-resume.pdf, never "final_v7 (2).pdf".
Send Word (.doc/.docx) when…
The posting asks for it (many government and corporate portals still do); a recruiting agency will re-brand your resume before showing it to clients (they need editable files); or a portal's parser explicitly struggles — some older systems pre-fill forms noticeably better from .docx.
Never send
Pages/ODT (opens broken on most corporate machines), a photographed or scanned resume (no text = nothing parses), Canva image exports (PDFs that are pictures of text — parsers see an empty page), or a Google Docs share link where a file is expected.
From .doc to clean PDF in one click
Open the .doc in Word or Google Docs → File → Download/Save As → PDF. Then run the two checks: select text in the PDF with your cursor (if you can't select it, it exported as an image — redo), and reopen it on your phone to confirm the layout held. That's the whole workflow — which is why our builder ships .doc files: they are the universal source format everything else exports from.
Get this letter personalized in 2 minutes
Our generator fills in your details, the correct legal citations and current mailing addresses — and builds the rest of the pack around it. Free preview, no signup.
Frequently asked questions
Is PDF safe for ATS in 2026?
Text-based PDFs parse fine in current systems. The failures are image-PDFs (scans, Canva exports) and ancient portals — which usually ask for .docx explicitly.
Why do recruiters ask for Word files?
Agencies edit resumes — removing contact details, adding their letterhead — before sending them to clients. It is routine, not suspicious.
What should the file be named?
firstname-lastname-resume.pdf (or -cv). It is the first professionalism signal the recruiter sees, before opening the file.