Resume Builder

Exporting and downloading resumes

Which format to use where, and why the file type matters.

Three formats are available, and the right one depends on where the resume is going. Downloads are unlimited and are not charged.

The formats

• PDF: the default. Layout is fixed, so what you see is what the employer sees. Use it unless the application asks for something else.
• Word (.docx): required by some employer portals and by most recruitment agencies, who often edit before passing a candidate on.
• Plain text: for online forms with a paste-only box, and for the occasional older system that mangles uploads.

Which to use when

• Emailing a hiring manager directly: PDF.
• An upload field that accepts anything: PDF.
• Working through a recruitment agency: Word, because they will want to add their cover sheet.
• A form with a large text area and no upload: plain text, then check the spacing after you paste.

Why PDF is the safe default

A Word file renders differently depending on the reader's fonts and version, so a document you laid out carefully can arrive with the spacing broken. PDF carries its layout with it. The old advice that PDFs defeat applicant tracking systems is long out of date; modern parsers handle them without trouble.

All three exports are built to parse cleanly in automated screening. The formatting choices that break an ATS are made in the document layout, not in the export step.