{"id":67797,"date":"2020-12-08T01:52:55","date_gmt":"2020-12-08T01:52:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/?p=67797"},"modified":"2026-02-17T09:40:03","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T09:40:03","slug":"resume-word-vs-pdf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/resume-word-vs-pdf\/","title":{"rendered":"PDF Resume or Word Resume: Which Do Australian Employers Prefer?"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>\n<p>If you have been on the job hunt in Australia recently, you may have noticed a seemingly random phenomenon. Some job ads will specifically request that you send your resume in Word format, while others are equally emphatic in asking for a PDF resume format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Which resume format should you default to when the employer does not provide instructions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While recruiters and hiring managers probably do have preferences, the preferred format, unfortunately, will differ from company to company. If in doubt, it&#8217;s always best to <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/resume-writing-services\/\">consult a career professional<\/a> for resume formatting advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To help you in the meantime, I will:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"arrow-wrapper\"><div class=\"arrow-list\"><ul><li><strong>Tell you which resume format<\/strong> you should default to in Australia<\/li><li><strong>Tell you about the pros and cons<\/strong> of PDF and Word resume formats.<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The PDF Resume Format.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Pros:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The biggest advantage of a PDF is that it ensures that formatting is consistent across any computer or device. You can rest assured that the resume you produced will be seen as it was intended by a recruiter or hiring manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This enables you to be more creative in terms of graphic design, resulting in a <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/what-should-resume-look-like\/\">slicker, more professional presentation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:60px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Cons:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The main issue with PDF is its occasional incompatibility with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/how-to-write-a-resume-that-passes-through-applicant-tracking-systems-ats\/\">ATS is an AI-powered software that scans a resume for keywords<\/a> in much the same way a recruiter would, creating a shortlist of candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although it is not as much of an issue now, some older Applicant Tracking System (ATS) software can have trouble scanning resumes in PDF, particularly if there are complex graphics or texts embedded in images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, Australian recruiters often need to edit your resume before sending it to an employer, to remove your contact details and insert their logo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PDFs aren\u2019t as easy to edit, so this may work against you in terms of whether a recruiter can be bothered to convert your PDF into a Word document in a time-poor environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>(Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/key-differences-cover-letter-resume\/\">Key Differences Between Cover Letters And Resumes<\/a>).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Word Resume Format.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Pros:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The main advantages of Word are that everyone has it and it is the most compatible format with ATS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recruiters can easily amend resumes before sending them off to their clients, and they can also add comments and track changes if they want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:60px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Cons:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Word\u2019s editability is also its weakness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A Word document on your computer may look completely different on another device. Some <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/best-font-for-resume-australia\/\">resume fonts<\/a> may not even convert into legible text on someone else\u2019s computer, and margins often show up in different sizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is also possible that changes can be made to your resume without your knowledge, intentionally or unintentionally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Final Tips On Formatting An Australian Resume.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As a general rule, always follow the instructions outlined in the job ad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If the employer doesn&#8217;t specify a preferred resume format, <\/strong>use PDF format If you are sending your application to a person. In doing so, you&#8217;ll minimise risks associated with formatting anomalies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Use Word format when sending your resume through LinkedIn, a company website or an online jobs portal, to increase its readability by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>&#8211; Irene<br>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>If you have been on the job hunt in Australia recently, you may have noticed a seemingly random phenomenon. Some<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":73582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career","category-resume"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>PDF Resume or Word Resume: Which Do Australian Employers Prefer?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Should you choose a PDF or a Word format when saving your resume? 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Arielle Executive helps leaders get noticed while Arielle Partners &amp; Talent Avenue connect organisations to Australia's best leadership talent.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/irenekotov\/"],"url":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/author\/irene-mcconnell\/"}]}},"modified_by":"Steven McConnell","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/PDF-or-Word-resume-format-australia.jpg",1490,838,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/PDF-or-Word-resume-format-australia-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/PDF-or-Word-resume-format-australia-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/PDF-or-Word-resume-format-australia-768x432.jpg",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/PDF-or-Word-resume-format-australia-1024x576.jpg",1024,576,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/PDF-or-Word-resume-format-australia.jpg",1490,838,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/PDF-or-Word-resume-format-australia.jpg",1490,838,false],"alm-thumbnail":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/PDF-or-Word-resume-format-australia-150x150.jpg",150,150,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Irene McConnell","author_link":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/author\/irene-mcconnell\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Reading Time: 2 minutesIf you have been on the job hunt in Australia recently, you may have noticed a seemingly random phenomenon. 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