Send a PDF when the application lets you choose and the text in the PDF can be selected. Send a DOCX when the form asks for Word. The wrong choice is a scanned image saved as PDF, because neither a parser nor a recruiter on a phone can use it reliably. Open the file after you export it and try to highlight a sentence.
Default to a text PDF
A PDF keeps fonts and line breaks stable on the recruiter's laptop. Export it from your document tool rather than printing to an image. If highlight-to-copy fails, export again or send DOCX.
- Avoid "print to PDF" from a browser if it flattens oddly.
- Check the file size. Huge image-based PDFs fail some forms.
- Open the PDF on your phone before you submit.
Use DOCX when the employer asks
Some systems parse Word more cleanly than PDF, and some recruiters want to comment in the file. Follow the instruction on the form. Ignore generic advice that one format always wins.
- Remove tracked changes and comments before you attach a DOCX.
- Use standard fonts that the other computer will have.
- Do not send both files unless the form has two slots and asks for both.
Name the file and test the upload
Use YourName-Role.pdf. After upload, download what the portal stored if it lets you, or watch for a preview. If the preview is blank, the file is the wrong type or the text is not real text.
- Skip passwords on the file. The recruiter will not guess them.
- Avoid unusual extensions and zip folders.
- Keep the master document so you can re-export quickly.
Selectable PDF by default. DOCX when they ask. Never a photograph of a resume.
Questions people ask
Do ATS tools prefer Word?
- Some parse Word well, some parse text PDFs well. A selectable file in the format they requested is the safe rule.
Can I send a Google Doc link?
- Only if the form asks for a link. An attachment is more reliable. Set any link to "anyone with the link can view".
What if the form rejects my PDF?
- Export a DOCX, confirm the text is still selectable, and upload that. Then check the preview.
Related reading
Kabir Menon
Kabir covers applicant tracking systems and leadership hiring. He explains how shortlists are actually built, for candidates and for hiring managers.
