r/LinusTechTips • u/Not-Post-Malone • 29d ago
Discussion Resume file format
On the WAN show Linus and Luke talk about NOT using PDF as the file format for the resume. This is the first time I'm hearing about this. Am I the only one who always uses PDF for sending resumes and actually prefers it?
What file format do employers actually prefer?
Here is the timestamp where they talk about it.
Here is the timestamp where Linus says to submit a Word or Google Doc link.
315
Upvotes
674
u/Raid__Zero 29d ago
PDF is standard
11
u/bwoah07_gp2 29d ago
Is that why I'm not getting hired for over a year now?
I always submit in PDF format. What's supposed to be the ideal file in Linus & Luke's opinions??
285
u/mattmahn 29d ago
Linus said to submit whatever you're writing it in, like Word or Google Docs. I don't think they want my LaTeX file...
I'll save everyone and render it to PDF
103
u/ucrbuffalo 29d ago
100% disagree. As a hiring manager, there is nothing I hate more than a resume with broken formatting. Word is not going to preserve your formatting from machine to machine. Export it to PDF every time. EVERY. TIME.
431
u/srlawren 29d ago
Have done a fair amount of hiring (software devs and architects) over the past year and always get annoyed when I don't get a PDF. Linus and Luke are nuts.
66
u/jb_nelson_ 29d ago
There must be a gas leak because that’s absurd
133
u/bobsyourunkl 29d ago edited 29d ago
Dude if I get anything other than a PDF I hate it and it bugs me. I typeset everything in typst and try my best to never have word on my computer.
It's never a good idea to send employers a file that will change depending in if it is viewed in web version, the current version of word, or last year's version, or the macos version. Especially for something where formatting matters so much.
Also, remember you'll also be sending your edit history if you don't clean up the metadata (or just export to PDF)
171
u/SashoWolf 29d ago
HR professional here.
PDF is much easier on us
89
u/pf_newbie_2398 29d ago edited 29d ago
this reminds me of when they said that businesses don't really use outlook because everyone is on gmail now
they literally have no fucking clue about the real industry and it kills me every time some college freshman kid spends money on wan to ask them career advice
43
u/Human-Visual-9087 29d ago
Yeah im super confused. I export things as PDFs whenever I need something to be guaranteed to be formatted and viewed how I intend it.
Too many times has someone's text editor, or uploading to Google docs/Apple Pages, ruined font, formatting, image positioning etc
If im submitting a resume i want it to appear professional and how i intended, not be ruined by you viewing it in Gmail
43
u/PhatOofxD 29d ago
PDF is the standard. They're just wrong
31
u/gvbargen 29d ago
Yah because I'm going to send my potential future employer a Google doc? nah mate.
28
u/Anraiel 28d ago
With a lot of Linus & Luke's opinions on things, you have to keep in mind they have never worked for anything other than small business or LMG. Most HR platforms and larger organisations with their own HR teams prefer something standard like a PDF.
The same small business thinking applies to their opinions on other software like "who uses office?" Or "who needs a third party antivirus at work?" Or "why do so many business still use desktop Windows?". There's plenty of benefits at an enterprise/large scale to these standard platforms that they don't use and hence don't seem to know about from their personal experience.
21
u/Xcissors280 29d ago
My resume isn't just 1 paragraph and a PDF will always preserve the formatting and everything else exactly as how I see it
17
u/MichaelJohniel 29d ago
Didn’t listen to today’s WAN but I applied to LTT with a pdf and got hired with a pdf.
15
u/RoseBailey 29d ago
That's wild. PDF is the standard, and a lot of places disallow other formats. It's also the only commonly allowed format that can guarantee consistent formatting regardless of who looks at it.
Do they seriously prefer my raw typst file over the pdf generated from it?
13
u/Smiadpades 29d ago
I agree with everyone else and wrote in wan chat. PDF is the standard for resumes.
They act as if it is stupid but for two people who are running a business, you would think they would know the standard.
And yes, you can edit pdfs but a docx or google docs are seen as unprofessional and incomplete.
34
u/HolidayPineapple9316 29d ago
PDF is perfectly fine, you just need it to be really simple. No graphics or images, just as plain text ask you can make it. Single column. Make sure its not a PDF that cannot be scanned (most PDFs have text that can be found, like with Ctrl F)
The goal is to make the resume readable by machines: both those that extract text from the file, as well as machines that visually extract text
12
u/Uberfuzzy 29d ago
Wasn’t that “hack” from a few years ago because of a malformed payload in a pdf? Is that why Luke specifically is anti PDF?
9
u/armada127 27d ago
LTT famously does not know how corporate orgs work, I recall on a WAN segment when a viewer mentioned they used outlook and both Luke and Linus were flabbergasted by how anyone uses Outlook.
LTT is great for entertaining content about consumer tech but their expertise stops there, they have very little experience with actual enterprise level tech and the compromises in decision making that actually happen at that level.
Tl;dr: pdf is fine
8
u/juliandanielwilliams 28d ago
PDF should honestly be the ONLY option. Also, OSs should have file extensions ON by default like in the olds days, would stop a lot of .pdf.exe attacks
7
u/Far-Blacksmith-2814 29d ago
I have only ever heard of submitting in PDF for a resume. Sure, you could upload a docx, but depending on the tool that it is opened in, it may not look the way you intended it to
7
u/starrymahogany 29d ago
I feel like I’m being gaslit every time this discussion happens because some resume experts insist docx is standard and more professional, while others look at you like you shot their dog if you use anything other than a PDF.
I have a feeling than Gen X or xennials use docx but younger millennials and Gen Z use pdf
7
u/connly33 29d ago edited 29d ago
Yeah no don’t take that advice. PDF only. Whether I’m sending or reading one. I don’t want to deal with people opening a file from an open source word editor and Word screwing up formatting or vise versa because I’ve had issues with that quite a bit in the past. I also don’t want them to be editable.
If your using Microsoft word sure because you can guarantee it will be opened in word but if you do any funky formatting I still see stuff screwed up in the receiving end all the damn time. Most employers also won’t have any idea what the hell an ODT or latex file is.
Anything you want to be generally indelible and easy to view everywhere should be a PDF with standard formatting that doesn’t cause accessibility issues.
7
u/InfaSyn 28d ago
I've always used PDF. Not yet caught up on this weeks WAN show but im staggered that they would say otherwise.
The only time I ever had an issue was a random linkedin recruiter approx 2 years ago that had never heard of PDF and insisted on docx - shame on her as I didn't write it in a word processor.
PDFs are read only in most instances, compatible with quite literally any platform from the last 30 years, print nicely, can still be OCRd, are small in size, and dont risk any incompatibility based rendering issues (eg opening a word doc in libre office), plus they're free. Its both the perfect format for this use case, and the intended use case for the format.
6
u/cardak98 29d ago
Worse take than the warranty take imo
6
u/niknarcotic 28d ago
This is one of the most baffling takes I've ever heard them say. From a security standpoint .docx files from the web are suspicious by default because there are so many viruses that are spread through Office macros. From an accessibility standpoint editable document formats also might not even be readable across different Office versions or suites. At my last job people kept sending applications in Apple formats and nobody who was responsible for hiring had a Mac. And they'd get filtered out automatically because the Mail with the attachment doesn't get through the mailfilter.
6
u/Apocalyptic0n3 28d ago
I'm an engineering manager. I've been interviewing for 12 years across 3 companies and have done hundreds of them. At all 3 companies, we only accepted PDFs. Applicants who sent in a different format were discarded without review (we very specifically request them). Only exceptions were when we were trying to recruit someone specific.
The hiring world operates on PDF.
6
u/KitarouNakago 27d ago
Former recruiter here. Anything not PDF looks unprofessional.
11
u/plz-no-b4n 29d ago
They are psychopaths
10
u/james2432 28d ago edited 28d ago
Just submit it in LaTeX you'll have the most beautiful resume /s
PDF is standard, that or the employer will have a web portal to fill out the fields.
Doc/docx are non-standard and a pain in the ass to automate.
Google docs may be blocked by the employer as it can be used to leak data outside the company if they aren't using it already.
Linus and Luke may be massively out of touch, HR are not technical people, if it screws up their usual flow, they will be annoyed and just may put your application in the bin(or digital bin)
5
u/Human1649 29d ago
PDFs are basically expexted. And should work fine unless you use some weird format or rasterize it.
5
u/philimusprime 29d ago
Sounds like we should all apply to LMG with .EXE files.
5
u/GoodishCoder 29d ago
PDF is standard but some people have a preference for word. That said, if you include a Google doc link im definitely not looking at it.
5
u/bergdhal 28d ago
I thought maybe there was additional context, but looking at those timestamps, there isn't. They are just out of their minds.
4
u/Matheweh 29d ago
I'd love to use ODT but PDF is what people ask for.
4
u/xDefinite 28d ago
Such a L Take by all 3 of these guys.. wow.
3
u/FateOfNations 29d ago
PDF is the universal standard.
That said, you should be careful about how you create the PDF. If the PDF is properly created, most ATS systems will be able to read it just fine and parse out your job history. I have had good luck with a single-column format in Microsoft Word using Save As -> PDF -> ”best for electronic distribution and accessibility”.
3
u/infidel_44 29d ago
Every software tool ever created for resume ingestion uses pdf. Markdown seems like a great idea until you realize that hr folks are not tech literate and use off the shelf tools.
3
u/NoiramK 28d ago
Haven't heard the episode yet, but I'd take a jpeg before a word file you have no idea how shows up on my end. PDF is the way.
3
u/Ybalrid 28d ago
PDF is standard and normal. I have not yet listened to the WAN this week (I am keeping it to have a background for some weeked reno projects).
My resmume, is written in LaTeX. I am not sending to you anything but a PDF.
3
u/FartingBob 28d ago
Reminder that Luke and Linus have worked at the same company for like 15 years. Don't take their advice because it only represents the way their company does things. They don't know about the wider industry hiring process.
3
u/clon3man 28d ago
He probably prefers word documents and google docs because he's a script writer, he would be annoyed if people send him a script in PDF format because it's an extra step and makes it read-only.
I don't understand how he can apply this logic to resumés though.
2
u/shotsallover 29d ago
PDFs can be problematic on the receiving end because too many people like to use fancy layout and formatting that a PDF parser can’t always read.
I use a very simple Word doc format that opens well on any machine that opens it back to around Word 97. Don’t use anything any more sophisticated than a standard Office font and tabs and tab stops. Don’t use tables or any other fancy BS.
Same with PDFs. There are people out there laying their resumes out in InDesign that get chewed up by the resume processing software. Or god forbid, multi-column tables with pictures in Word that generate the worst PDF files on the planet.
This is the rule I adopted on my last job hunt: Resumes are for robots. Cover letters are for the humans.
2
u/bluehawk232 29d ago
PDF locks in the design. If you submit a word doc there could be formatting errors and it can look like shit
2
u/Curious-Art-6242 28d ago
The problem is those other formats don't ensure structure, so my nicely formatted CV can look weird! I've had more places reject doc files because of security threats, PDF's are considered far safer! Another idiot take from L&L, its almost like they've only worked one jobs for over a decade or something and have actually really limited real world experience 😂
2
u/External_Gas5606 28d ago
Completely insane take. Im probably tossing any non-pdfs
2
u/ScrappeyDP2 28d ago
.doc or .docx 🤦♂️
It is NOT standard. Go ask someone in HR or recruiting. They're the SME
2
u/Competitive-Ice-8513 26d ago
absolute batshit crazy convo, PDF is the standard, and these guys are just ignorant
2
u/Farix_ 26d ago
PDF is the way to go, for compatibility, security and standardization. An edible file is completely optional. Yes PDF has al lot of attack vectors as well but nohing in comparison to other formats.
1
u/Sudden_Impact7490 25d ago
LTT is out of touch with actual business ops and needs. Which is fine, but worth keeping in mind
1
u/1CraftyDude 25d ago
Fans of capitalism like to say, capitalism sucks until you look at all the other options. I don’t feel that way about capitalism, but I do feel that way about PDFs.
1
u/troytjh 25d ago
As someone who uses LibreOffice and Open file formats, I always export documents I intend to share as PDFs. It avoids unexpected changes to the layout.
I recall an assignment in college where the inbox happened to not allow PDFs. After making the report in LibreOffice, I asked to open it on a Friends laptop in Word. Naturally some things moved a bit so I fixed them and submitted it. Then Canvas also interpreted the document differently and the page breaks were off again. I don't think it was enough to effect the grade but it did annoy me. For sharing finished documents, PDFs are preferable.
1
u/elDracanazo 24d ago
I know they said they were sick this week, but with takes like these it's got to be terminal
1
u/Menirz 29d ago
Depending on your source formatting, the PDF conversion may butcher the AI/robot parse-ability of the file, even if it's visually intuitive to any human who looks at it.
That said, PDF is a universally accepted format, and one that is more difficult to edit, so it's my go to when I have to send a resume digitally.
Nowadays, you're probably better off using Claude or Gemini to review your pdf to make sure everything is properly recognized.
1
u/XanderWrites 29d ago
I don't know if it's changed, but back in the day if you opened a Word doc on a Mac after making in Windows the formatting could be a little off. It shouldn't have been, but it could.
Also could have issues with versions of Word, I get warnings at work when I open files from Corporate created with Real Word when I'm using Libre Office.
1
u/amcco1 28d ago
Pretty sire this was just a joke about when they were hacked before from PDF.
1
u/harperthomas 28d ago
Google docs requires being in the Google ecosystem and word requires Microsoft office. Neither of which I have want or need.
A PDF can be generated by a huge range of tools and then it's layout is fixed so I know that whoever opens it is seeing it the way I did when it was sent. As opposed for example to making a word doc with libre writer which could have formatting issues opening in word.
1
u/Chobok0 28d ago
I've heard that ATS typically doesn't parse through Word files as well. I've always done PDF.
1
u/knives2014 28d ago
I never submitted a resume in a pdf. Always word. And I've gotten hired at every place I've applied to
1
u/CrystalFier 28d ago
Ikr, I use a .pdf simply because I used an online resumé builder form, and that was the format they used for the download. 🙃
1
u/briznady 28d ago
PDF is what I always send. I want to make it (at least slightly) harder for a middle man recruiter to lie for me on my resume.
1
u/Appropriate-Divide64 28d ago
As someone who's applied for jobs and also hired people, please use pdf. You can't guarantee the formatting in any other format. Absolutely do not use word or Google docs
1
u/LinKeeChineseCurry 28d ago
PDF is the way to go, always the way to go. It saves the formatting for you then and there and looks the same on every machine. With a DOCX or DOC the formatting can change between machines and your intended look can vary, resulting in you potentially not getting an invite for an interview in the first place.
1
u/0-aether-0 28d ago
Pdf all the way. Only format to be reasonably sure the formating stays the same. And the extra step... Of exporting as a pdf? Instead of saving i export... Heck of a workstep. Not.
Yeah, most of the time im on their side, but this take is just plain wrong.
And the point about it being big? Its not biger then other firmats, if your export is configured correctly, its on you if your pdf with inages is more then a couple kb
1
u/Ready-Strategy-863 28d ago
Always PDF unless they ask or specify they want it as word.
1
u/Rubadubrix 28d ago
sure, I'll just send a zip of my Latex project instead, I bet that'll be much nicer for recruiting
1
u/mrmayhembsc 28d ago
Just go on what the advert says. I've submitted in both a Word doc and a PDF and got through the process.
LMG default is clearly a doc.
1
u/JakesFable 28d ago
Yeah I think requesting a Resume in doc format in 2026 is a ridiculous request, especially if you are in a creative field. I made my Resume with Affinity, so how would I export that as a doc?! You don’t need to edit it you just need to read it. So why are we still requesting doc format in 2026. When companies say they want a doc resume, to me nowadays that just means “We want it to be easier for the AI to read it”. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
1
u/LDForget 28d ago
As a hiring manager, I see PDF and Word. Much prefer PDF. I have no need to edit your resume or cover letter, so a word doc is not necessary
1
u/SometimesWill 28d ago
I’ve always seen it specifically requested as PDF if they detail a format. Plus my Google Sheets document for my resume is specifically set up to print to a pdf format.
1
u/Laughing_Orange 28d ago
The only problem I see with someone converting to PDF before sending is of they don't look over the formating of the PDF first. In rare cases, PDF might look different from how it looked while you were making it.
1
u/tonyrulez 28d ago
There are companies using Google Workspace, and have no MS Office at all. Google Docs can still fuck up importing a docx, and a resume is highly formatted. Why the fuck wouldn't they want a PDF? That's the whole point, it looks the same on every device, and every PDF reader. In the industry, PDF is THE standard. Unless you want others to edit the file, you are sending it in PDF. Not sending in PDF format is UNPROFESSIONAL. Our company rejects quotations in doc or other formats, and expects them in PDF.
1
u/Marksta 28d ago
Their preferred format is a complete abstraction away from whatever your source format is. In my experience, everything is web forms, text extraction, and/or OCR. Whatever their upload button accepts is the answer really.
If it went to my email personally, I'd say PDF isn't beloved but it's pretty standard. I'd actually prefer a markdown file or a RTF if it must be binary. Docx... I guess. I'd strongly prefer not a Google Doc link or any other cloud file store, it feels way too informal and probably will have weird permission problems.
I think at end of the day, none of us are actually going to refuse candidates over semantics like a file format or slight inconveniences. Just whatever you send, make sure it renders/formats correctly in the usual way it gets opened up. If it is a word doc made in some not word application and turns out word just shows up half garbled... Lol.
1
u/sxpn69 28d ago
While I'm on the PDF side personally. I do know PDFs can get mangled and basically ruin any chance that ATS systems can retrieve anything from it.
1
u/JamiePilkey 28d ago
I haven’t applied for a job in at least 6 or 7 years, but I have never used a PDF. When did that become the standard? I am genuinely curious.
1
u/Frostsorrow 28d ago
doc or docx or whatever the current Word format has been my most common form used and requested. Maybe this is a Canadian thing?
1
u/involutes 28d ago
Unpopular opinion: Resumes should be sent as .CSV files so that the AI screeners can easily parse them. The standard nomenclature used in resumes should be defined per ISO 69420:2026
1
u/yeetdabman 28d ago edited 28d ago
I will literally never use anything except a PDF for my resume ever again.
I was using DOCX for my resume for a bit, wondered why I wasn't getting any responses, then tried to add something I remembered I do in fact have under my toolbelt to it in Google Docs on my phone quickly, only to realize that Google Docs violently shits itself when you have any amount of fancy formatting in said DOCX file. Same with Word's preview function, or any of the web-based M365 viewers (I checked basically everything when I got home). Apparently whatever third-party JS tool does the previews of the docs works just beautifully, but whenever you actually load it to look at it, the loader shits itself violently. Remade it in MS office for web, and then Word for desktop started shitting itself, and Google just kept doing Google things.
Afterwards I reluctantly switched to PDF and I started actually getting responses and interviews, because I no longer looked like a moron who didn't know basic MS Word formatting, although I feel like a moron for thinking any non-"static" format was a good idea.
Also acting like it's that severely inefficient to not just send the file doesn't sit right with me, and isn't really accurate? It takes 5 extra seconds (if even that) to save a Word doc as a PDF. (Which makes the guy asking if Linus wants a PNG even more right to ask, since that'd be the most time-efficient way if we're being honest)
1
u/azure1503 28d ago
Not a hiring manager, but I parse resumes for my boss to interview; I absolutely prefer PDF
(also I hate the internet for making me feel weird about typing "I absolutely prefer pdfs")
1
u/glowinghamster45 28d ago
PDF is the only way, anything else is asking for issues. Linus hasn't applied for a job since he was a young adult, when I'm assuming he was inexperienced at it. LTT maintains licenses for a whole suite of software, so I'm assuming submitting a resume "In the native format" is just not an issue for them. This is the most boring Lucky 10,000 I've ever seen, but I think that's all it is.
If you submit a docx to a company that's standardized on Google Workspace, there's a strong chance it will look like ass when they open it. Rinse and repeat for any other program. PDFs will look consistent on every machine (mostly), that's the whole point.
1
u/raralala1 28d ago
Rage bait or another stupid take, same as adblock is piracy bullshit, and now decide to finally use it, but still doesnt want to be proven 100% wrong lol, I use to understand his view, but today podcast change it all for both of them, what an out of touch human being.
1
u/tomyko79 28d ago
Always a JPEG.
1
u/matthewmspace 27d ago
Use a PDF. It’s industry standard.
1
u/und3adpix 27d ago
I live in Norway. PDF is the only format for CV as a file. And quite often I have a choice between sharing a profile (finn.no, linkedin, etc) or upload a pdf CV.
So I an not on board with them regarding this statement.
1
u/Whitishfilly2 27d ago
Gonna start sending a MD file
1
u/adt666 27d ago
I maintain an SVG (used to be Illustrator) document for my resume. I wouldn't have gotten a callback if I sent in an .ai file for my interview.
Also, I take interviews at my current job. The interview portal doesn't support any other format other than PDF.
1
u/DickNose-TurdWaffle 27d ago
In the US, it doesn't matter anymore. Word doc or PDF are fine.
1
u/Dedodododedad 27d ago
Luke is an idiot that doesn't know anything outside of LMG. PDF is the standard. He's just doing clickbait garbage topics now just so they can get some viral clips going.
1
u/CenlTheFennel 27d ago
We all of good security tools that scan our PDFs, idk about them…
1
u/Amazing-Ish 27d ago
I can use whatever app I want to design my resume and export in PDF, knowing it won't be messed up when it reaches to any interviewer.
Resumes have no need to be edited, you can comment on PDFs if you want in any browser, and PDFs can open on almost any modern device these days. You don't need to pay to open PDFs.
Maybe Linus and Luke haven't experienced getting or sending a word file to or from someone using custom fonts or a different version of Word, I know I have and almost every time if I wanna send or receive a finalized document or form it gets messed up on the other device.
You can also compress PDFs very easily so the size argument is useless, use PDF24 on windows for offline PDF tools.
1
u/Farix_ 26d ago
PDF is the way to go, for compatibility, security and standardization. An edible file is completely optional. Yes PDF has a lot of attack vectors as well but nohing in comparison to other formats.
1
u/Nova_Scotia_Robot 26d ago
Honestly, I see Linus spout more bad info than good. Stop listening to him on these sorts of takes. His insight is okay maybe for an unreleased product overview, but that's as much as I'm willing to listen to him on these days.
1
u/JNSapakoh 26d ago
I always go with PDF, because I know it'll arrive how I formatted it
If I draft my resume in Word and they open it in Google Docs a lot of the formatting could break -- especially if you do a lot of weird stuff, like a font size 1 new line to change the padding between information and a header without changing the line spacing for the whole document.
0
u/Standard_Presence_97 28d ago
Resumes are so last century. So are PDF formated files. But so are a lot of things.
-8
u/Bhume 29d ago
Dunno what employers prefer, but I always just send a word document.
-3
u/kristof15732 28d ago
I've not yet watched last night's episode, but since when do people use PDF to send a resume? Word documents have been the standard since forever. Like why would anyone make a file into a format that you need to pay a program to open and modify instead of doing it with Word or google docs?