Should I save my resume as a PDF or Word Doc?
You should save your resume in whatever file format a company requests in the job description.
If they say to save your resume as a PDF, save it as a PDF. If they don’t specify, then both PDF and .docx are acceptable file formats.
However, many job seekers prefer to save their resume in PDF format. That’s because PDFs have the following benefits:
Benefits of sending a resume PDF
You have complete control over the format
No one can go into your resume and change the layout.
More people can open your resume
Hiring managers with an out-of-date version of Microsoft Word may have issues opening your resume if it’s saved as a .docx. But everyone can open a PDF.
Spell Check underlining doesn’t appear
Your resume may have red spell check underlining on it if it’s saved as a Word Doc. However, saving your resume as a PDF file keeps the page looking clean.
But before you save your resume as a PDF, you must know how to make a resume in Word or Google Docs. Once you’ve created your resume, you can then choose whether to save it as a .docx file or PDF.
If you don’t know how to make a resume from scratch, try downloading a resume template to help you get started.
How to make my resume a PDF
Saving as a PDF in Microsoft Word
1. Click ‘File’
Go to the very top left-hand corner of your Word document, then click on ‘File’ to bring up the dropdown menu.
2. Select ‘Save As’
This will bring up the option to change your resume file format.
3. Select ‘File Format’
Click on the dropdown near the bottom of the box that should have appeared, and click either the up or down buttons on the right-hand side.
4. Select ‘PDF’
Scroll down until you see ‘PDF’, and select it.
5. Click on ‘Export’
Click ‘Export’ in the bottom right-hand corner to finish saving your resume as a PDF. Depending on how you plan on saving your resume, select either one of the two “Best for” options.
“Best for printing” is ideal if you plan on printing out physical copies of your resume. Meanwhile, “Best for electronic distribution” is better if you’re sending your resume PDF via email because it maintains links, like one to your LinkedIn profile, so employers can easily access them.
However, both options are perfectly acceptable ways to save your resume.
This will create a PDF in the same folder as the original Word document.
Saving as a PDF in Google Docs
1. Select ‘File’ in the menu bar
2. Go to ‘Print’
You can do this one of two ways.
1. Click on ‘File’ in the top left-hand corner of the document, then go to the bottom of the drop-down menu and choose ‘Print.’
2. Click on the ‘Print’ icon in the top left-hand corner.
3. Click ‘Save’
This will give you the option to save your Google Docs file as a PDF. Click ‘Save’ to download your PDF resume to your computer. When you save your resume, make sure to choose a professional resume name.
