PDF or DOCX: which resume format is best for ATS?

The short answer

If the job ad or application page names a format, send that one. If it does not, a text based PDF and a DOCX file will both work in most current applicant tracking systems. What matters more than the format is what is inside the file: real text in a simple, single column layout.

A PDF keeps your layout exactly as you designed it. A DOCX is easier for a recruiter to edit and is sometimes handled more reliably by older systems. Neither one rescues a resume built from columns, tables and icons.

Why advice on this keeps changing

You will find guides that say PDFs are fine and guides that say you should only ever use Word. Both can be right for their time. Some older systems were reported to read Word files more reliably, and many career sites still repeat that advice. Most current systems handle both formats.

Because employers choose and configure their own software, nobody outside the company can promise what it will do with your file. That is why the safest approach is to follow the instructions you are given and to test the file yourself.

When a PDF is the better choice

Send a PDF when the ad does not say otherwise and you want your layout to stay exactly as it is on every device. A PDF will not shift if the recruiter opens it on a different computer or phone.

• Export it from Word, Google Docs or a resume builder. These PDFs keep the text selectable.
• Never send a scan, a photo or a screenshot saved as PDF. There is no text in it, so the software has nothing to read.
• Avoid "print to image" options and PDFs flattened by editing tools that turn text into outlines.

When a DOCX is the better choice

Send a DOCX when the ad asks for Word, when the application portal only accepts Word files, or when you are applying through a recruiter who may want to edit the document.

• Keep the formatting simple. Tables, text boxes and columns are the usual causes of scrambled text in Word files.
• Keep your name, email and phone out of the page header and footer, because some systems skip those areas.
• Use the built in heading and bullet styles rather than typing bullet symbols by hand.

Test your file in two minutes

You can check how a parser is likely to read your file without any special tool.

• Open your resume and select all of the text, then copy it.
• Paste it into a plain text editor, such as Notepad on Windows or TextEdit in plain text mode on a Mac.
• Read it from top to bottom. Is your name first? Are jobs and dates in the right order? Is any text missing, repeated or mixed with another section?
• Look for strange symbols or empty boxes where icons were. Those can show up the same way in an applicant tracking system.

Mistakes that matter more than the format

Most reading problems come from layout choices, not from the file type. If you fix these, either format will usually work.

• Two columns or a sidebar, which can mix up the order of your text.
• Tables used for layout.
• Text boxes, which many parsers skip completely.
• Contact details placed in the header or footer.
• Icons instead of words for phone, email and location.
• A file name that looks like a draft, such as "resume_final_v3 (1)". Use something like Firstname-Lastname-Resume.