Should CV's be in PDF or docx or...what?

Felon · 3 Jul 2015 at 10:11

PDF here, so the formatting is consistent and the same for whoever views it,

russell664 · 3 Jul 2015 at 10:15

I tend to use DOCX, but if i'm being protective I'll use a PDF.

LizardKing · 3 Jul 2015 at 10:20

Our recruiters convert PDF's to docx. so save me the hassle of them bothering me and send them in docx

If you send it as PDF then there is chance the formatting will get lost if you send it to a recruiter that doesn't/cant do a decent conversion.

No decent recruitment company will risk loosing business over doctoring CV's beyond removing personal details.

Unless of course its direct then pdf.

arknor · 3 Jul 2015 at 10:21

screenshot of a pdf just to mind **** them

Asprilla · 3 Jul 2015 at 10:24

m4cc45 said:
If it's a recruiter then word as they will always remove your contact details so that the employer can't contact you direct.

anything I don't mind said:
I always send in docx because recruitment agency like to remove the contact info before handing it to clients so they cant bypass the agents.

This.

soundb0y · 3 Jul 2015 at 10:28

When I used to work in recruitment I spent half my time converting pdfs to .docs so we could edit them and remove identifying info etc.

Ghosteh · 3 Jul 2015 at 10:38

Save as PDF, then print, rescan, at a slight angle, then send as BMP to fill up their inbox so no one else can send theirs.

Sandycheeks · 3 Jul 2015 at 10:50

I often view CVs and if they arrive in any form other than PDF I think it looks like they just couldn't be bothered - I don't disregard them as for the positions I usually have CVs for do not require any sort of aptitude in this area)
I often get CVs that have been typed out into an email - these are less favourable than all others.

Mr-White · 3 Jul 2015 at 10:54

I tried with PDF for a while but a lot of employers/agencies don't like them as they can't edit them.

MW

Captain Fizz · 3 Jul 2015 at 10:56

Asked several times to send a .doc after sending PDF's...

So just send in .docx now...
(Was .doc when I was still sending CV's and not just getting asked :eek:

)

gradyhawks · 3 Jul 2015 at 11:05

I used to work for a recruitment company, so know first hand!

Applying Direct - PDF for sure. It means there are no problems when it comes to opening it and can be done directly in the browser. All the formatting stays nice and the same.

Applying via Recruiter - Word file, every time. Try not to have fancy formatting either, as this is really annoying. What we do with CVs is turn them into "our" format, take out a few details so you can't be contacted directly and change your wording up. If you do it with a PDF, it's a real hassle.

RyanF · 3 Jul 2015 at 11:15

Ghosteh said:
Save as PDF, then print, rescan, at a slight angle, then send as BMP to fill up their inbox so no one else can send theirs.

Hahahaha that made me giggle

dowie · 3 Jul 2015 at 12:12

LizardKing said:
Our recruiters convert PDF's to docx. so save me the hassle of them bothering me and send them in docx
If you send it as PDF then there is chance the formatting will get lost if you send it to a recruiter that doesn't/cant do a decent conversion.

No decent recruitment company will risk loosing business over doctoring CV's beyond removing personal details.

Unless of course its direct then pdf.

most recruitment companies are not 'decent'

dowie · 3 Jul 2015 at 12:14

gradyhawks said:
Applying via Recruiter - Word file, every time. Try not to have fancy formatting either, as this is really annoying. What we do with CVs is turn them into "our" format, take out a few details so you can't be contacted directly and change your wording up. If you do it with a PDF, it's a real hassle.

this is the sort of nonsense I was getting at in my first reply

toshj · 3 Jul 2015 at 12:36

Stretch said:
They do it so they can remove personal details from the CV, and they've also been known to "doctor" CV to BS people into an interview. This is especially common in IT.

I hate agents.

It's not necessarily especially common - as it can only lead to confusion on behalf of the client and the candidate when the "doctored" point is discussed during an interview.

In fact, in the decade I've worked in the profession, I've never heard of nor seen a CV doctored.

OracIe · 3 Jul 2015 at 12:37

I have done mine in .docx (So word) but I lock it down so it's not editable.

Craig321 · 3 Jul 2015 at 12:41

PDF

toshj said:
It's not necessarily especially common - as it can only lead to confusion on behalf of the client and the candidate when the "doctored" point is discussed during an interview.

In fact, in the decade I've worked in the profession, I've never heard of nor seen a CV doctored.

Lucky you. Plenty of the CVs I get sent have been doctored or are BS. The amount of times I've asked someone about something on their CV and they don't really have a clue on the subject is ridiculous.

Whether it's doctored, or just lying, I don't know.

toshj · 3 Jul 2015 at 12:48

Craig321 said:
PDF

Lucky you. Plenty of the CVs I get sent have been doctored or are BS. The amount of times I've asked someone about something on their CV and they don't really have a clue on the subject is ridiculous.

Whether it's doctored, or just lying, I don't know.

I have, however, come across a fake CV sent out by a firm in order to obtain leads. Again, I thought this was just a myth, but the CV hit my inbox and was far too impressive for the candidate's seniority, and when we ran a scan of our database it turned out the deceitful firm had lifted loads of info from a specific candidate's old CV.

Django x2 · 3 Jul 2015 at 14:44

PDF looks a bit more professional IMO

Haggisman · 3 Jul 2015 at 15:05

I'd suggest Word - since it will highlight any pesky erroneous apostrophes in words like "CV's" and "PDF's"