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Do any of you email your resume in pdf format? Does this also work for Monster and Careerbuilder? What's your experience with recruiter and companies receiving your pdf resume?
I just now made my resume and resume samples available in pdf format. Regular MS Word resume was 155 kb size, pdf version 60 kb so it's great for Craigslist jobs.
I used to send my resume samples as an online html help file generated with Adobe Robohelp 8. But many email system don't take the .chm file - they think it could be a possible virus. So I had to make a pdf version instead. Will send this pdf version now.
Location: The Chatterdome in La La Land, CaliFUNia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jesse69
Do any of you email your resume in pdf format? Does this also work for Monster and Careerbuilder? What's your experience with recruiter and companies receiving your pdf resume?
I just now made my resume and resume samples available in pdf format. Regular MS Word resume was 155 kb size, pdf version 60 kb so it's great for Craigslist jobs.
I used to send my resume samples as an online html help file generated with Adobe Robohelp 8. But many email system don't take the .chm file - they think it could be a possible virus. So I had to make a pdf version instead. Will send this pdf version now.
I am not familiar enough about Monster or Careerbuilder so I cannot comment on that. As a default, I submit my resumes and cover letters in PDF formats unless the application or recruiter specifies Word or text. The reason why PDF format is ideal to use is that all computers come with at least a Reader so you don't have to worry about what version of Word, etc the recruiter has. The most important reason for me is that the formatting is retained and is not dependent upon how the receiver's computer is set up (one page resumes don't turn into two pages due to printer set ups, etc).
I haven't sent a .pdf resume since the late 90s. What's worked best for me has been plain text, even moreso than a word doc.
This I'd throw out instantly if it came across my desk. I prefer people to send me PDF resume's because it looks the same on the screen and printed out.
Word is completely acceptable, but it shows some formatting queues can be distracting. Especially with tables.
What I hate seeing these days are resume's with huge blocks of text, and resumes with such simplistic formatting that it waste's half the page (usually the right side of the resume looks a lot more whiter than the left.
My recommendation, use PDF when possible, and use tables and lists, bullet points etc. The resume should be a presentation of you with a modern layout. Not just a list of bullets along the left side.
Well, one ad on Craigslist advertised a job and said submit a pdf resume but I couldn't and I sent an MS Word resume. Not everyone can have or afford Adobe Acrobat.
Now I will send pdf resumes to Craigslist ads because Craigslist has a 150kb limit for resumes.
PDFs offer more certainty. I don't have to worry about what version of the software the recipient has, or their default software or printer settings that might alter my formatting. PDFs are also compressed by definition, which makes the files smaller, and I use the 'reduce file size' feature to compress further, if necessary.
I also have my resume in an alternate 'scannable' format, for use when uploading to a website or sending to a company that might use scanning software.
If the company or job board has specific instructions about file format, I always follow their instructions.
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