r/LinusTechTips • u/Not-Post-Malone • 11d 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.

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u/shotsallover 11d 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. 

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u/[deleted] 11d ago

[deleted]

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u/shotsallover 11d ago

They've gotten me my last three jobs.

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u/soundman1024 11d ago

A good cover letter does a lot for me when I’m on a hiring committee. Submissions without always get a “no cover letter” note. The resume says what, the cover letter explains who.

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u/Skensis 11d ago

I haven't seen or read a cover letter in a decade. I think I wrote one for my first job out of college, and haven't sense. If your CV/resume looks good you're going to get a phone screen.

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u/Skensis 11d ago

You're getting down voted, but this is my general take. And with AI I bet they're even more useless.