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ATS guide

PDF or Word for an ATS: which should you send?

Either works, unless the job ad names a file type. Workday accepts DOCX and PDF files, and MIT says it is usually fairly safe to use either a .doc/.docx or a .pdf, as long as you follow any file type the system specifies.[1], [4]

By Justin M., founder of BespokeJobs. Updated .

Sources last reviewed .

Numbered citations point to the sources listed below. Lines marked "Our advice" are BespokeJobs recommendations.

What the software makers document

  • Workday: DOCX and PDF, and a PDF "must contain text that's not image-based."[1]
  • Greenhouse: a resume uploaded as an image rather than a document such as a .docx or .pdf can fail to parse, and it cannot parse files larger than 2.5 MB.[2]
  • Oracle Taleo: recruiter keyword search covers attachments in .doc, .docx, .pdf, .txt, .rtf, .htm, and other supported formats.[3]

The common thread is text. All three read a file that holds real, selectable text, and none is described as preferring Word over PDF.

Where advisers differ

Robert Half advises saving your resume as a .docx, which it calls compatible with most systems, and says a PDF may also work.[5]

Enhancv takes the opposite default. It says a PDF is accepted by all modern systems and recommends Word only when the posting asks for it.[6]

Both agree on the file to avoid: a flat image, which gives the software no text to read.[2], [5], [6]

Our advice

Our advice: follow the posting. If it names a file type, send that one.

Our advice: otherwise send a PDF exported from Word or Google Docs, or a .docx. Do not scan a printed page or save a picture of your resume as a PDF.

Our advice: open your PDF and try to select and copy a line. If you cannot, it holds an image, not text.

Our advice: keep the file under 2.5 MB. Large images are the usual cause of oversized resumes.

Common questions

Can an ATS read a PDF?

Yes, when it contains text. Workday requires that a PDF not be image-based, and Greenhouse lists a resume uploaded as an image among its parse failures.[1], [2]

Is a .docx file safer than a PDF?

The cited vendor pages do not rank them. Robert Half suggests .docx first, while Enhancv suggests PDF first, so follow the posting and make sure either file contains real text.[1], [2], [5], [6]

Check your resume

Upload your resume to see whether software can read its layout, headings, and contact details. It is free, needs no account, and we do not keep your file.

Check your resume

This page answers one question from the ATS guide. Read the full guide for the rest.

Sources

  1. 1
    Workday: Resume REST API

    Accepts DOCX and text-based PDFs, and says to avoid column formats, text boxes, and personal information in headers and footers.

  2. 2
    Greenhouse: Unsuccessful resume parse

    Lists columns, tables, headers, footers, contact details in text boxes, image uploads, and files over 2.5 MB as parse problems.

  3. 3
    Oracle Taleo Enterprise: Candidate advanced search with keywords

    Recruiter keyword search covers attachments in .doc, .docx, .pdf, .txt, .rtf, and other supported formats.

  4. 4
    MIT Career Advising and Professional Development: make your resume ATS friendly

    Word or PDF files are usually safe, follow the file type the system names, and avoid tables and text boxes.

  5. 5
    Robert Half: ATS-friendly resume tips to outsmart the screening system

    Avoid tables, columns, headers, and footers; save as .docx; a PDF may also work.

  6. 6
    Enhancv: the state of resume parsing

    Argues modern systems read two columns and PDFs, and recommends a single column for Taleo and older SuccessFactors.

Sources last reviewed .