PDF or Word CV: Which Format to Use When You Apply

The short answer: PDF in most cases

If the job ad doesn't specify anything, send your CV as a PDF. It's the only format that keeps the layout identical on any computer, phone or operating system. A Word file opened on a different machine than yours can shift margins, fonts and formatting, and the recruiter ends up seeing a CV different from the one you created.

There's one condition, though: it has to be a text-based PDF, not a scan or an image export. Only then does it stay selectable, copyable and readable by recruitment software.

Why Word can still come in handy

The .docx format isn't dead. Use it in specific cases:

• The job ad explicitly asks for it (this happens with some portals and public-sector listings).
• You're working with a recruitment agency that often edits the CV — removing your contact details, adding their logo, tweaking the wording — before forwarding it to the client. A locked PDF stops them from doing that.
• The upload system only accepts .docx.

When you send a Word file, apply the same cleanliness rules as for a PDF: no tables, no columns, no text boxes. A messy Word document breaks more easily than a PDF.

The myth that "ATS hate PDFs"

This is outdated advice. The earliest applicant tracking systems struggled with PDFs, and for years the rule was "always send Word." That's no longer the case: modern ATS read a text-based PDF without any trouble.

The real enemy isn't the file extension, it's the internal structure. Tables, multiple columns, icons in place of text and contact details buried in the header confuse the parsing in both PDF and Word. To understand how to make your CV genuinely readable by software, start with the guide The CV that gets past the ATS.

The test that works for any format

Before you apply, run this 10-second check, whatever the format:

1. Open the file (PDF or Word).
2. Select all the text and copy it.
3. Paste it into a blank editor, like Notepad.

If the text comes out clean and complete, the ATS will read it just fine. If it comes out jumbled, with bits out of place or missing, the problem is the layout: simplify it, regardless of the extension. This test exposes PDFs generated by design templates (Canva, fancy designer layouts) that hide the text inside images.

What you should never send

Some formats only cause problems:

• JPG and PNG: these are images, so the ATS sees no text at all. They get rejected or read as blank.
• Pages (.pages): opens badly on Windows and on many corporate systems.
• ODT: the same compatibility risk.
• A PDF "printed as an image": it has the right extension, but there's no text inside. This is the trickiest case because it looks correct.

Match the format to the job ad, every time

Choosing between PDF and Word is only the first step. Your score comes down to how well the content matches the role: keywords, skills and job title present where they're genuinely true. Rewriting your CV for every application is slow if you do it by hand. With EuroCV Pro you analyse the job ad, export in the right format and optimise your CV in real time, so you clear the screening and land the interview.