Microsoft Word 2007, MS Works, and PDF Resume Formats

Could Microsoft or PDF be hurting your job search?  The short answer to this question is YES.  We all know that technology has enhanced both the ability to directly seek out a new position as well as allow easier access for a hiring authority or recruiter to find you, but it is not error-proof!

The advent of auto-applying, auto-parsing, or auto-anything takes your beloved resume, that tool you put so much work and effort into, and automatically scans your information into an Application Tracking System (ATS) or mainstream job board. As you send out your resume or upload it into an on-line tool, there is a chance the format you use will not allow the receiving party to perhaps view it at all. Most systems have either not been upgraded to work with Word 07 or PDF’s and many have never been able to interface well with MS Works.

We have experienced this challenge ourselves at TWG. Our main tool to keep track of candidates, resumes, client needs and such works with PDFs, Word 2007, and MS Works format, but only if the user’s computer also has all of these tools. In other words, like most main-stream systems, we can see the true text version but, when going to the original format, you need to have that software loaded in order to see all the various formats available today. We see this as a short term challenge while we await the updates to our international tool to auto-convert the original document to the proper viewing format.

So, what is the solution to ensure that your resume does not get deleted, unsuccessfully parsed or just over-looked as the person on the other end is not able to open it? If you have access to Microsoft Word, I suggest that you save your resume in an older version of Word. For instance, if you have Word 07, go to file, save as, and select 97-03. If sending in PDF you might want to follow-up with a phone call to ensure they were able to receive and open your resume. If all you have is MS Works or some other word processing tool (MAC for instance) you may want to take the time to see who in your network can convert your resume to MS Word 97-03.

Better yet, when applying for the job and or asked to send in your resume, stop and ask, “What format does your system accept?”

For assistance with your resume from Greg Miller and others on the staff visit
The Career Store or Get in Touch.