The Recruiter's Dilemma: PDF or Word?
Every staffing agency recruiter has faced this question: should I send this resume as a PDF or Word document? The candidate sent it as a PDF. The client's ATS prefers Word. Your agency template looks perfect in PDF but the client wants to edit it. There's no universal answer — but there is a clear best practice for staffing agencies.
Why Clients Prefer Word Documents
Based on feedback from our 600+ agency clients, roughly 70% of hiring managers and client contacts prefer receiving resumes as Word documents. Here's why:
- Editability: Clients often want to add internal notes, highlight relevant experience, or adjust formatting before forwarding to hiring managers
- ATS import: Most ATS platforms (Bullhorn, Greenhouse, Lever, Workday) parse Word documents more accurately than PDFs
- Internal processes: Many companies have their own resume templates and prefer to reformat submissions to match their internal standards
- Text searchability: Word documents are fully searchable, while some PDFs (especially scanned or image-based) are not
When PDF Is the Right Choice
PDF isn't wrong — it's situational. There are legitimate reasons to send a PDF:
- Executive presentations: For C-suite candidates where visual presentation matters, PDF ensures the layout renders exactly as designed
- Compliance documents: When the resume is part of a formal bid or proposal, PDF prevents accidental modifications
- Blind submissions: PDF makes it harder for clients to accidentally reveal candidate identity in anonymized submissions
- Cross-platform consistency: PDF looks identical on every device and operating system, while Word formatting can shift between Mac and Windows
ATS Compatibility: The Technical Reality
The ATS parsing question is where this debate gets technical. Most modern ATS platforms can parse both formats, but Word consistently performs better:
ATS Parsing: PDF vs Word
| Factor | Word (.docx) | |
|---|---|---|
| Text extraction | Reliable, structured | Depends on PDF type |
| Section identification | Uses document structure | Relies on visual layout |
| Table parsing | Reads table data | Often breaks on tables |
| Multi-column layouts | Handles well | Frequently misread |
| Scanned documents | Not applicable | Requires OCR |
| Consistent across ATS | High consistency | Varies by ATS |
Based on testing across major ATS platforms
The Best Practice: Output Both from One Source
The real answer to the PDF vs Word debate is: don't choose — prepare both. Modern resume formatting tools let you create a single formatted resume and export it as both Word and PDF with one click. Send Word as your default submission format, and keep a PDF version ready for situations that require it.
With iReformat, every formatted resume is available in both Word and PDF. Format once, export twice. No need to choose between client editability and formatting perfection.
This dual-output approach means you never have to ask the client which format they prefer — just send Word by default and mention that PDF is available if needed.