Contractors’ Questions: Must my CV be in Word format, or just PDF?

Contractor’s Question: An agent rung me back annoyed that my CV is not in Word format; just PDF. After me asking ‘why?’ and him not really producing a reason, he finally settled on "Clients can't open PDFs because of security".

Well, I'd rather not work with a client who can't open PDFs in this day and age! I'm aware that some agents alter CVs, and that some legacy ATS systems don't always work well with PDF, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. Personally, I think clients and agents should be able to handle PDF CVs in 2019. Am I wrong? Should I convert my CV into Word too?

Expert’s Answer: As to the specifics of your question, a little anecdote for you. When I worked in recruitment, we would request a Word document from contractors for two reasons: a) so we could add our branding to it; and b) so we could remove the contractor’s contact details.

I guess we were encouraged to be somewhat distrustful that our clients might go behind our back and contact contractors directly, cutting us out of the loop. In retrospect, it seems daft that we would be so untrusting, but I’ve certainly seen it happen.

I think your point about ATS is also valid. I’m not a techie myself, but I’m led to believe that a PDF is simply a photograph (in rudimentary terms) – the conventional wisdom has always been that ATS cannot read a PDF.

Not that I’m taking sides here, but I would also suggest a slight tweak in thinking. As a contractor, you are ‘a business.’ The recruitment agents are therefore your ‘channel partners,’ and also ‘agents’ or ‘partners’ of the client. The organisation you ultimately supply is of course your ‘client’ or ‘customer.’ In any other business, we would pander to the whims of our partners, agents and clients -- to a degree at least. If the accepted norm in your circles is a Word document, it’s a smart move just to roll with it, otherwise it is only going to harm your chances of securing contract work. While also potentially irritating your partners, or your customer, because it irks their partners / agents.

The expert was Matt Craven, founder of the CV & Interview Advisors.

ContractorUK has partnered with the UK's leading authority on contractor CVs to provide a FREE review of your CV and LinkedIn profile. Contact The CV & Interview Advisors and one of their team will get back to you to discuss if your CV and LinkedIn profile matches up with industry best practice.