Why resume in Word format ubiquitous?

hiddenknight821

Can someone cares to explain why most recruiters I dealt with wanted my resume in Word format rather than PDF? I just don't get it, and it's rather annoying.

I thought it'd be safe to send my resume in PDF so that they can read it without any problem. Even Indeed.com can extract the content from my resume nicely when I uploaded it there. So, there is no real excuse for them to choose Word over PDF.

Unless I am missing something here, and I'd like you to tell me what made Word format so frigging special?

EasyMac308

I believe it's because "everybody" has it and certain legacy HR apps don't grok PDF. Plus, many times recruiters add their own headers and tweak your resume to suit themselves (I've seen copies of my resume that were mangled by Robert Half...)

ptilsen

EasyMac308 wrote: »

Plus, many times recruiters add their own headers and tweak your resume to suit themselves (I've seen copies of my resume that were mangled by Robert Half...)

This. I've never seen anyone balk at a PDF for any other reason. I was dismayed to find my perfectly formatted two-page resume was turned into three pages with one sentence on the third page during an interview after the recruiters decided foolishly that my mid/low-level certifications belonged in front of my relatively extensive experience.

RoyalRaven

Have seen that they like to yank out personal details (primarily address/contact info) or name if they're working on your behalf or submitting you through other channels. It is just easier for them to edit in Word than blank out by other means. I'm sure there's other reasons why they may want to omit data...haven't seen direct modification myself to the real content (that certainly seems problematic), but more or less to remove info that may not be relevant to a direct submission.

Also have been told that the software/database in use just doesn't like PDFs. Best to be able to supply both (and occasionally I get the "text only" one...lol)

MiikeB

Two other reasons:

1) Some large companies require all resumes to be converted in to a standard format to present to the hiring manager so their is some uniformity and they can sort through them quickly, they like to be able to just edit your resume which is easier in word.

2) Recruiters like TekSystems and KForce that do placement want to be able to remove your phone number and add their logo so their is no question who submitted the candidate as well as help prevent the company from going around them and hiring you without paying the recruiter their commission.

zeroth

Speaking of recruiters modifying resumes...I actually had a recruiter change dates of employment on my resume to cover up a gap without notifying me. I only found out because he insisted I take a copy with me. I ended up withdrawing my application for the position before receiving an offer or a rejection (that's another story entirely), but it's something to watch out for. The strange thing is I had dealt with this recruiting agency before, and it was an entirely straightforward process. This time around I had a different recruiter assigned to me, and not only did he lie to my potential employer by changing this information, he lied directly to me as well. In the end it worked out, I landed a much better position through another agency, and the recruiter this time was not only honest but quite talented.