When you embark on a job-hunting journey the most important tool is your resume. Perfecting it can take a while. On top of that, to improve your chances of standing out of the crowd, you often need to tweak and tailor it to the specific requirements of the open position you’re applying for.
Once all that hard work is done, you are left with an age-old dilemma – which format to use for sending your CV. Sometimes it’s a straightforward process of following directions, but oftentimes you get to choose between Word and PDF.
Should you opt for a PDF resume, you will certainly benefit from having a professional PDF editor, since those kind of documents need to be constantly updated and custom tailored to the particular job opening.
Why is a PDF Resume Better?
As already mentioned, the role of the resume is to secure you an interview for the advertised job position. So, the most important thing is to ensure that recruiters be able to properly view and read it on any device.
When specifically asked to submit a CV in MS Word file format, it’s usually because of the compatibility with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) company is using. However, modern ATS software deal with PDFs seamlessly, but you should definitely make sure your PDF resume is ATS friendly.
Here are 2 possible drawbacks of sending your resume in Word document format:
- With so many compatible software, chances are your Word resume can be opened by almost anyone. However, depending on the app used by the recipient, it can look much different than expected. On the other hand, PDF will preserve your layout, fonts, and formatting.
- The MS Word resume can be easily revised and, even worse, accidentally modified or deleted by the user.
Should I Use Images in a CV?
Trend that’s gaining popularity regardless the industry is to enrich resumes with images, media, and graphics. Visual representation of any data vastly improves scannability and can be the deciding factor for recruiters to choose you over other applicants. (Note that visuals are there only for the real person reading your resume, since most of the ATS software can’t read graphics.)
But, as with almost anything good in life, you have to find that sweet spot for making the most out of visuals without overusing them. You should aim to represent only the best results and job experiences with rich media.
And last but not the least – your picture should always be updated. It isn’t professional to have a picture of your (much) younger self or different hair-colour self in a resume.
How do you insert an image into a PDF?
To insert image into a PDF file, you need a professional PDF editor in your arsenal like Able2Extract Professional 12.
It allows you to insert visuals into a PDF in 3 easy-to-follow steps.
Able2Extract Step-by-Step Guide
Once you download and start the software, you’ll need to hit the Open file icon in the main toolbar and select your PDF resume from the hard drive.
Step 1: To make edits and add images to your files, the first thing you should do is to click the Edit icon as shown in the screenshot.
On the right side of Able2Extract working area you’ll see Edit panel sidebar.
Step 2: In the Edit panel on the right, click the Add Image icon. Browsing window will pop-up and you’ll need to choose the appropriate file.
Move it around, scale, or rotate it until you’re satisfied with the result.
Repeat the process for adding multiple images.
Step 3: The last step is to save your PDF resume. To do that, simply hit the Save icon in the main toolbar and choose the name and location for saving your file.
PDFs are great for so many reasons and having a professional software for editing them is the final piece of the puzzle. Besides adding images, Able2Extract can also edit text that’s already there (handy when you need to change dates and update working experience for example); convert PDF to over a dozen most-used formats; annotate, redact, merge, split PDFs, and much more.
I suggest you download the 7-day trial version here and try it for yourself. That way, you’ll have enough time to change picture, add images and update text in your PDF resume, and more – all for free! Of course, if you like the software and need it on a regular basis, make sure to buy your lifetime license in order to support developers and help them make Able2Extract even better.