Word or PDF?
 

Ok, this is a bit off topic but my son is applying to be an ESL teacher in several Asian countries. His resume was set up as a PDF file but he was told that he should only send it as a Word doc. Anyone have an educated opinion on this....He will be travelling once he gets a job and then I will also travel to visit so I guess this is travel related after all! Right now he is looking at Taiwan and Hong Kong as locations.

I live and work in Hong Kong and so some work in Taiwan as well. There is no particular reason I can see why the résumé "has" to be in Word format; we send and receive documents in PDF format all the time. Most people have Acrobat reader and can open, read and print documents in PDF format.

I would have a resume prepared in BOTH formats and he can then ask a potential employer which is the preferred format. Also he should have things like his passport, school transcripts, test scores, and reference letters scanned and put into PDF format now so he can attach those to e-mails, as people will need to see those when considering his application. A passport copy will be necessary to start the process to obtain a work permit, for which his employer must sponsor him.

They probably want the .doc file so that they can edit it. They will have a reviewer mark it up with comments and pass it along. Like people might do with a hardcopy resume. This can be done easily using Word.

While doing that with a pdf might be possible, I would consider it highly unlikely that they would have the software to do it. Word is ubiquitous.

Another reason for asking for doc files is simple document management. It is easier for them to manage several resumes when they are in a common file format.

A reason for using a pdf file for a resume is to <u>prevent</u> people from editing it (by &quot;edit&quot; I mean change the wording of the resume, not just commenting on it). Given a choice of format to send, .doc, .pdf, or any other, I would choose pdf. But it doesn't sound like you have a choice.

If you do send a .doc, then also pay attention to the Word version it should be in, if they specify it.

Because my later definition of &quot;edit&quot; I should have started my post out with: &quot;They probably want the .doc file so that they can <i>mark it up</i>.

Thanks for the input. He did the original design in a format that doesn't translate well to Word so he was hoping the PDF would suffice...(has a BFA, what can I say!)I will pass your answers along to him. I appreciate your taking the time to answer my semi travel question. I will be back in the future with more legit travel questions...a trip to Japan looms on the horizon, and where ever the boy winds up I am sure we will visit! I am just happy because he has changed his focus from finding a job in Colombia to looking in Asia instead.

Actually, the main reason for using PDF is so the document will look the same no matter what computer it's displayed on or what printer it's printed on. Many people are unaware that what they see on their computer in Word may be completely different than what someone else sees on another computer, due to differences in fonts, screen resolution, printers, etc.

In many parts of Southeast Asia, there is in fact a very low competence in computers. I've run into many people who don't know what a PDF file is or what to do with it.

Apparently all of the places he sent only PDF files to have had no problem with them because he is getting lots of responses regarding the jobs...yeah!Maybe ESL schools are more up to date than other types of businesses. Now if he can only get his college to send his diploma maybe he will get a job...some hold up at the printer that is ridiculous and some of the employers require the diploma over the official transcripts!