Why recruiters ask a resume in doc format?

Question

I have sent several applications over these months for different companies and contractors. Usually I sent the resume in PDF format.

I'm curious and at some point also a little bit upset when recruiters request my resume in doc format. If a change is needed I can do it myself and send it back. But to send the resume in doc format I felt at some point like weak/vulnerable. Is there really a foundation in such feelings or is just my mad brain thinking to much on it?

My point is they can be submitting my information as signed by me but modified by someone else. And finally sounds like you are not being treated directly by the person interested. Sounds like there's a chain of contractors before You arrive to the direct client. And that's a terrible deal.

The recruiters that I have asked said me is a requirement for the submission.

I would try to avoid this practice , I think next time someone request my resume.doc I will think it twice before submit.

Word is bit more standard - most candidates wont have professional PDF creation / Preflight tools — Neuromancer, Jun 22 '20 at 22:52
Microsoft Word generates PDF from it's own documents without any trouble for as long as I've known it. — mishan, Jun 24 '20 at 16:36

score 13 · Answer 1 · answered Jun 20 '20 at 01:47

13

Recruiters will remove your contact info (not name) from the top and put their own. This removing the ability for the company to circumvent them and paying them their headhunting fee.

answered Jun 20 '20 at 01:47

Biff

587
4
11

score 7 · Answer 2 · answered Jun 20 '20 at 02:17

7

A friend just had a recruiter add skills he lacked

I have a contractor friend who is looking for his next position and just spoke with a recruiter a week ago for an interview yesterday.

The recruiter added skills he did not have to get the resume past screening and my friend got blindsided in the interview. They added all sorts of DevOps stuff that he did not know.

It’s the first time that he knows of it happening, but it does happen.

answered Jun 20 '20 at 02:17

Matthew Gaiser

47,725
21
131
195

That definitely sucks, there should be a law or something to avoid the misuse of our professional data – mario ruiz Jun 20 '20 at 02:32
I hope your friend tore them a new one and withdrew his resume from being submitted anywhere else with this recruiter! – seventyeightist Jun 20 '20 at 19:58

Joe Strazzere · Answer 3 · 2020-06-20T18:27:13.710

I have sent several applications over these months for different companies and contractors. Usually I sent the resume in PDF format.

I'm curious and at some point also a little bit upset when recruiters request my resume in doc format. If a change is needed I can do it myself and send it back. But to send the resume in doc format I felt at some point like weak/vulnerable. Is there really a foundation in such feelings or is just my mad brain thinking to much on it?

Getting a resume in .doc format probably makes things a bit easier for a recruiter.

Likely, your information goes into their database and can be more automatically inputted in .doc format. Additionally, many recruiters remove your contact information so that clients will not try to bypass them. Finally, some recruiters will modify/fix your resume to clean up any typos or poor wording.

Note that PDF format (or any format for that matter) won't stop any of this from happening. PDFs can be scanned and reconstituted as .doc files easily. Even a piece of paper can easily be turned into a .doc file if desired. Providing the .doc file initially, just makes their life easier, it doesn't add any weakness/vulnerability to your situation at all.

Whenever I work with an agency or recruiter, I'm happy to help them out when I can. However I always insist that I see any and all resumes sent to a company on my behalf be sent to me first for my approval. My resume represents me, and my professional image. I'm okay with them removing my contact information. I'm not okay with them making changes that I wouldn't otherwise make. If they would balk at my requirements, I stop working with them.

If for some reason you still prefer not to provide your resume in the format they choose for any reason, then just decline to work with them and move on to other job openings. There are plenty of other recruiters and jobs.

Hilmar · Answer 4 · 2020-06-21T14:48:18.773

3

Why recruiters ask a resume in doc format?

Because they are either lazy, incompetent or manipulative.

Is there really a foundation in such feelings or is just my mad brain thinking to much on it?

Your feelings are entirely correct. There is no good reason to not accept a PDF resume. You can certainly edit the heck out of a PDF as well, but it's more work and requires a minimum level of skill & effort. The small group of unethical recruiters are unlikely to do that.

The recruiters that I have asked said me is a requirement for the submission.

That's a non-nonsensical and evasive answer. If there is an actual reason why a PDF isn't good enough, the recruiter should be able to articulate what that reason actually is.

I would try to avoid this practice , I think next time someone request my resume.doc I will think it twice before submit.

Yes. A recruiter/company that doesn't accept a PDF resume without a really good reason are a waste of time and potentially harmful

edited Jun 21 '20 at 14:48

answered Jun 20 '20 at 03:05

Hilmar

120,104
36
233
374

1

I don't think this type of language, like calling another human beings "bottom feeders" is called for. – Aida Paul Jun 20 '20 at 06:54
1

-1 for "bottom feeders". – guest Jun 20 '20 at 10:33
1

Having dealt with a really nasty & useless recruitment agency, I think "bottom feeders" is relevant. – Solar Mike Jun 20 '20 at 11:39
@SolarMike I dealt with really nasty and useless lecturers, doesn't mean it's okay to call all of them as bottom feeders. – Aida Paul Jun 20 '20 at 11:57
@TymoteuszPaul do you know the difference between recruiters and lecturers? If so why confuse them? Lecturers don’t need to miss-represent you to make money... – Solar Mike Jun 20 '20 at 12:04
@SolarMike I know few who do, does that mean that now I can just insult the entire profession, like you say is okay to do with recruiters? Or maybe we should not be insulting an entire profession based on actions of few, and express our disapproval in an adult and constructive way instead of flinging insults? – Aida Paul Jun 20 '20 at 12:07
2

@TymoteuszPaul the original text is to point out that there is a small section of the recruitment profession that don't hold the same high standards that some recruitment agencies do. The way it has been written makes that clear. – Solar Mike Jun 20 '20 at 12:11
@SolarMike and that makes it okay for you to then go and insult an entire profession? Okay then. – Aida Paul Jun 20 '20 at 12:15
1

@TymoteuszPaul where has the whole profession been targeted or is that just your "understanding"? – Solar Mike Jun 20 '20 at 12:18
I agree that was uncalled for and somewhat confusing. Fixed. This being said I have dealt with a small number of highly unethical recruiters (actively trying to ruin someone else's career) a fair amount of incompetent ones and the vast majority was at least sloppy. The number of recruiters that fully measured up to what I consider "normal professional standards" is quite small and clearly the minority. – Hilmar Jun 21 '20 at 14:51

score 2 · Answer 5 · answered Jun 20 '20 at 01:57

Some companies request a doc format because it’s a requirement for whatever software they’re using to scan the resumes. Or they may even just be using the review tools in Word itself when evaluating resumes.

Now, I did work with a 3rd party recruiter once (he didn’t work for the organization I was applying to) who did want to make changes to my resume before submitting it to them. (Their formatting was bad enough that I had to explain the recruiter insisted on it in the interview.) But I’ve only had that happen once.

Why recruiters ask a resume in doc format?

5 Answers5