The file format you choose for your resume affects ATS parseability, formatting preservation, and cross-platform compatibility. Making the wrong choice can result in your resume being unreadable by the ATS, regardless of how well your content is optimized.
PDF (.pdf) — Recommended default: Modern ATS systems (Taleo, Workday, Greenhouse, SAP SuccessFactors) handle text-based PDFs excellently. PDFs preserve your formatting exactly as designed across all devices. Critical requirement: the PDF must be text-based (created from Word, resume builder, or LaTeX), not a scanned image. Test by pressing Ctrl+A in the PDF — if text is selected, it's text-based.
DOCX (.docx) — Alternative when required: Some company portals and older ATS systems specifically request DOCX format. DOCX files are parsed very accurately by all ATS systems. Downside: formatting may shift when opened in different Word versions. If submitting DOCX, use standard fonts (Calibri, Arial) and avoid complex formatting that might render differently.
Formats to avoid: DOC (.doc) — the old Word format has limited ATS support and may cause parsing errors. RTF (.rtf) — loses formatting and may not be accepted by many portals. ODT (.odt) — Open Document Format has poor ATS support. Pages (.pages) — Apple's format cannot be read on Windows or by most ATS systems. Image formats (.jpg, .png) — ATS cannot extract text from images. Google Docs links — require sign-in and may not be accessible to ATS.
Indian job portal compatibility: Naukri.com accepts PDF and DOCX. LinkedIn accepts PDF, DOCX, and DOC. Most MNC career portals accept PDF and DOCX. Government portals vary — check specific requirements. Always keep your file under 2MB — larger files may fail to upload on some Indian portals.