How to Export PDF and Word

Styled vs standard exports, file naming, and when each format wins with ATS portals and human reviewers.

You've edited for an hour. The last step — export — is where people accidentally undo everything. Wrong format, wrong filename, or a "beautiful" PDF that parsers can't read.

Kevin uploaded resume.pdf to a government portal that required .docx. They rejected it silently. He uploaded a styled PDF with embedded fonts to a bank that wanted "plain black and white." The second file worked. Same content, different envelope.

PDF (styled)

Default for email attachments and most online portals
Preserves layout, fonts, and accent colors
Use when no specific format is requested

PDF (standard / plain black)

No accent colors — maximum compatibility
Use when employer says "plain resume" or "no graphics"
Best with Simple Plain or Classic ATS templates

DOCX (Word)

Required by some government, academic, and enterprise portals
Editable by recruiters who annotate resumes internally
Check ATS reading order after export — structure should match preview

File naming convention

FirstName_LastName_Resume.pdf — minimum
FirstName_LastName_Company_Role.pdf — when tailoring
Avoid: resume.pdf, final_v2_NEW.pdf, Document1.pdf