PDF. A PDF is a fixed snapshot of your resume: fonts, margins, spacing, bullet glyphs and page breaks are embedded in the file, so it is a universal standard that displays correctly and consistently across software, operating systems and hardware (Indeed, undated). PDFs are also virus free, which is one of the reasons the format stays popular for resumes sent by email (Indeed, undated). Use it when a human being will open the file directly — an introduction to a hiring manager, a referral passed along internally, a follow-up attachment after an interview — and when the page count matters, because a PDF cannot reflow into a third page on someone else's screen. Jobscan's testing found that most applicant tracking systems read and parse PDF resumes more accurately, and it recommends converting a Word resume to PDF unless the job posting specifically requests a .docx file (Jobscan, undated). Export from your word processor using "Save as PDF" or "Export" rather than printing to an image, and never submit a scanned or photographed resume: a scan is a picture, and no parser can read it.
.docx (modern Word). A .docx is a live, editable document. The upside is parsing and handling: a .docx file may be best for applicant tracking system compatibility, though some systems accept PDFs (Indeed, undated), and for uploading to Indeed the recommendation is DOCX for maximum applicant tracking system compatibility, with PDF acceptable but sometimes harder for the system to parse (ResumeTemplates.com, undated). Use .docx when the posting names it, when you are uploading to a job board that prefers it, and when a third-party recruiter asks — recruiters often request a Word document because they obscure your personal contact information before submitting the resume to their client (Indeed (Canada), undated). The downside is drift: formatting may render differently if the employer has an older or newer version of Word than the version used to create the document (Indeed, undated). Stick to fonts that ship with Word, avoid text boxes and SmartArt, and open the file on a second device before you send it.
.doc (legacy Word). This is the pre-2007 Word format and it exists now mainly as insurance. Some career services guidance recommends a standard Word document saved in .doc format precisely because not all applicant tracking systems can read .docx, PDF, RTF and JPG files (University of Illinois Chicago Career Services, undated). Use it when a portal rejects your .docx, when an application form lists .doc as the only Word option, or when the employer's instructions are clearly written for older software. Expect to lose some newer layout features on save — check the whole document afterwards rather than just the first page.
.rtf (rich text format). Rich text sits between plain text and Word: it keeps bold, italics and simple bullets but carries almost no complex layout. It appears among the commonly accepted resume formats (Indeed, undated) and can be uploaded directly to Indeed (Indeed, undated). Reach for it only when a form refuses your other files, or when you are told the reviewer is on unknown or very old software. Because its structure is simple, it parses cleanly, but the result looks plain next to a well-set PDF.
.txt (plain text). Plain text has no formatting at all, which makes it useless as a printed document and extremely useful as a tool. Keep a .txt version to paste into application forms that ask you to type your experience into boxes, and open it to see exactly which words survive when your layout is stripped away — if your job titles and dates look scrambled in the text version, a parser may be reading them the same way. Indeed supports .txt uploads directly (Indeed, undated).
.odt and .html. Both appear on the list of commonly accepted resume formats (Indeed, undated), but neither gives you anything PDF or .docx does not. Open document format is the default in some free office suites, so it is easy to submit by accident; check your file extension before uploading. HTML belongs on a personal site, not in an application form. Send either one only when the posting names it.
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