Companies That Don't Get IT (Document Formats)

[sechs]

As folks here probably know, I'm currently not employed. So, I keep a line in on several temp agencies. Finally got a call back from one last week and, as part of the processes e-mailed in a copy of my resume. As is my standard practice, I sent him a PDF. I get a message back, "The resume looks good but can you send me a Word format?"

Ignore just for a moment that documents in Microsoft Word format can be edited. That they carry information about past changes. That they have a tendency to look different on different systems. That they're a vehicle for malicious content.

I create my resume in Adobe InDesign. It looks pretty. Can you get Garamond Semibold in Word? Can I kern my characters manually in Word? No. Does InDesign export to Word? No. Why on earth would it? PDF, EPS, XML, SVG -- yes. Word -- do not whisper it.

I reply back that I don't use Word and try to delicately put that no moron would use it instead of PDF for simple document exchange. It's cross-platform, more secure, and looks like what the author wants it to look like. "MS Word is definitely the preferred format.... PDF formats aren't looked upon kindly by most clients. " PDF formats?

Alright, so who *are* these morons? And, unignoring the above, why have they been bitten by another moron editing their document, their document displaying incorrectly on a big-wig's computer, or bitch-slapped by some malware hitching a ride?

 

[mubs]

The simple answer is this. The temp agency / headhunter / recruiter obliterates your contact info and puts in theirs. How do I know? I've seen my resume in the hands of interviewers. When I've hired, I've seen what these intermediaries provide. They don't want the employer to contact you directly.

Everybody on the planet has Word. Few have Acrobat (the full version that lets you edit).

Asinine as this may be, it's the reality.

 

[Mercutio]

In the past, rather than make a .DOC file, I'd send a .HTML file renamed .DOC.

Not that that addresses any of your concerns. In my experience everyone wants .DOC (really, really funny when they want it for a pure Unix job) or plain text. In either case, the agency in question is going to run some macros on the file to insert it in their monolithic database 'o resumes, reformat it to meet their standard format, and wipe out your contact info.

I've not seen this, but I've seen the results; during one or another of the Outbreaklook virus that would send random files from "My Documents" to random people in your address book, I got a whole bunch of other people;s resumes from various headhunters who had been infected.

Also, for the most part, the idiots who deal with resumes are idiots who have no idea what to do with a PDF or an RTF file, or HTML. They only know DOC, and they won't even click on the other things to find out what happens.

 

[Fushigi]

mubs is probably correct; maybe you can compromise and offer them a version with your contact info removed.

Merc's suggestion about them running macros over your doc also has possibilities, although with the various ways people format their resumes I wonder how effective that would be. I'd think a basic cut-n-paste might be easier than macros.

In any case, tell them that MS Office is expensive and since you're unemployed you shouldn't be forking over $300+ for software that you'd only use for this one purpose. Ask then what alternatives they can suggest.

Or go download OmniFormat. Free with ads or $9.95 to buy. I haven't used it but have used software995's PDF995 for a while. Decent software. It might help.

 

[sechs]

As long as he doesn't figure out that InDesign is a $700 piece of software, that might work....

I've generally figured that if they didn't hand my resume over to the client directly, that they extracted the information for some massive database. PDF doesn't stop you from doing that (I make sure to set the security so that they can). Acrobat will export to a Word document, but it looks so incredibly ass that you wouldn't believe it -- worse than Word-generated HTML.

I'm libel to do something like Merc suggests. Maybe I'll just export to a JPEG and paste it into a Word document. This won't allow them to change my information.

 

[mubs]

Aah. But they can Photoshop it. Or Paint-Shop-Pro it. Or whatever.

 

[Pradeep]

Send it to them as CSV. Or Word 2003-XML.

 

[Mercutio]

Wrapping a .JPG inside a Word document would be soooo funny. But really, all it would do is shift your name to the bottom of whatever pile they have. I hate to say it, but in the current job market, not going along with their petty, bullshit rules is just going to make everything harder for you.

 

[LOST6200]

HR is a tough, often thankless job and you would not believe the crap that people submit for resumes. As I hiring manager, I see plenty of resumes running the gamut from simple and professional to downright silly to something that may have been written by a 12 year old on crack.

A Word document with relatively simple formatting, standard Windows fonts and a decent amount of free space is a good choice for readability and comprehension. Put your contact info in the header and the recruiter will be able to alter that without messing with the layout of the document. Some recruiters will select and paste the entire text into an e-mail for example, so watch out for fancy formatting that will create a mess. And of course the obvious... Few organizations want to hire a smart-ass that does not like to play by the rules.

 

[sechs]

Maybe I had too many business-school friends in college. These were the folks who *paid* artsy types to layout their resume for them, and then printed it on the $1 a sheet paper.

I'm down on the paper, but I can appreciate a nice looking document. Simple is common; I want to stand out!

I offered to send a plain text version that I keep around for web forms. He didn't even mention it in replies.

 

[LOST6200]

Yeah, I remember before PCs and laser printers one had to go to a local print shop to have the fancy resumes done. It was not cheap, especially for recent grads entering the workforce.

 

[sechs]

I was contacted today by a different agency. I can e-mail my resume to them in Word format or fax it. OR FAX IT?

Why can't I just send them the usual PDF, have them print it up on the crappiest printer in the office, and then they can mangle it!