If you provide your CV as an editable word editor document instead of a PDF then there's no way you're making it to the interview round if I'm the AI assigned to screen your application.
this post was submitted on 11 May 2026
117 points (99.2% liked)
me_irl
7617 readers
3742 users here now
All posts need to have the same title: me_irl it is allowed to use an emoji instead of the underscore _
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
So many times in my early career, recruiters specified that my resume had to be in .doc rather than .pdf. One of them even said that it was so they could remove any identifying factors before sending it to their clients.
I wish I'd been canny enough to recognize that as a red flag.
edit: I've since written a script to generate a pdf resume from a yaml file. Good luck with that, recruiters!
In Germany we ask back: Can you explain the gap in your company's history between 1933 and 1945?
Can you explain the gap between 1970-01-01 and 2013-05-06?
CMOS battery died.
Ok, now I am extremely concerned what you were doing during your gap.
That's some of those what the fuck do you need yo know that for questions.
Like why did you leave company ABC in 2011?!!
Or the whole, please let us spend 30 minutes reading your CV. Asking why you left every fucking company...
I wonder if they just don't read CVs beforehand and have no idea about how to conduct an interview.
Isn't that the truth.