File Formats
PDF vs. Word: When to Use Which?
The eternal battle of document formats. One is editable, one is fixed. Knowing when to choose the right one can save you hours of formatting headaches.
We all know the frustration: you spend hours perfecting a resume in Word, email it to a recruiter, and when they open it, your photo is on page 2 and the font is Comic Sans. This is the classic "Format vs. Function" dilemma.
Advertisement
When to use Word (.docx)
- Drafting & Editing: When the content is still being written or reviewed by multiple people with Track Changes.
- Reuse: Internal templates that need to be updated monthly (e.g., meeting minutes).
- Avoid for: Printing, emailing to clients, or final publication.
When to use PDF (.pdf)
- Sharing & Sending: PDF stands for "Portable Document Format." It looks exactly the same on a Mac, PC, iPhone, or Linux machine.
- Security: It's harder to accidentally edit, and you can add passwords or encryption.
- Printing: Printers love PDFs because the layout is mathematically fixed.