There are dozens of file formats to save your resume in, so which one should you choose? There are three filetypes I recommend people save their resumes in and send off to recruiters. First, because there are literally thousands of hardware and software combinations, not every machine will display the same filtetype the same way. That’s why I first recommend you should create a PDF document of your resume so that recruiters can see what you think your resume should look like. It’s the only way to almost gaurantee that your resume layout format, fonts, and typfaces will be preserved. This way, when comparing the PDF resume to other filetype, layout issues can be discovered and resolved by recruiters.

PDF resumes should only be used for presentation purposes. Recruiters like to mark up resumes in Microsoft Word, so a PDF resume shouldn’t be your sole resume for the fact that it’s difficult to edit and you need special software to do it. Several free programs allow you to create PDF documents without buying the expensive Adobe Acrobat software. You can export PDFs from OpenOffice and Google Docs for free.

Microsoft Word is the next recommendation. Word has been around for over 15 years. It’s the format most resumes are typically stored in. Be careful with compatibility. Unlike PDF, Word is not easily transferred between computers. Within Microsoft Office products, you are mostly safe, but formatting is almost never completely preserved when migrating the file to Google Docs, OpenOffice, or resume import software. The old file extension for Word files is .doc. Most programs will read this format. Some will not read the newer .docx format. Also, you would need a newer version of Microsoft Office to create a .docx file. Always save your Word files as .doc. You want to guarantee compatibility. The last thing you want is your resume to be a “problem resume” for a recruiter. They shouldn’t have to work to view your resume.

Word files can be created from any number of programs now. Google Docs and OpenOffice can create them for free without the need to purchase Microsoft Office.

Finally, I recommend the OpenDocument format. This could be the future format of documents. It’s supported by OpenOffice, Google Docs, and Word 2007 with Service Pack 2. Most likely newer versions of Word will support it as well. The reason I like this format so much is that the files are small, and you don’t need to purchase any software to view or create them. They run on Mac, Linux, and Windows computers. OpenOffice is free, as well as Google Docs.

So when you send out your resume, make sure to send a PDF version, .doc version, and a .odt version. The recruiter should be able to view at least one of them.

If you are interested, you can check out my Web developer and digital strategist resume. It might give you some ideas on how to create a Web 2.0 resume. Also, check out my popular blog posts on using Web 2.0 to get found and resume tips for recessionary times.