Anytime you email or upload your resume, cover letter, letter of introduction, or testimonial sheet, you should always create and send a PDF version of the document. This is important because formatting in Microsoft Word and Pages files can change because the person receiving your materials may not have your same version of software or fonts, or they may simply try opening it in a different program. However, when you create a PDF file it’s more like a photograph – what you see on your computer is what the receiver of them will see on theirs.

There are several simple ways to create a PDFs. Below are three videos showing you how (each of them take less than one minute):

2 Ways to Create a PDF using Microsoft Word on a PC

1 Way to Create a PDF using Microsoft Word on a Mac

Another option is to use an online resource where you can upload your document and have it converted to a PDF file. There are several different ones that do this, but here’s a demonstration of one of them.

Lastly, you may want to combine PDFs of your cover letter and resume so you only have to attach more than one document. The website above will do this, but you can also use this other one combinepdf.com to perform this task for you.