mirror of
https://github.com/AmruthPillai/Reactive-Resume.git
synced 2026-07-10 21:15:04 +10:00
Amruth Pillai
163 lines
6.4 KiB
Plaintext
163 lines
6.4 KiB
Plaintext
---
|
|
title: "Selecting the right page format"
|
|
description: "Learn about the three page format options in Reactive Resume—A4, Letter, and Free-Form—and choose the best one for your needs."
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
Reactive Resume offers three page format options: **A4**, **Letter**, and **Free-Form**. Each format affects how your resume is rendered and exported as a PDF. This guide explains the differences and helps you choose the right format for your situation.
|
|
|
|
## Available formats
|
|
|
|
### A4
|
|
|
|
A4 is the international standard paper size used in most countries outside North America. When you select A4, your resume pages conform to these dimensions:
|
|
|
|
| Property | Value |
|
|
| -------- | -------------- |
|
|
| Width | 210mm (794px) |
|
|
| Height | 297mm (1123px) |
|
|
|
|
Choose A4 if you're applying to jobs internationally or in regions that use the metric system.
|
|
|
|
### Letter
|
|
|
|
Letter is the standard paper size in the United States and Canada. When you select Letter, your resume pages conform to these dimensions:
|
|
|
|
| Property | Value |
|
|
| -------- | -------------- |
|
|
| Width | 216mm (816px) |
|
|
| Height | 279mm (1056px) |
|
|
|
|
Choose Letter if you're applying to jobs in North America.
|
|
|
|
### Free-Form
|
|
|
|
Free-Form is a modern format designed for digital-first resumes. Instead of conforming to a physical page size, Free-Form produces a **single continuous page** with no height limit. The width matches A4 (210mm), but the height extends as needed to fit all your content.
|
|
|
|
| Property | Value |
|
|
| -------- | ------------- |
|
|
| Width | 210mm (794px) |
|
|
| Height | Unlimited |
|
|
|
|
<Info>
|
|
With Free-Form, there are no page breaks. Your entire resume renders as one seamless document, regardless of how much
|
|
content you have.
|
|
</Info>
|
|
|
|
## Why Free-Form exists
|
|
|
|
The reality of modern job applications is that **nobody prints resumes anymore**. Your resume is almost always viewed digitally—on a screen, in an applicant tracking system (ATS), or parsed by AI-powered screening tools.
|
|
|
|
When your resume is processed digitally:
|
|
|
|
- **ATS parsers** extract text content regardless of page dimensions
|
|
- **AI scanners** analyze the full document as a single unit
|
|
- **Recruiters** scroll through PDFs on their screens rather than printing them
|
|
- **PDF parsing tools** read the entire content regardless of page height
|
|
|
|
Since physical page constraints no longer matter for most use cases, Free-Form lets you focus on content rather than worrying about fitting everything into arbitrary page limits.
|
|
|
|
<Tip>
|
|
If you don't plan on printing your resume, Free-Form is often the simplest choice. You never have to worry about
|
|
content overflowing or awkward page breaks.
|
|
</Tip>
|
|
|
|
## How to change your page format
|
|
|
|
<Steps>
|
|
<Step title="Open your resume in the builder">
|
|
Navigate to your Dashboard and click on the resume you want to edit.
|
|
</Step>
|
|
|
|
<Step title="Open the right sidebar">
|
|
In the resume builder, look for the right sidebar on the right side of the screen.
|
|
</Step>
|
|
|
|
<Step title="Navigate to the Page section">
|
|
In the right sidebar, find and click on the **Page** section to expand it.
|
|
</Step>
|
|
|
|
<Step title="Select your format">
|
|
Find the **Format** dropdown and select your preferred option: A4, Letter, or Free-Form.
|
|
|
|
<Frame caption="Screenshot of the Format dropdown in the Page section">
|
|
<img src="/images/guides/selecting-page-format/screenshot-1.webp" alt="Screenshot of the Format dropdown in the Page section" />
|
|
</Frame>
|
|
|
|
</Step>
|
|
|
|
<Step title="Review the preview">
|
|
Your resume preview updates immediately to reflect the new format. Check that your content displays correctly.
|
|
</Step>
|
|
</Steps>
|
|
|
|
## Choosing the right format
|
|
|
|
Use this quick reference to decide which format fits your needs:
|
|
|
|
| Situation | Recommended Format |
|
|
| --------------------------------------- | ------------------ |
|
|
| Applying to jobs in North America | Letter |
|
|
| Applying to jobs internationally | A4 |
|
|
| Digital-only applications (no printing) | Free-Form |
|
|
| Uploading to ATS or job portals | Free-Form |
|
|
| Need to print physical copies | A4 or Letter |
|
|
| Long resume with lots of content | Free-Form |
|
|
| Traditional industries (law, finance) | A4 or Letter |
|
|
|
|
<Warning>
|
|
If you switch from Free-Form to A4 or Letter, your content will be split across multiple pages. Review the result
|
|
carefully to ensure page breaks don't occur in awkward places.
|
|
</Warning>
|
|
|
|
## Example PDFs
|
|
|
|
Download these sample resumes to see how different formats affect the final PDF output:
|
|
|
|
<CardGroup cols={1}>
|
|
<Card
|
|
arrow
|
|
horizontal
|
|
title="A4 Format Example"
|
|
icon="file-pdf"
|
|
href="https://github.com/user-attachments/files/24849548/a4.pdf"
|
|
>
|
|
A sample resume in A4 format showing traditional page breaks and constraints.
|
|
</Card>
|
|
<Card
|
|
arrow
|
|
horizontal
|
|
title="Free-Form Example"
|
|
icon="file-lines"
|
|
href="https://github.com/user-attachments/files/24849552/free-form.pdf"
|
|
>
|
|
A sample resume in Free-Form format showing a continuous single-page layout.
|
|
</Card>
|
|
</CardGroup>
|
|
|
|
## Frequently asked questions
|
|
|
|
<AccordionGroup>
|
|
<Accordion title="Does Free-Form work with ATS systems?">
|
|
Yes. ATS systems parse the text content of your PDF, not the page dimensions. Free-Form resumes are fully compatible with applicant tracking systems.
|
|
</Accordion>
|
|
|
|
<Accordion title="Can I switch formats after creating my resume?">
|
|
Absolutely. You can change the format at any time from the Page section in the right sidebar. Your content is
|
|
preserved—only the layout changes.
|
|
</Accordion>
|
|
|
|
<Accordion title="What if a job posting asks for a 'one-page resume'?">
|
|
If the employer specifically requests a one-page resume and expects a traditional format, use A4 or Letter and ensure
|
|
your content fits within a single page. See [Fitting content on a page](/guides/fitting-content-on-a-page) for tips.
|
|
</Accordion>
|
|
|
|
<Accordion title="Does Free-Form affect the file size?">
|
|
Slightly. A longer single page may produce a marginally larger PDF than a paginated version of the same content, but
|
|
the difference is negligible for typical resume lengths.
|
|
</Accordion>
|
|
|
|
<Accordion title="Which format should I use for LinkedIn?">
|
|
LinkedIn doesn't display uploaded resumes in their original format—it extracts the content. Free-Form works perfectly for LinkedIn uploads.
|
|
</Accordion>
|
|
</AccordionGroup>
|