How to put a job application into one tidy PDF
Put your cover letter, CV, certificates and portfolio into one PDF in the right order, with a clear file name and a size that uploads. A step-by-step checklist.
Why one file helps
Recruiters open hundreds of applications. A single PDF that opens on the cover letter, runs in a sensible order and has a clear name is easier to read, forward and print than six attachments called *scan001.pdf*. Some application portals also accept only one file, so you may not have a choice.
1. Collect everything as PDF
- Cover letter and CV from Word, Pages or Google Docs: use *File → Save as / Download → PDF*. Exporting keeps the text sharp and searchable, which also helps if the employer’s system scans CVs for keywords.
- Certificates and transcripts on paper: photograph or scan them, then turn the images into PDF pages with Image to PDF.
- Portfolio: export it as PDF from the program you made it in. If it is mostly large images, check its size now.
If the job ad asks for page numbers, add them in your word processor before exporting, so they are part of each document.
2. Decide the order
Follow the order the job ad asks for. If it doesn’t say, this is a common, reader-friendly order:
- Cover letter
- CV / résumé
- Certificates, degrees and transcripts, newest first
- References or reference letters
- Portfolio or work samples
Open Merge PDF, add the files, and drag them into that order. Turn on Add a bookmark for each file: the merged PDF then opens with an outline listing each part, so the reader can jump straight to your certificates.
3. Remove what doesn’t belong
After merging, page through the result. Scans often include blank backs of pages, and exported documents sometimes end with an empty page. Open the merged file in Organize PDF Pages, delete those pages and move anything that landed in the wrong place, then save.
4. Keep the size in check
Merging doesn’t compress: in our tests, combining 5 files of 5.6 MB in total produced a 5.6 MB file. Upload limits of 2, 5 or 10 MB are common, so check the result.
If it is too big, the cause is almost always photographed certificates. Shrink those images with Compress Image (1,920 px and quality 75 is plenty for a certificate) and rebuild that part of the PDF; text pages from Word are already small.
5. Name it properly and send
Use a name that says who and what: *Firstname-Lastname_Application_Company.pdf*. Avoid spaces and special characters if the portal is old-fashioned. Open the final file once more on your phone, since that is how many recruiters will first see it.
All the tools above run in your browser, so your CV, ID numbers and certificates aren’t uploaded to us while you prepare the file.