The portal says my file is too large. How can I make it smaller without ruining it?

Remove what is heavy rather than squeezing the whole file. Most resume PDFs only become large because of images or scans.

Steps:

• Check what is inside: photos, logos, background images, scanned certificates.
• Remove those from the resume or replace them with text, then export a fresh PDF.
• If your file combines your resume with certificates, upload the resume alone and send certificates separately if allowed.
• Only if still too large, use your PDF software's "reduced size" option and test that the text can still be selected.

Note the limit the portal states, for example "maximum 2 MB", and check your new file's size against it before trying again.

Avoid two tempting shortcuts. Do not take a screenshot or photo of your resume to make it smaller; an image has no readable text. And do not run it through several online compressors, which can blur text and leave copies of your personal details on unknown servers. If the portal's limit is unusually small and your clean, text-only PDF still does not fit, contact the employer through the portal's help link and ask how to submit.