How to combine a CV and cover letter into one PDF
Plenty of application forms have a single upload box. If you have a cover letter in Word, a CV as a PDF and a scanned certificate as a photo, you need to turn them into one PDF in a sensible order. The Application PDF tool does that in one place, in your browser.
Ready to try it?
Open the Application PDF tool and follow along.
Step by step: build one application PDF
The Application PDF tool walks you through four steps.
- 1Add documents: drop your cover letter, CV, certificates or scans. PDF, Word (.docx), JPG and PNG are supported.
- 2Put the files in order with the up and down buttons, then continue. Word files are converted to PDF with selectable text; images become PDF pages.
- 3Arrange pages: every page is shown as a thumbnail. Move single pages earlier or later and remove any you don't need.
- 4Check & download: name the file, optionally pick a maximum size, create the PDF, preview it, check it against the portal's limits and download.
What order should the documents go in?
Follow the employer's instructions if they give any. If not, a common order is: cover letter, CV, then supporting documents such as transcripts, certificates or references. This is a convention, not a rule.
Name the file clearly
Recruiters download many files. A name like “Jane-Doe-CV-and-Cover-Letter.pdf” is easier to find than “document(3).pdf”. You can set the name before downloading.
Things that can stop a file
The tool tells you which file has a problem and what to do next:
- Old .doc files aren't supported — save them as .docx or PDF from Word or Google Docs first.
- Password-protected PDFs can't be combined. If you know the password, remove it with Unlock PDF first. Passwords are never guessed or bypassed.
- Damaged or empty files can't be read — export them again from the original app.
- Files over the per-file size limit need compressing first.
Only have PDFs?
If all your documents are already PDFs and you just need them joined in file order, Merge PDF is a quicker option.
Frequently asked questions
- Are my documents uploaded?
- No. Conversion, combining and compression run in your browser. Your original files are only read, never changed.
- Will the text in my CV still be selectable?
- Yes for PDFs and Word files converted in the default mode. Pages from photos or scans are images, so their text isn't selectable unless you run OCR on them first.
- Can I go back and change the page order?
- Yes. Going back keeps your files and the current page order, so you don't have to start again.
- Is there a limit on how many files I can add?
- You can add up to 20 documents to one application PDF.
Try Application PDF now
Free, browser-based, no sign-up.
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