Job application
Job application PDF too large? How to get under the limit
Everything's ready, but the application portal says “file too large” – 5 MB max, sometimes only 2 MB. It's rarely the cover letter or CV; it's two or three scanned certificates. Here's where the megabytes come from and how to lose them without making your CV look blurry.
Get started: add your documents, set the order, pick the limit – the application PDF is made small enough automatically. Free, no upload.
Create application PDFWhy the PDF is so large
| Part | Typical size | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cover letter from Word / Google Docs | 50–300 KB | Real text is tiny. |
| CV with photo | 200 KB – 2 MB | The photo is often embedded at full camera resolution. |
| Certificate scan (600 dpi, colour) | 2–8 MB per page | Every page is a big photo. |
| Phone photo of a certificate | 2–5 MB | 12–50 megapixels are far too many for one A4 sheet. |
Which leads to the key rule: text stays text, only images get smaller. Running the whole application through a compressor that turns everything into images gives you a small file – and a blurry cover letter that applicant tracking systems can no longer read.
Under the limit in four steps
- Add your documents. Drop cover letter, CV, references and certificates into Job Application PDF – PDFs and photos mixed.
- Set the order. Drag or use the arrows: cover letter, CV, employer references (newest first), degrees, certificates.
- Pick the limit. Set the portal's maximum, e.g. 5 MB. Entering your name and the position gives a clean file name like
Application_Jane_Doe_Designer.pdf. - Save. The tool merges everything and shrinks photos and scanned PDFs step by step until the limit is met. Text PDFs stay unchanged.
If it still doesn't fit at the strongest step, the tool names the biggest file. It's almost always a scan at a very high resolution – see below.
One file, the right order, under the limit – with cover letter and CV staying perfectly sharp.
What size is realistic?
Many application portals allow 5 MB per file or for all attachments together, some only 2 or 3 MB. By e-mail, 10 MB is often the ceiling – but a lean file arrives in every inbox and loads faster.
| Contents | Realistic |
|---|---|
| Cover letter + CV | under 1 MB |
| + 3–5 scanned references | 1.5–3 MB |
| + 10 or more references and certificates | 3–5 MB |
Rule of thumb: a well-scanned certificate needs 150–300 KB per page and is perfectly readable on screen and in print.
Scanning certificates properly
- Resolution: 150–200 dpi is enough for text documents. 600 dpi is meant for photos and makes files four to sixteen times larger.
- Colour: greyscale is usually fine. Use colour only when a coloured logo or seal matters.
- Phone instead of scanner: a scanning app (e.g. in the Files app on iPhone or Google Drive on Android) straightens and crops the page – better than a plain photo.
- Straight and bright: crooked, dark scans look careless, however small the file.
What not to do
- Print and scan your cover letter. The text becomes an image – blurry, unsearchable, large.
- Upload files separately when one is requested. If the portal says “one PDF”, that's what counts.
- Password protection. Protected PDFs often can't be opened or processed.
- Cryptic file names like
scan_0034.pdforCV_final_new2.pdf. - Attaching everything. Old school reports or ten attendance certificates don't make the application better, only bigger.
Create your application PDF
Sort your documents, pick a limit, save – photos and scans are shrunk, text stays sharp. Free, no upload.
Frequently asked questions
How large may an application PDF be?
The portal or employer decides. 5 MB is common, sometimes 2 or 3 MB. Staying under 3 MB is safe almost everywhere.
Why is my application PDF so large?
Almost always because of scanned certificates or high-resolution phone photos. Text from Word or Google Docs takes hardly any space.
Will my CV get blurry when compressing?
No. Text PDFs are copied unchanged. Only photos and scanned pages are shrunk.
Are my documents uploaded?
No. Everything happens in your browser; the files never leave your device.
What order should the documents be in?
Common in Germany: cover letter, CV, employer references (newest first), degree certificates, other certificates. A cover page is optional and goes first.
What should the file be called?
Clear and without special characters, e.g. Application_Firstname_Lastname.pdf, optionally followed by the position.
Can I use photos of certificates?
Yes. JPG and PNG are placed on A4 pages and shrunk as needed. Straightened shots from a scanning app look best.