Anyone any good with PDFs? Can't figure out job application!

[Ridiculousradish]

Hello!

Need some help please. I've downloaded a job application, it's a PDF. I've then opened Adobe to edit and add text. The problem is that the spaces for education and work info etc are so small, I can't fit in all the relevant info! I've no idea how to make the boxes bigger. Please help me! I've been trying for over an hour and going a bit mad! Thank you!

Thankfully the job is nothing to do with computers! 😂

• Hmm - do you have the Adobe version that enables you to change the boxes and edit? Normally it’s a purchase version
• are you sure you need to fill in the actual pdf? Are there extra pages for overspill?
• just asking because not many people will have the adobe version that allows you to edit pdfs as it’s a pricey monthly subscription
• any other info you can give?

Thank you so much for replying! It's definitely a PDF. I've signed up for a free 7 month trial of Adobe Pro but still can't figure out how to do it.

I don't have Word so can't convert it to that.

You have to download the file, fill it in and then upload to the tes site (it's for a TA role).

If you have Adobe Pro then you need to edit the document- have you put it into edit?

Yep have done. Still can't figure it out.

I type and then press enter to do the next line, but the words are below the box if that makes sense. I seem unable to actually edit the format.

Okay one thing - adobe is quite annoying now in that I find I can’t just open a PDF on my my desktop and edit.

I have to go online to “adobe creative cloud”, sign in and upload the PDF and then edit.

Maybe it’s that?

It's definitely not a fillable pdf you can type into then save?

Forget adobe. At the top of the pdf, there should be a little button like a pen on the top right. Press it and then an edit menu appears. There is along there a text box function and you just put your text in!

I can sign up to a free 7 days trail for the Creative Cloud. Thanks!
Would that mean I can actually make the text boxes bigger?

If you can fill it out on an iPad with an ipencil or a phone with an S pen then you can make all the boxes bigger. You can either print it by hand or just type it.

Thank you but don't have an iPad or S pen. Just got a laptop! No access to a printer. Basically need this to work. I don't understand why they haven't made it more user friendly!

With the edit button on the actual pdf you can just make your text smaller?

Also just to add, when you save it, save it as a tiff file and then resave as a PDF, that way your ‘layers’ of text cannot be modified.

The problem is that the spaces they've left for text are only one line, so I'd never fit in all my education and info.

Thank you all for your replies

Thought I could get a friend to print it out for me, but just realised that the text boxes would still be too small! So odd.

I suspect they are not actually text boxes but rather rectangles drawn on the page. Try selecting and pulling down to make it bigger after you have the text in.

I had this problem with a pdf I was trying to fill in for a job. I also subscribe to Adobe. I couldn't get it to work, some boxes where too small and some had massive text. In the end I gave up as it was taking me longer to try and sort out the boxes than actually sort my CV out.

I put it down to the creater not checking the boxes were okay. Thankfully the form was also in word so I completed it in that then saved to pdf. Which is no help. But I feel your pain.

In the past, I have saved the pdf as a pdf.

Then go into word, open all, pick that doc to open in word. It will convert to a word doc.

Edit as needed.

Save as word to see it looks like you want, then print to pdf to save as that format. Before sending back.

Usually works, but sometimes formatting goes a bit funny so not failsafe.

Print to pdf does not need an actual printer - it's just printing to that format again.

Yep, what Biddy says.
Force it to open in word. Then print (electronically) back to pdf once complete.
OR: is the form on the schoolwebsite in a better format?

Morning! I've just downloaded a free trial of Microsoft Office, so am hoping I can open it in Word and sort it. Thank you so much for all your replies!

It's ridiculous that for job applications, you need to have paid for copies of Adobe or MS Office.

It does make things much harder for people.