Format · 2026-08-22 · 11 min read

How to name your CV file (a PDF they will open)

A filename HR can find: cv-firstname-lastname-role.pdf. No FINAL2, odd accents, or spaces. ClarCV.

The CV filename is the first thing someone sees after they download the attachment. “curriculum_final_FINAL2.pdf” or “CV.pdf” vanishes in a folder of fifty files. “José_María_Ñíguez resume!!.pdf” is not better: some portals strip accents, spaces, and symbols. If you already have the PDF, you do not rewrite your life. Rename the file before you send it.

A pattern that works in Spain and in most ATS tools: cv-firstname-lastname-role.pdf. Lowercase, hyphens, no spaces. The role is short and copied from the ad (“product-analyst”), not a slogan. Sisters: send the CV by email and the pre-send checklist. PDF vs Word is the format; this guide is the filename.

ClarCV (clarcv.com) regenerates a parseable A4 PDF. After download, rename the file with your real name. Free: 3 analyses and 2 downloads / 30 days, no card. Pro €7/month.

The formula (and what portals reject)

Before: CV.pdf, my_cv_v7, “Curriculum Vitae Jose”. After: cv-ana-ruiz-data-analyst.pdf. Whoever opens the InfoJobs zip or the Gmail inbox sees who you are and which role. ATS may store the filename as metadata; “document1” adds no keyword, but a clean name does not replace keywords in the body.

• Start with cv- or resume- if the ad is in English.
• First name and one last name (two if the first is very common).
• Role in 1–3 words, in the language of the ad.
• Avoid accents and ñ on old portals; ugly “niguez” still arrives. In a human email, “Nunez” is usually fine.
• No “final”, odd dates, or the destination company in the filename (it shows if you reuse the PDF).

Spaces, caps, and character limits

Some Workday or city-hall forms truncate at 50–80 characters or reject spaces. A 120-character name with a full master title gets cut. Shorten it. Caps do not make a filename more professional: CV-ANA-RUIZ.PDF looks like a shout. Lowercase and hyphens read the same on Windows, Mac, and a phone.

One file per role (without going mad)

If you tailor the CV, the filename can carry the role, not the company. Keep cv-ana-ruiz-data-analyst.pdf and cv-ana-ruiz-bi-analyst.pdf. Do not clone twenty PDFs “for Company X” in the name: you will attach the wrong one. Content is tailored to the ad; the name only identifies.