Should You Staple Your Resume? (What Recruiters Really Expect)

When preparing a resume, most candidates focus on content: skills, experience, keywords. But a surprisingly common question still comes up:

Should you staple your resume?

It may seem trivial, yet this small decision can influence how your application is perceived—especially in traditional hiring processes. In this article, we’ll clarify when stapling a resume is acceptable, when it’s a mistake, and what modern recruiters actually expect today.

Why This Question Still Matters

Although most resumes are now submitted digitally, paper resumes haven’t completely disappeared. They’re still used in:

• Job fairs

• Walk-in applications

• Interviews with printed copies

• Administrative or government roles

• Conservative industries (law, finance, academia)
  
  

In these contexts, presentation signals professionalism, attention to detail, and awareness of hiring norms—just like other seemingly small choices candidates worry about, such as do resume needs periods or whether punctuation consistency really matters.

The Short Answer: No, You Should Not Staple Your Resume

In most cases, you should avoid stapling your resume.

Recruiters and hiring managers often need to:

• Scan documents quickly

• Separate pages for copying or scanning

• Digitize resumes into Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

A stapled resume slows this process and can create unnecessary friction.

Recruiter Perspective

From a recruiter’s standpoint, staples:

• Damage scanners

• Add extra handling time

• Increase the risk of torn pages

Even small inconveniences matter when reviewing dozens—or hundreds—of applications.

When Is Stapling a Resume Acceptable?

There are very limited situations where stapling may be acceptable:

1. Academic or Research Applications

In academia, multi-page CVs are common. If instructions explicitly request a stapled document, follow them.

2. Formal Exams or Administrative Submissions

Some public institutions still require stapled documents for record-keeping.

Rule of thumb: Only staple your resume if the employer explicitly asks for it.

Better Alternatives to Stapling

If you’re submitting a physical resume, here are safer options:

✔ Paper Clip

• Easy to remove

• Does not damage paper

• Recruiter-friendly
  
  

✔ Folder or Resume Sleeve

• Ideal for interviews

• Protects the document

• Looks polished and professional
  
  

❌ Binder, Fancy Clips, or Covers

Avoid anything bulky or decorative. Simplicity wins.

What About Digital Resumes?

If you’re submitting your resume online, stapling is irrelevant—but formatting is critical.

Key digital best practices:

• Use PDF format unless instructed otherwise

• Avoid tables, text boxes, and graphics that break ATS parsing

• Keep a clean, single-column layout
  
  

This is where many candidates unknowingly fail.

A well-designed resume isn’t just visually clean—it’s technically readable by hiring software.

If you want to ensure your resume is both ATS-friendly and recruiter-approved, using a professional resume creation tool can help standardize formatting without sacrificing clarity.

Small Details Reflect Big Professionalism

Recruiters often judge resumes in seconds. Small details—like staples, formatting inconsistencies, or unclear structure—can subconsciously affect perception.

Attention to detail signals:

• Professional maturity

• Respect for the hiring process

• Awareness of modern recruitment standards

Your resume is not just a document—it’s a work sample.

Final Verdict

Do not staple your resume.

Unless explicitly requested:

• Use a paper clip for physical copies

• Use a clean PDF for digital submissions

• Focus on clarity, structure, and readability—whether your resume is one page or slightly longer, and regardless of whether your experience is written in past tense or present tense

If you’re unsure whether your resume meets modern hiring expectations, reviewing it with a specialized resume tool can help you catch details most candidates overlook—without overcomplicating the process.

Want to Go Further? Try SuperCandidate! 

A resume that looks professional and passes modern screening tools requires more than good content. Structure, formatting, and technical compatibility matter just as much.

That’s why many candidates choose to refine their resume using SuperCandidate designed for today’s hiring systems—saving time while avoiding costly mistakes.