Job Applications - PDFs

Hi all. Anyone know if it's possible to fill out an application directly onto a PDF? I don't know that much about using Adobe stuff, but I have this mammoth application to fill out and I really really don't want to hand write it. Copying into Word is no good as it loses all it's formating and graphics. What do I need (or is it even possible) to edit a PDF?

Ta.

It depends on the form of Adobe you have and the document itself.  If you simply have the free downloadable Adobe, you may be able to fill in the document but not actually keep a filled in copy of it on your computer.  The only way to find out is to download the form and try it.  If all you ever get is a little hand, then you can't fill it in.

And that's the extent of my knowledge.  I hate places that offer the forms but don't make them so you can fill them out on the computer!  It's like, what's the point? 

Grr. I think that's the case. I can get the text thing (as opposed to just the little hand), but I can't actually type in it. It opens automatically in Adobe Reader. Anyone know if there's anything that can be downloaded (for free  ) that let's you edit the document?

Peedal you're SO right - why go to the trouble of making a fancy form and asking applicants to download it if you can't fill it in on the computer? It's gonna take me a couple of days to finish the stupid thing by hand. 

unfortunately the full version is quite £££££.  i have it for work.......

is it a long application?  Is it stuff i can drop in there for you?

If you go here:

http://www.cutepdf.com/

Download the free form filler evaluation programme and then you can open the PDF document in that programme and it allows you to save the data - this is how I did all of my recent immigration paperwork.

The only down-side is that on the top copy it will print "www.cutepdf.com" on it, but I think that's acceptable personally, not everyone has the right version of Adobe!

Also....a little tip (not that you are as stupid as me of course) but remember to always open the document in Cute PDF, not from my documents for example, because if you start inputting or changing the document from there, it won't save the changes and I did this a few times when stressed with immigration paperwork!

Hope that helps before you start to fill it in by hand

Sheril, I think I love you!!! 

 LMAO

Sheril, I think I love you!!! 

I KNOW I do! 

Thanks to you, too Amy - had Sheril not pointed me toward this, you'd have a job application coming your way!! 

OK, no luck. I get the message "this document is not an interactive (fillable) PDF form. Forms that are not created as interactive PDF forms cannot be filled in using this filler."

Aaaaggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!

How annoying. I had to do lots of PDF and Word applications when I was doing teaching apps. I don't know what is worse...PDFs that you end up having to hand write to fill in or Word apps that are so poorly formatted you practically end up redoing them yourself. The PDF is the worst. Very few people own the full version of Acrobat so typing in is not an option unless you're clever and lucky like Sheril. But if not, why on EARTH would all these HR offices want to spend ages decifering handwriting?? 

I was always under the impression that if the document wasn't created to be fillable that you couldn't. I thought it was protected like that. Am I wrong?

There are some PDF documents that can be filled out with Adobe's PDF reader, but it has to be programmed that way.  Most non-techies that create PDFs wouldn't know how to create fillable documents, hence so many where you are expected to fill it in by hand.

OK, no luck. I get the message "this document is not an interactive (fillable) PDF form. Forms that are not created as interactive PDF forms cannot be filled in using this filler."

Aaaaggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!

 *&^!%%*(!  I am sorry that didn't work out for you   You could still type it out and print it out immediately and then just keep a photocopy for your own records?

I wonder if companies who do this want to see our handwriting- I know some HR people do handwriting analysis and some people just like it handwritten- but seems pointless to have the technology and not use it to its fullest - idiots.

 *&^!%%*(!  I am sorry that didn't work out for you   You could still type it out and print it out immediately and then just keep a photocopy for your own records?

I wonder if companies who do this want to see our handwriting- I know some HR people do handwriting analysis and some people just like it handwritten- but seems pointless to have the technology and not use it to its fullest - idiots.

No worries. I'll just suck it up and do it by hand -  it won't even let me type on the PDF (I wouldn't care about saving it - printing out a copy would be fine) so I give up. The most irritating thing is that it says to "use black pen or typewriting" on the instruction sheet!!!! Do people really still own typewriters?!

Hang on!

Just checking something - dont fill it out YET!