Choosing the Right Resume Fonts and Sizes

Creating a resume involves key decisions such as which details to include, how to present them, and selecting the most suitable resume format. Choosing the right font and font size is relatively simple.

The aim of selecting your font and font size is to ensure your resume is both readable and visually appealing.

Why Is Your Resume Font Important?

Your resume font is crucial for two reasons: the human reader and the applicant tracking system (ATS). ATSs assist recruiters and hiring managers in organizing and searching resumes, but some fonts are more easily read by these systems than others. The goal is for your resume to pass through an ATS smoothly, allowing both the system and human readers to focus on the content.

What Are the Best Resume Fonts?

Fonts that are standard across various programs and not overly decorative are ideal. These fonts are standard because they are easy on the eyes, and ATSs are designed to read them.Here are the top fonts to use:

• Arial

• Cambria

• Calibri

• Garamond

• Georgia

• Helvetica

• Times New Roman

• Verdana

Arial is frequently recommended by our experts. Times New Roman has been a reliable choice for so long that many experts still consider it safe for readability.

Selecting a Resume Font

How do you choose among these traditional, easy-to-read fonts? It depends on your personal preference and the impression you wish to convey with your resume. Consider whether a serif or sans serif font is more suitable for you. For a modern look, such as in the tech industry, you might opt for a sans serif font like Arial or Calibri, avoiding serif fonts like Times New Roman and Georgia. However, in fields like higher education or medicine, a serif font such as Georgia would be fitting.

To identify the type of font, look at the capital Ts—if the top has short lines hanging down, those are serifs. If the top is a single line, it’s a sans-serif font. Once you've chosen between serif and sans serif, select the font that appeals most to you!

Fonts to Avoid

While you now have an idea of classic fonts and basic considerations, there are certain things to avoid:

• Heavily stylized fonts: Despite their aesthetic appeal, avoid heavily stylized fonts like modern cursive as ATSs can’t read them, and they may be difficult for humans too.

• Narrow, condensed, or light fonts: These can be hard on the eyes, especially on screens.

• Non-standard, downloaded, or custom fonts: Fonts not standard to most systems may be misinterpreted by an ATS.

• Gimmick fonts: Your resume should maintain a professional appearance, so avoid fonts like Comic Sans, Papyrus, and Wingdings.

Keeping Fonts Engaging

To enhance visual appeal, use bold and italics for job titles or company names. You can also use color and underlining sparingly—too many colors can appear unprofessional, and underlining should be reserved for headings, as both people and ATSs may interpret underlined text as hyperlinks.

You can use multiple fonts on your resume, but keep it simple. Choose one font for your name and section headings and another complementary font for the rest. Using more than two fonts can distract the reader.

Choosing a Font Size

When selecting font sizes, aim for balance: A size too large might extend your resume beyond one page without sufficient experience to justify it, while a size too small could make it hard to read, risking rejection. Font size doesn’t need to be uniform throughout your resume. You can vary it to emphasize important information, like section headings, but ensure consistency for each type of information and logical relative sizes. For instance, use 10.5-point font for bullets and 12-point for company names, dates, and job titles if using Calibri.

Build your resume with your desired sizes and see where it stands. If it spills onto a second page, consider reducing font sizes while maintaining readability. Avoid trying to fit everything by using a small font size; instead, explore other ways to condense your resume to one page.

If there's excess white space, consider increasing font sizes slightly, but avoid going overboard, such as setting bullets to size 16 just to fill space. Recruiters will notice.

Optimal Resume Font Sizes

The ideal font sizes for your resume depend on your chosen font and situation. Choose your font first, then use your judgment to select the most appropriate sizes.Here are some general guidelines from our experts:

• Your Name: 20-24 point

• Headings and Subheadings: 11-14 point

• Body Text and Your Contact Info: 10-12 point

Ultimately, the content of your resume is most important. Your font and size choices should ensure clarity, helping you persuade the reader that you're a great fit for the job.