Choosing the right font for your resume may seem like a minor detail when you’re writing your resume, but it’s an important consideration. Recruiters typically review a resume for only 7 seconds before deciding whether an applicant is fit for the job, so making sure your information is readable is a must.
“How you present your information is just as important as the information you present,” says career expert Amanda Augustine in an interview with CNBC. “If content is king, then design is most certainly queen.”
To make things easier for you, we have compiled a list of resume-friendly fonts that are both professional and aesthetically pleasing. Read on to learn all the tips and tricks on how to choose the best font for your resume.
What to look for in a resume font
From design to presenting information, the general rule of thumb for resume writing is to tailor your resume to the job and industry you’re applying for. The same goes for fonts. Ask yourself these questions before choosing a font for your resume:
Is it readable?
It might be tempting to choose a handwritten or cursive font to stand out, but this may backfire and encourage employers to discard your resume. Instead, go for a clean and simple font that’s easy to read and understand.
Is it professional?
Like with most things, there’s a time and place for fonts like Comic Sans and Papyrus — your resume isn’t one of them. Sans Serif fonts (or fonts without tails) like Arial or Verdana are universally good fonts for resumes because they’re straightforward. They also work for many industries, from finance to graphic design.
Is it ATS-friendly?
Many companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to filter out applicants that may not be a great fit for a job. Using fancy fonts and design elements might confuse this software, resulting in your resume being sent to the “discard” pile and never reaching the recruiter’s hands.
Professional fonts to use on your resume
Now that you know what type of fonts you should use, here are some readable, professional and ATS-friendly fonts that are suitable for virtually any resume:
Arial
Times New Roman
Verdana
Trebuchet MS
Georgia
Tahoma
Saira
Bodoni MT
Palatino Linotype
Other font elements you should consider
Aside from using the right font, there are other design elements you should keep in mind to make sure your fonts, and resume, shine.
Font color
Black print on white paper has long been the standard for resumes, and it remains the most common, safe and acceptable layout. However, black type is not the only choice nowadays.
“The use of color on a resume has become more tolerable by hiring managers, so deciding whether to use color is not a hard ‘yes’ or ‘no,’” says Kenyetta Nesbitt of Ambition Evolve Career Consulting. “Instead, the use of color versus the standard black and white theme should be approached situationally.”
Start by considering the industry in which you are seeking employment. Art, web design and similar “creative” fields tend to be more accepting of color on resumes. Employers in business, accounting and other “conservative” sectors may be less tolerant.
If you decide to try color, Nesbitt notes that it is important to strike a balance between being creative and remaining professional. “You should never use bright colors or too much color in your resume as it will be viewed as distracting and unprofessional to hiring managers and is a sure way to get axed from the hiring process.”
Instead, incorporate color to emphasize content that you want to bring to the employer’s attention.
Font size
The same advice holds when pondering font issues. Size and other presentational elements should enhance the visual appeal and help the reader quickly spot vital information.
Ron Auerbach, author of “Think Like an Interviewer: Your Job Hunting Guide to Success,” offers this advice on font size:
- Name: 18 to 24 point. The biggest thing on your resume should be your name because it immediately focuses the attention on you.
- Headings: 14 to 16 point. This will help separate the resume sections from the information contained within each of them.
- Content/Information: 11-12 point. (Some experts opt for 10 point as their minimum font size, but Auerbach believes that is too small for a lot of people to read comfortably.)
Using bold and italics
Bolding, italicizing, underlining, or using all caps can make your name or headers stand out. Just make sure not to overdo this type of formatting, as you’ll lose visual appeal and may even contradict your purpose. As Auerbach astutely notes, “If you have too many things bolded, then the bold will look as though it’s normal and the unbolded will appear to stand out.”
Let’s put it all together
Picking the right font is just one thing to consider when writing your resume. Eliminate the guesswork and save yourself time by using our Resume Builder to create your resume. The Builder guides you step by step, provides pre-written phrases and offers all the fonts mentioned in this article.
Maria Correa
Career Advice Expert
Maria Correa is a content writer at My Perfect Resume. She has a background in marketing, digital content creation and creative writing. Maria is passionate about creating compelling content and making information accessible to a wide range of audiences. She holds a B.S. in English Literature from the University of…
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