Choosing the Right Font for Your Resume: A Guide byBestResumeHelp.

com

Your resume is often the first impression a potential employer has of you, and every detail matters.
One crucial aspect that many job seekers overlook is the choice of font. The font you use can
significantly impact the readability and overall aesthetic of your resume.

At BestResumeHelp.com , we understand the importance of creating a professional and visually

appealing resume. In this guide, we'll explore the significance of selecting an appropriate font for
your resume and provide recommendations to help you make the right choice.

Why Does Font Matter in a Resume?

1. Readability: The primary purpose of your resume is to communicate your qualifications

clearly. Choosing a font that is easy to read ensures that hiring managers can quickly scan
your resume and extract essential information.
2. Professionalism: Certain fonts convey a sense of professionalism and formality, which is
crucial in a professional document like a resume. A well-chosen font contributes to the
overall polished look of your application.
3. Consistency: Using a consistent font throughout your resume maintains a sense of
uniformity and professionalism. Inconsistencies in font choices can distract the reader and
create a less cohesive impression.

Top Font Recommendations for Resumes

1. Arial: A clean and widely used sans-serif font, Arial is known for its readability. It's a safe
choice that works well for various industries.
2. Times New Roman: A classic serif font, Times New Roman is often associated with
traditional and formal documents. It exudes a timeless and professional vibe.
3. Calibri: A modern sans-serif font, Calibri is known for its clean lines and readability on
digital screens. It's a popular choice for contemporary resumes.
4. Garamond: This elegant serif font is ideal for those who want to convey a sense of
sophistication. Garamond is a timeless option that adds a touch of class to your resume.
5. Helvetica: A versatile sans-serif font, Helvetica is clean, modern, and easy to read. It's a
popular choice in creative and design-related fields.

Tips for Choosing the Right Font

1. Size Matters: Opt for a font size between 10 and 12 points for the body text and a slightly
larger size for headings. This ensures readability without overcrowding your resume.
2. Consistency is Key: Stick to one or two fonts throughout your resume to maintain a
professional and cohesive appearance.
3. Consider Industry Standards: Some industries may have preferences for certain fonts.
Research what is commonly accepted in your field and tailor your choice accordingly.

In conclusion, the font you choose for your resume plays a vital role in how it is perceived by
potential employers. At BestResumeHelp.com , we recommend considering readability,
professionalism, and industry standards when making your font selection. Take the time to choose a
font that enhances the overall presentation of your qualifications, helping you stand out in a
competitive job market.
According to Google, “Noto provides pan-language harmony, yet maintains authenticity. Its
elegance qualifies as a safe choice if you must go with something fancy. Differentiate headings and
section titles from the main resume content by tastefully increasing the text size, using bold, and
pairing fonts together. The biggest downside to sans-serif fonts is that they can be difficult to read if
you're using a smaller font size. Twitter Linkedin Don't miss out on exclusive stories that will
supercharge your career. It’s a misconception that your resume should be one page always—if you’re
an experienced candidate, two pages are fine. Pro Tip: Even if you save your resume as a.pdf file, the
font can go screwy in transit. Difficult fonts may prevent your resume from showing up. Online
programs may convert your information to an ASCII format or ask you to use an ASCII format so
the resume displays correctly, and a 12-point font works best in that case. They also help you convey
your message in a simple clean format. One of the unobtrusive attributes that could make or mar your
chances of landing that dream position in your workplace of choice could be the typeface or fonts
you used in writing your resume. I would recommend using it as a body font on your resume with a
serif font like Merriweather or Lora. Necessary These cookies are essential for the Site's performance
and for you to be able to use its features. Category Designer Date Created Sans-serif Vincent
Connare 1996 A trebuchet is a medieval siege engine that launches projectiles of slow, painful death
(such as buckets of stones or dead bodies to spread disease) long distances and over defending walls.
They originated way back in Roman antiquity, and they may feel dated compared with similar sans-
serif counterparts. Besides, Arial will allow you to fit as much information on the page as possible
(but always consider if a two-page resume would be a better choice). Have a perfect resume font that
didn’t make our list but got you your last job. Maybe you would hate the Chalkboard font if you
looked at hundreds of resumes daily. Pros: A lot of professionals rank Helvetica as one of the more
beautiful sans-serif fonts. Also, for the love of all things resumes, double-check that all of your
bullets line up. Here are our recommendations: Resume Font Size The standard font size for resumes
is 12 points in a classic and easily readable font. Frequently Asked Questions about the Best Font for
a Resume What is the best font for a resume. Category Designer Date Created Serif Jelle Bosma
2004 Like Calibri, Cambria was also commissioned by Microsoft by a Dutchman and created in
2004. There are enough interesting embellishments on each letter that will catch someone’s eye.
However, it is not a font that will make you stand out and may show that you did not put thought
into your font choice. There are enough differences between the font weights to add some nice
contrast to your resume. Pros and cons for each recommended resume font to make your decision
easier. The strong serifs make it hard for fonts like this to be used as a body font, so use a font like
Roboto instead. Common Resume Fonts The most common font used is black Times New Roman at
12 points in size. Pros: Microsoft released Trebuchet as one of their core fonts for the web.
Analytics related cookies used on our Site are not used by Us for the purpose of identifying who you
are or to send you targeted advertising. Resume Format Pick the right resume format for your
situation. Resume Examples See perfect resume samples that get jobs. Pros: Microsoft released
Trebuchet as one of their core fonts for the web. They originated way back in Roman antiquity, and
they may feel dated compared with similar sans-serif counterparts. Its elegance qualifies as a safe
choice if you must go with something fancy. Since it turns your resume into a text file, those images
get converted into funky characters. It's a bit more elegant than Arial, so it would work well for the
section headers of your resume. Avoid underlining words or phrases in a resume or cover letter, as it
just adds too much formatting and makes the document feel cluttered. 6 Pairing Resume Fonts One
common trick that many visually-inclined resume makers use is to pair two fonts on a resume.
Additionally, it feels like a bold header font without being too overwhelming for a resume. All of the
sudden you see one that uses five different fonts, various font sizes and colors, and lacks proper
formatting. Take the time to follow these tips and create a resume that clearly presents who you are
and you'll find yourself interviewing in no time. Do not forget to change this, as you don’t want
dates written in a different font than their sections. It is also a member of the sans-serif family and
was used by Microsoft when the brand created several programs more than a few years ago.
Category Designer Date Created Sans-serif Matthew Carter 1996 Matthew Carter created Verdana
for Microsoft as the sans-serif sister to Georgia. Don’t even think about going for fonts like Papyrus,
Comic Sans, Wingdings, Marker Felt, or Chalkboard. If you find yourself squinting to make out the
text, you need a bolder or more spread-out font choice. You will soon be receiving invitations for
interviews left, right, and center. While not as old and classic as Garamond, it was born during the
Enlightenment and the reign of Marie Antoinette, so it’s a good font for dressing up your resume.
Getting a second (or even a third) opinion is the best way to ensure your resume font supports your
content. Cons: It is often described as “traditional,” which may make it less suitable for more
modern jobs. Luckily for you, we've got all the answers you need to decide on the right resume font.
CV Help Improve your CV with help from expert guides. Keep in mind that you can mix and match
small sizes and large sizes. If you’re looking to stand out (in a positive way) while maintaining a
professional and reader-friendly resume, consider other fonts such as Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, or
Cambria. If you’d like to create a more modern style resume, try space-efficient sans-serifs like
Tahoma, Verdana, or Arial. These are seen as unprofessional and can be very hard to read. Cover
Letter Examples See perfect cover letter samples that get jobs. For companies that scan resumes, it
would be best to use a sans-serif font (fonts without small projecting features called serifs) to make
your resume easily scanned. Choosing good resume fonts comes down to this: Make sure the resume
format is legible and easy on the eyes for whomever reads it.
No wonder major brands like Microsoft, American Airlines, etc. The majority of resumes are written
in Times New Roman. Zety is a career site fueled by the best career experts and a community of
millions of readers yearly. For example, essential cookies include: cookies dropped to provide the
service, maintain your account, provide builder access, payment pages, create IDs for your
documents and store your consents. Surprisingly enough, when the Trebuchet font was designed, it
really was named after those machines that slung huge boulders in the ages of old. Sans-serif fonts
are those that do not have the lines at the end of each stroke; because of that, designers often
describe them as fresh, modern, and good for resumes. It is one of the most popular typefaces of all
time and is known for having a robust design. Italics are useful for supporting text, just like the
smaller font size we mentioned before. The same rule applies when creating a CV and looking for the
best CV fonts. What size font for a resume and a cover letter works like a charm on employers.
Tahoma Tahoma makes your resume appear to be created by a professional designer. In 1982, it was
created for IBM and then it has been used in most Windows computers since the early 1990s.
Alternatives: Arial is the default font for Google Docs and also a standard font for Microsoft Word,
which means it will display correctly cross-platform and on most computers. You’ll have more to sort
through, but many are also available freely to the public. It also takes up less room on your resume
while still remaining legible. You’re going to have to buy it if you want to use it and don’t have a
Mac. The Rules of Logo Designing 7 Important Skills for Every Graphic Designer How to Cure a
Block in Your Creativity. The content will be ignored because it can't be understood. Make sure the
font on your resume is consistent with your cover letter font, too. If one of your headers is 13 point,
make sure they all are. Helvetica This font bears a close resemblance with Arial and can easily be
mistaken for it if not carefully examined. They also help you convey your message in a simple clean
format. Anuncio The Online Resume Builder so Easy to Use the Resumes Write Themselves. It also
was one of the first fonts that they released for free. Anuncio The Online Resume Builder so Easy to
Use the Resumes Write Themselves. Instead, make proper use of headings and bold type to separate
the sections and make the document look presentable. Other serif fonts, those that have tails, that
work well include Cambria, Georgia, Garamond, Book Antiqua, and Didot. As an Emerging Talent
Recruiter at LinkedIn, Claire works to hire top talent for business internships and entry-level
programs. While it will likely not make or break your resume (unless you choose something
unreadable or unprofessional), it can add an extra layer of thought and style to your resume. Please
read our privacy policy for more information.
Verdana remains one of the best professional fonts for resumes, CVs, and cover letters alike.
Consider sans-serif fonts like Arial, Verdana, and Helvetica, which are known for their clarity. You’ll
have more to sort through, but many are also available freely to the public. Excluding over-the-top
headers and design choices will ensure that you aren't unnecessarily adding length to your resume.
Also, don’t forget about standard resume margins (one inch on all sides). Here are some of the best
fonts for resumes that should do the job: Garamond French engravers allegedly created this font in
the 16th century. Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes. Garamond typeface
can trace its roots back to the 16th century. Verdana doesn’t look all that different from Arial and
Arial looks like Helvetica. Showcase your creativity and eye for design—try out another font on the
list of best fonts below to see what fits your style preferences. How to Write a CV Learn how to
make a CV that gets interviews. Unless specifically stated otherwise, such references are not
intended to imply any affiliation or association with Zety. You don’t want your application to be
automatically rejected by a computer that is unable to even decipher your resume for keywords.
High-quality content is what brings over 40 million readers to our site every year. When you have all
the information filled out, you’ll see if you can afford to go down a font size or if you should
consider a two-column resume structure. Resume Help Improve your resume with help from expert
guides. Don’t sacrifice readability to fit your document into one sheet, though. Cons: If you’re
seeking a “wow” CV font, keep on looking. So, to ensure that your resume looks the way it should
and is aesthetically pleasing, here are some formatting rules for you to follow that will guarantee
consistency. There is also a chance a custom font may not read well when sent via e-mail. This is
probably due to the wide spacing between the Verdana characters. Corbel is also another best font
for resume from the Microsoft ClearType collection for creating a professional resume. Use bolding,
italicising and CAPITALIZING to emphasize important information such as your name and section
headings, but be consistent. The ATS can't properly parse information from resumes that contain
things like charts, images, and icons. Let's explore why resume fonts are more important than you
think. These are seen as unprofessional and can be very hard to read. It was designed by Google for
Android in 2011 and has been in use on most of their products or software ever since. Therefore, you
need to ensure that you use fonts or typeface that will make your resume stand out of the pack. If
you're using 6pt line spacing in front of one section header, make sure you take the time to check that
all section headers have 6pt spacing in front of them. The content will be ignored because it can't be
understood.
Cover Letter Format Pick the right format for your situation. Make sure not to go below 10.5 pts,
though, as it will affect readability. This typeface is more professional, and its modern look
supersedes other fonts, thereby making it fantastic to use on a resume. We are profiling the best font
for a resume and some of the worst resume fonts. There are enough differences between the font
weights to add some nice contrast to your resume. I am the proud owner of linguaholic.com.
Languages have always been my passion and I have studied Linguistics, Computational Linguistics
and Sinology at the University of Zurich. After writing your resume content, play around with
changing the fonts and see what looks best. If your job is related to design or other artistic
disciplines, this is the font that you should use on your resume. To make sure your typeface stays
intact, embed the font in the file. It was created to be used in place of Arial when sharing documents
across different platforms. We share knowledge, tips, and tools to help everyone find their dream
job. Also, don’t forget about standard resume margins (one inch on all sides). It is a typeface that is
considered a favorite among typographers and designers. Serifs refer to the little lines at the end of
each stroke in a letter; these fonts are referred to as a serif, or serifed, typeface. It has an elegant
appearance that almost resembles pen-writing, but with an upright design. A sans serif font doesn’t
contain decorative strokes at the end of each letter, making it look more clean and precise. Picking an
overused font may communicate that you didn’t put thought into font selection and distract from the
content of your resume. Create a Cover Letter Now Career Blog See All Posts Find out how you can
get a new job or improve the one you have. Take into account the tone you're portraying through
your font choice. It also takes up less room on your resume while still remaining legible. This is great
if you still want some contrast in your resume but only want to use Roboto. Career Advice Improve
your career with expert tips and strategies. The most traditional, and common, resume font is Times
New Roman. Then, they would use one for the main content, and the other for larger elements, such
as their name and section titles. Alternative: Bodoni is a font family with numerous variations. It
doesn't have a lot of decorative strokes, which gives it a clean appearance. Common Resume Fonts
The most common font used is black Times New Roman at 12 points in size. Wanting a stylish
resume is fine, but a resume shouldn’t look like an art project. Also, feel free to use bold type, italics,
and underlining to make your resume easier to read (and highlight the important bits). Additionally, it
feels like a bold header font without being too overwhelming for a resume.
In 1982, it was created for IBM and then it has been used in most Windows computers since the
early 1990s. Unless specifically stated otherwise, such references are not intended to imply any
affiliation or association with Zety. They originated way back in Roman antiquity, and they may feel
dated compared with similar sans-serif counterparts. Some people will choose to use one font for the
body text and another for the headers. Sans serif fonts, those without tails, that work well include
Calibri, Helvetica, Verdana, Trebuchet MS and Lato. Of course, today's Garamond is an
interpretation of those old designs. Use bolding, italicising and CAPITALIZING to emphasize
important information such as your name and section headings, but be consistent. Helvetica This font
bears a close resemblance with Arial and can easily be mistaken for it if not carefully examined.
Difficult fonts may prevent your resume from showing up. Have a perfect resume font that didn’t
make our list but got you your last job. Also, it was inspired by Scotch Roman designs of the 19th
century, so if you want to stand out, you might want to go with something else. Stay away from
heavy and cursive fonts (no Comic Sans!). Have any questions on how to choose the best resume
font. Anuncio Create a professional resume in just 15 minutes Easy. Do not forget to change this, as
you don’t want dates written in a different font than their sections. Mimic the design of your resume
when writing your cover letter. It has a clean and modern look which makes it easy for prospective
employers to read. It’s pretty easy to create a different serif font, but it’s a little harder for sans serif
fonts to stand out. Verdana remains one of the best professional fonts for resumes, CVs, and cover
letters alike. If youre having trouble fitting your content on one page you might try making your font
105 points but dont go lower than that. I’m not really sure how it flew under my radar for so long,
but I’m glad I found it. Now let's take a look at each of our recommended resume fonts in more
detail. Analytics related cookies used on our Site are not used by Us for the purpose of identifying
who you are or to send you targeted advertising. The most traditional, and common, resume font is
Times New Roman. Create my resume now When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your
resume and our resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better. 2 Alternative Resume
Fonts The above are our list of best resume fonts, but what if you’re using an online builder, like
ours, which isn’t allowed to distribute many of those fonts commercially. It has a thicker stroke that
makes it easier to read at a smaller size. Just don’t use this font as both on the same resume. Create a
Cover Letter Now Career Blog See All Posts Find out how you can get a new job or improve the one
you have. No wonder major brands like Microsoft, American Airlines, etc. Alternative: The Futura
font is a common replacement for Verdana; however, in 2010, Ikea switched from using Futura to
using Verdana.