There are a lot of things to think about when you’re building a resume. You have to make sure it’s organized, that the information is clear and concise, and that it comes across as professional. But there’s also need a good font for resumes. The best font for resume can make all of these things easier for recruiters and hiring managers to read—and if you get it wrong, it can ruin everything else that you’ve worked so hard on! So what’s best resume fonts? Here are my recommendations:
Best resume fonts
The best font for resume is one that looks professional and clean, with no fancy or ornate embellishments. A classic serif font like Times New Roman or Cambria (the default font in Word) works well. If you need to use a sans-serif typeface, go for Helvetica Neue or Calibri—they’re both easy on the eyes and have been used by businesses for years.
Don’t use more than two different types of fonts on your resume. This includes headers, headings, subheadings and body text—it all needs to match so it looks consistent from start to finish. If you have an artistic flair that makes it impossible for you not to mix things up (we get it), just be sure there’s consistency between those elements as well.
You should also avoid using any typefaces smaller than 12 points if possible; anything smaller than 14 points starts becoming difficult to read at arm’s length or further away from your face when printed out on paper (e-resumes are another story).
The best font for resume to choose and font to avoid
Use a single, classic font on your resume.
- Make sure it’s readable on both paper and screen.
- Avoid fonts with a lot of kerning.
- Avoid fonts with a lot of ligatures.
- Avoid fonts with a lot of characters (if you’re using an old font).
Use the maximum number of characters that is possible while still being readable—eighteen to twenty-four is generally considered ideal, though more may be acceptable if they can be justified by the length or complexity of your job history or education.
- Helvetica
Most popular and best font for resume and other professional documents is Helvetica. This is a sans-serif typeface, so it’s easy to read and doesn’t have any distracting flourishes that make your resume hard to scan.
It’s also been around for a long time, which means it can be used in a wide range of contexts without seeming dated or out of place. If you want to use something more modern, consider pairing Helvetica with another font like Proxima Nova or Avenir (which was inspired by Helvetica).
- Garamond
Garamond is a serif font that is very readable. It’s a good font for resumes and body text, but not so much for headings.
- For resumes: Garamond has been used in many classic resume designs over the decades, so it’s pretty safe to say that this can be one of the best resume fonts to give a professional look on your resume. The key question here is whether or not you like the way the typeface looks (you should feel comfortable with it). If you do find Garamond appealing, then definitely use it!
- For body text: You may want to consider using this font for large bodies of text. Its relatively thin strokes make it easy on the eyes, which makes reading long stretches easier than if you were using bold or italicized fonts.
- Times New Roman
Times New Roman is a serif font. It’s commonly used, ideal and good font for resumes because it is professional, clean, and easy to read. When you use a serif font on your resume, you want to make sure that it is easy to read and understand. The last thing you want is for the hiring manager or recruiter to have trouble understanding what information is being conveyed through your words.
Times New Roman has been around since 1932 so it has been tested over time as far as its effectiveness in business settings goes and tends not to be too distracting from the content of your resume (although some people may disagree with me).
- Arial
Arial is a sans-serif typeface designed by Monotype Imaging. It was released in 1982 and is an alternative to Helvetica, with the same x-height, but with a more informal appearance, to make it more appropriate for use in documents meant for home printing or on the web.
Arial was designed to be a substitute for Helvetica, and is often used in place of Helvetica; however, Arial has its own character and is not simply a copy of Helvetica.
- Book Antiqua
Book Antiqua is a serif font with a large x-height, which makes it easy to read. It’s also fairly conservative, so it won’t make your resume look too flashy or distracting. This is why we think Book Antiqua makes for one of the best fonts for resumes.
If you’re looking for another option for your resume, consider Garamond (another serif font). Garamond has been around since the 15th century and has been used in many publications over time. You may have even seen this typeface used on your favorite novel or comic book!
- Calibri
Calibri is a sans-serif font designed by Lucas de Groot and distributed by Microsoft. It is part of the ClearType Font Collection, and is the default font in Microsoft Office 2007 and Microsoft Office 2010.Calibri was first used in the main text body of World Book Encyclopedia’s 2007 edition.
It was also used for all credits, subtitles, and hyperlinks on FOX News Channel broadcasts between February 15, 2007 and January 28, 2008; it was replaced with Helvetica following that date.[2] The typeface can be installed on Windows XP SP2 through Windows 7.[3]
- Cambria
Cambria is a sans-serif font that is easy to read on both paper and screen. This makes it perfect for resumes because you want your resume to be as readable as possible.
Cambria is also very good font for resumes that is available on both Mac and Windows computers, which means that you don’t have to worry about whether or not the person reading your resume has access to the same type of computer as you do.
Cambria is also easy to read in small print, which makes it great for resumes because recruiters tend to skim through resumes quickly looking for keywords instead of reading every word carefully, so if they can’t immediately find what they’re looking for then they may skip over your resume altogether (which would be unfortunate).
- Didot
Didot is a serif font that is very readable. It’s been around for more than 200 years, and it’s been the official typeface of The New York Times since 1996. Didot is one of those fonts that looks great on paper, but can also be easily read onscreen. It’s bold enough to stand out from other fonts, but not so heavy or decorative that it becomes distracting. This makes Didot an ideal choice for resumes and cover letters—and even your LinkedIn profile or social media profiles (if you’re feeling bold). It is considered to be a good font for resumes in various countries.
- Georgia
Georgia is a serif font, which means it has small hooks on the ends of letters such as “f” and “t.” Georgia is considered to be one of the most readable fonts for resumes, since it is highly legible (easy to read) and easy on the eyes.
Designed by Matthew Carter and released in 1993 by Microsoft Corporation, Georgia was originally created for use in Microsoft Bob—a software package intended to make computing more accessible to new users. Despite its origins as an interface font for beginners, Georgia has become one of the most common fonts used on resumes today due to its high readability across different platforms and devices.
- Hoefler Text
- *fonts that are too fancy can be hard to read*
This is a bold statement, but it’s true. Fonts with flourishes and curlicues make it much harder for your resume to be scanned by potential employers. Fonts that have letters that look like they’re made out of tiny pieces of confetti are also not ideal because they make the text harder to read—so unless you’re applying for a job at Starbucks, stick to simple fonts such as Calibri or Times New Roman.
- *fonts that are too plain can be boring*
How boring would it be if every word on this page were just “BORING”? But seriously: Boring is bad. If you use boring fonts (like Arial or Courier New), then people won’t want to read your resume at all! You want them excited about reading the two or three sentences about yourself on this page; so don’t disappoint us by using something duller than dirt!
You should use a single, classic good font for your resume and make sure it’s readable on both paper and screen.
Whether you’re applying for a job or writing your own resume, one of the most important things you can do is choose an easy-to-read font. If your resume is hard to read, then it’s likely that the hiring manager won’t even get past the first page of your application. Best font for resume means easy to read and attractive on both paper and screen.
Because there are so many different fonts to choose from, it can be overwhelming trying to decide which one will look professional on paper and electronic screens. There are several factors that go into choosing a font for resumes:
- Make sure it’s readable on both paper and screen. You’ll want a font that is clear enough for potential employers or colleagues in other offices around the world without seeming too bold or thin (which can make texts harder to read). Avoid fonts with fancy lettering—if anything else in your resume seems overly elaborate, then this probably isn’t going to help either! And finally: do not use any kind of script or handwritten style; these will likely come across as sloppy rather than appealing.*
The worst resume Font
The worst resume font is Comic Sans.
As a professional, you should never use this font on your resume.
Comic Sans is a playful font that looks like it belongs on a children’s birthday card or in a comic strip—not on a document that will be reviewed by potential employers.
If you do choose to use Comic Fonts on your resume, be sure they’re professional and readable.
Best Font Size for Resume
Apart from best resume fonts, best font size is also one of the most important elements of a resume. A font that is too small can be hard to read, while one that is too large can look unprofessional.
The best font size for a resume is between 10 and 12 points. If you use a smaller font than this, it will be more difficult for hiring managers to read and will make them less likely to want to meet with you in person. On the other hand, if you use a larger font than this, it will make your resume look unprofessional and seem like it was written hastily or carelessly. So from next time before applying for a job to somewhere don’t forget to select best font size along with best resume fonts to draw an attraction of employer. best font for resume
Conclusion
The best font for resume denotes easy to read, but they also have some personality. You want your resume to stand out and make an impression on the reader, so avoid using overly bold or ornate fonts that can be hard on the eyes. Instead, opt for a more classic look with serifs or sans serifs like Garamond and Helvetica.
