Resume Fonts Advised by The Consultant

The right typeface makes your CV stand out in all the right ways.

The Consultant say it takes 6 seconds for a hiring manager to decide if your resume is a keeper – The font type and size that you choose will have an important effect on this decision.

A font that makes your resume difficult to read or appears unprofessional will rapidly end up in the garbage. You may be the most qualified candidate, but if your resume is difficult to understand, you will be eliminated from consideration from the start.

Here are the ideal fonts to use for your resume to ensure that your qualifications and experience take precedence over your font choice.

The Best Typefaces to Use on a Resume

Of course, most of what goes into choosing the perfect font for your resume is your own choice, but you should stick to a specific set of best fonts to guarantee that your resume is not overlooked.
The fonts described below will all look well on a resume since they are clean, professional, and easy to read. Keep in mind that you must select a typeface that is clear and easy to read on-screen and in print.

Calibri
Cambria
Arial
Helvetica
Tahoma
Trebuchet
Verdana
Garamond
Times New Roman

Calibri Type for a Resume

Calibri is known for being contemporary and professional, which makes it suitable for use in a variety of industries. It’s well-spaced, clean, and easy to read. Additionally, it’s read accurately by an applicant tracking system, or ATS. According to the consultant, Calibri is the one to choose if you can’t decide which you like the most.

Pros of using Calibri:

Modern look
Professional appearance
Lighter size allows you to fit more words on a page

Cons of Using Calibri:

Everyone else uses it, thus it lacks uniqueness.
Can be considered unprofessional by some areas, such as law and finance.

Cambria Font for a Resume

Cambria was originally intended to be easily read on television. It has appropriate spacing and proportions, making it easy to read even at low resolutions. Its style even makes it easy to read when written at a small size.

Pros of utilizing Cambria:

It is sufficiently classy to make your CV visually appealing.
As a Microsoft Word font, you are unlikely to lose structure when sharing the resume file.
It’s appropriate for a wide range of vocations across numerous industries.

Cons of Using Cambria:

It was created in 2007 and can be considered old-fashioned.
It’s a dense serif font, which may make it tough to keep your resume under two pages.

Arial font for resumes

Arial is one of those tried-and-true fonts that have stood the test of time. Interestingly enough, it was designed to have the same width as the characters in the Helvetica typeface – which is great if you intend to use multiple fonts on your resume. According to the consultant, some people will choose to use one font for the body text and another for the headers.

Pros of using Arial:

It’s a clean and basic font to use for your resume
Arial is easy to read, even when using a 10-point font
It’s ATS friendly

Cons of using Arial:

It probably lacks the class of modern fonts.
Some believe it is a less-than-formal font choice, especially if you’re looking for a creative position.

Helvetica font for a resume

We’ve previously discussed how Helvetica works well with Arial. It’s more elegant than Arial, therefore it would be ideal for your resume’s section headings. The fantastic thing about Helvetica is that it offers a greater selection of font weights than Arial, which will help your resume stand out.

Pros of using Helvetica:

Helvetica conveys professionalism.
It has a clean and simple design with a good readability factor
It makes your CV appear tidy and well-structured.

Cons of using Helvetica:

Some individuals may view Helvetica as overly clean and neutral, leaving your resume appear sterile and lacking personality.
It features a thick design with tight space, which may make it difficult to read when using a smaller font size.

Tahoma font for a resume

Tahoma is considered a reliable font for people who want a modern, sans-serif font with a balanced appearance. Over the years, it has become a popular choice for a lot of digital applications because of how easy it is to read. According to the consultant, it doesn’t have a lot of decorative strokes, which gives it a clean appearance.

Pros of using Tahoma:

It’s an excellent font to use for both headlines and body text.
The layout of the letters makes it simple to read on screen.
It’s suitable for a variety of occupations.

Cons of using Tahoma:

It is not as frequently used as Arial; therefore, it may be less identifiable.
Although it is a Microsoft default typeface, not all versions of Word by Microsoft include it.

Trebuchet font for a resume

Medieval combat equipment or a popular font? unexpectedly when the Trebuchet font was invented, it was named after the ancient devices that hurled massive rocks. Vincent Connare, the creator, intended to name it after something that “launches words across the Internet.”

Pros of using Trebuchet:

Trebuchet is an excellent font for adding personality to your CV.
The characters are well-spaced, making them easy to read both on and off screen.
It’s inviting without being pompous; consider the small tail on the capital ‘Q’.

Cons of using Trebuchet:

It is not very widely used and may cause formatting errors when sharing your resume file.
There are certain variations in character widths, which may cause you to have difficulty maintaining your resume to two pages.

Verdana font for a resume

Verdana is one of the greatest fonts for a resume because it was created to be readable at small sizes, both on screen and off. In fact, it is noted for its large dimensions and loose letter spacing, which ensure that text is well divided and easy to read.

Pros of using Verdana:

Because it was created for low-resolution on-screen reading, it is perfect for online applications and résumé uploads.
Verdana contains unusual letter qualities, such as a little square over the ‘i’ and ‘j’, which make it unique.
It has several weights available, allowing you to construct variances between section headings and body text.

Cons of using Verdana:

Despite its ease of readability, some individuals view Verdana to be a touch informal.
The loose letter spacing may indicate that you have trouble keeping your CV to two pages.

Garamond font for a resume

When you use Garamond font for your resume, you’re truly taking a trip back in time. Garamond typeface can trace its roots back to the 16th century. Of course, today’s Garamond is an interpretation of those old designs. According to the consultant, it has an elegant appearance that almost resembles pen-writing, but with an upright design.

Pros of using Garamond:

Garamond text has sufficient spacing, making the document it’s employed on appear balanced.
It’s a wonderful typeface to use on your resume if you intend to have a print version available for humans to read off-screen.
It’s a versatile, widely accepted font.

Cons of using Garamond:

The serif-style typeface is less appropriate for screen reading.
The consultant believe Garamond is too artistic for professional papers, such as resumes.

Times New Roman font for a resume

If the default font in Microsoft Word is not Calibri, it is most likely Times New Roman. It has become one of the most popular typefaces of all time, noted for its strong design. It was originally developed for a printed journal, The Times of Britain, which sought to adopt something that was more common in the 18th century that could be used with a printing press. Welcome to Times New Roman.

Pros of using Times New Roman:

It is a globally accepted font—a safe pick.
Times New Roman is a classic serif typeface that provides your resume a professional and traditional look.
Because it was primarily intended for printing, the letters are still legible even when using a small font.

Cons of using Times New Roman:

Some people believe that using Times New Roman font on resumes is outdated.
When you pick a smaller font size, the letters get squeezed together a bit, making it difficult to read on a screen.

What’s the difference between serif and sans-serif fonts?

The main difference between serif and sans-serif fonts is decorative. Serifs are, by the definition, little landscape design strokes that end a letter. Since’sans’ means ‘without,’ sans-serif fonts lack the small ornamental strokes at the end of each letter.

Serif fonts are more classic and official, making them ideal for building a resume. Serifs, or decorative strokes, make these fonts simpler to read in print and appear less sterile than sans-serif fonts.

Garamond and Times New Roman are examples of serif fonts that can be used on a resume for printing.

Conversely, sans-serif fonts lack any decoration at all. These fonts are considered modern and provide a straightforward appearance, which is great for on-screen reading. According to the consultant, the biggest downside to sans-serif fonts is that they can be difficult to read if you’re using a smaller font size.

Calibri, Tahoma, Arial, and Helvetica are examples of sans-serif typefaces that can be used on resumes for online applications.

Which fonts should you avoid on your resume?

Because the main purpose of your resume is to convey your qualifications in a way that shows why you are the best professional for the job, you should avoid using certain fonts.

You should avoid choosing flowery, themed, cursive, or “fun” fonts, like.

Comic Sans
Impact
Monotype Corsiva
Freestyle Script
Segoe Script

Along from being difficult to read and incompatible with an ATS, “artistic” fonts communicate to employers that you are unfamiliar with the norms of constructing a professional resume, which may lead them to believe you are not serious about your job search. Remember that no fancy resume font will highlight your qualifications as effectively as your work experience, talents, and achievements.

Which font size works best for a resume?

Generally speaking, a font size of 10 to 12 points is advised by the consultant. As a general guideline, wait to choose a font size for your resume until you’ve selected the exact font you want to use. This is so that fonts that take up less space than Times New Roman or Verdana, such as Trebuchet, Calibri, and Arial Narrow, can be used.

You may be able to get the two-page resume that employers want by significantly altering the font size, depending on your choice, as long as the format and reading remain appealing.

If the resume body is more than two pages and uses a font that is larger than 12 points, you will likely need to expand on previous duties and achievements or add abilities from volunteer work and extracurricular activities.

You might also need to remove all formatting, such as bolding, italics, and underlining, and utilize a 12-point font size across your resume if you’re sending it in online. A 12-point font is ideal in situations where online tools ask you to use an ASCII format or convert your data to one. This ensures that your resume displays correctly.

Formatting of pages

Your page’s margins, bullets, and spacing are just as important as the font and size of the text. Ultimately, you want an ATS to accurately read your resume and to make an impression on a hiring manager. Therefore, in addition to making sure that your qualifications, abilities, and professional achievements are clearly stated, make sure your paper is organized, understandable, and presents itself in a professional manner.

That is mostly the result of consistency. Therefore, you should adhere to the following formatting guidelines to maintain consistency and that your resume looks as professional as it should:

Margins: Make sure all of your margins are balanced and at least 0.5 inches wide. While having differing top and bottom margins from your left and right margins is OK, you should try to keep your top margin from being less than your bottom margin.

Spacing: To make sure that your spacing is constant, you can utilize the line spacing style option in Google Docs or Microsoft Word. Make sure you take the time to verify that each section header has 6 points of space in front of it if you’re using 6 points of line spacing in front of one section header.

Bullets: Although there is some flexibility in the sort of bullet you employ, it is recommended to utilize a simple dot bullet to ensure that the hiring manager’s computer view of your resume matches your own. Make sure that all of your bullets align, for the love of all things resumes. Matching bullet points is one of the few things that doesn’t scream, “I didn’t pay attention.”

Graphics, icons, and images: Avoid using them in any way. Resumes containing charts, pictures, and icons cannot be correctly processed by the ATS. Those graphics become strange characters because it converts your resume to a text file.

The ideal font conveys the intended message

When selecting a resume font, there are three distinct goals that one should aim for:

1. Does it convey that you are a qualified professional for the position?

2. Is it easy to read and scan for important keywords and information for hiring managers and recruiters?

3. Will an online application program or applicant tracking system correctly read it?

The main objective of any resume should always be to write it correctly. However, the font you choose can significantly impact the impression you give a potential employer, whether that be of a fresh graduate, a seasoned professional, or anything in between.

It can also mean whether you receive a “no thanks” email or are invited for an interview. If you take the time to write a CV that reflects who you are and adhere to these suggestions, you’ll soon be getting interviews.