A resume font should be a widely installed, highly legible typeface used at 10 to 11.5pt for body text, applied consistently throughout the document. Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, Garamond, Georgia, and Cambria are all appropriate choices.

Font choice affects human readability rather than automated parsing, since text extraction reads characters regardless of typeface. What does cause problems is using an uncommon font that is unavailable on the reader's machine, or setting body text below 10pt to fit more content.

Font selection attracts a lot of attention for something that is nearly settled. Any of half a dozen typefaces will serve you perfectly well, and the decisions that actually matter are size, consistency, and not shrinking the type to solve a content problem.

Fonts That Work

Font Type Best for
Calibri Sans-serif The safe default — clean, modern, universally installed
Arial / Helvetica Sans-serif Neutral and available everywhere; slightly plain
Garamond Serif Fits more text at a given size; good for dense two-page resumes
Georgia Serif Highly legible on screen; warmer than Times
Cambria Serif Designed for screen reading; conservative fields
Verdana / Tahoma Sans-serif Very legible but wide — costs space on a full page

Serif or sans-serif is a preference rather than a rule. Sans-serif reads marginally better on screen, which is where most resumes are now read; serif carries slightly more traditional weight, which suits law, finance, and academia. Either is fine.

The one genuine constraint: use a font that is installed on the reader's machine. If you set your resume in something unusual and send a Word document, it will substitute a fallback and your careful spacing will shift. Exporting to PDF removes that risk entirely, which is the recommendation in the best resume format for other reasons too.

The Numbers That Matter

  • Body text and bullets: 10 to 11.5pt. This is the range where the document stays comfortable to read.
  • Section headings: 12 to 13pt, bold. Enough contrast to structure the page without shouting.
  • Job titles: 11pt bold, or the same size as body text with bold applied.
  • Your name: 16 to 20pt. It is the anchor at the top of the page.
  • Line spacing: 1.0 to 1.15.
  • Margins: 0.5 to 1 inch, equal on all sides.

Point sizes are not equivalent across typefaces — Garamond at 11pt is noticeably smaller than Verdana at 11pt. Judge by how it looks rather than by the number, and if you switch fonts late in the process, re-check the whole document.

Do not go below 10pt to make content fit. This is the most common font mistake and it treats a symptom. If the document only fits at 9pt, there is too much content, and the fix is cutting rather than compressing — the allocation guidance is in how many pages a resume should be. A cramped page also loses the white space that makes a resume scannable, which costs you more than the extra lines gain.

What Not to Use

  1. Display and script fonts. Anything decorative reduces legibility for no gain. Comic Sans, Papyrus, and handwriting scripts are the obvious cases, but any font chosen for personality rather than clarity belongs here.
  2. Times New Roman, arguably. Not unreadable — it is the default nobody chose, and it reads as a document last rebuilt some time ago. Georgia or Cambria give you a serif without that association, which matters for the reasons discussed in resume advice for older workers.
  3. Light and thin weights. Helvetica Neue Light and similar look elegant on screen and print faintly. Use regular weight for body text.
  4. Condensed or narrow variants used to squeeze in content. Same problem as shrinking the point size.
  5. More than one font family. One throughout, with weight and size providing the hierarchy. Mixing families is one of the consistency failures covered in the common resume mistakes list.
  6. Anything you downloaded. If it is not installed on the reader's machine and you send anything other than a PDF, it will not render as intended.

Once the typography is settled, check the result the way a reader will: open the exported PDF on a phone, and if you can, print a page. Both expose spacing and weight problems that look fine at 100% on a desktop. Then run the copy-paste test from making a resume machine-readable as the final step.

If you would rather not make these decisions at all, the free resume builder applies a tested set of type sizes and spacing automatically, and a free check against a real posting covers whether the content underneath is doing its job. Both are on FixResume, with credit options on the pricing page.

Common Questions About Resume Fonts

What is the best font for a resume?

Calibri is the safest default — clean, modern, and installed everywhere. Arial, Helvetica, Georgia, Garamond, and Cambria are all equally acceptable. The choice between them matters far less than using one font consistently at a readable size.

What font size should a resume be?

Body text at 10 to 11.5pt, section headings at 12 to 13pt bold, and your name at 16 to 20pt. Point sizes are not equivalent across typefaces, so judge by appearance rather than by the number, particularly if you change fonts partway through.

Can I use a font smaller than 10pt to fit more in?

No. Body text below 10pt is uncomfortable to read and eliminates the white space that makes a page scannable, which costs more attention than the extra lines gain. If the content only fits at 9pt, the problem is the amount of content and the fix is cutting.

Does font choice affect applicant tracking systems?

Not meaningfully, since text extraction reads characters regardless of typeface. The real risk is sending a Word document set in an uncommon font, which the reader's machine will substitute, shifting your spacing. Exporting to PDF removes that problem entirely.

Is Times New Roman bad for a resume?

It is perfectly readable, but as the long-standing default it reads as a document that has not been revisited in some years. Georgia and Cambria offer the same traditional serif feel without that association, which is worth considering if you want the page to look current.

Can I use two fonts on a resume?

Better not to. One family with variation in size and weight provides all the hierarchy a resume needs, and mixing families is one of the inconsistencies readers notice without being able to name. If you want more contrast, increase the heading size or add bold rather than introducing a second typeface.