My account

You control your data

We use cookies to tailor the experience of creating resumes and cover letters. For these reasons, we may share your usage data with third parties. You can find more information about how we use cookies on our Cookies Policy. If you would like to set your cookies preferences, click the Settings button below. To accept all cookies, click Accept.

Settings Accept

Cookie settings

Click on the types of cookies below to learn more about them and customize your experience on our Site. You may freely give, refuse or withdraw your consent. Keep in mind that disabling cookies may affect your experience on the Site. For more information, please visit our Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

Choose type of cookies to accept

Analytics

These cookies allow us to analyze our performance to offer you a better experience of creating resumes and cover letters. 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. For example, we may use cookies/tracking technologies for analytics related purposes to determine the number of visitors to our Site, identify how visitors move around the Site and, in particular, which pages they visit. This allows us to improve our Site and our services.

Performance and Personalisation

These cookies give you access to a customized experience of our products. Personalization cookies are also used to deliver content, including ads, relevant to your interests on our Site and third-party sites based on how you interact with our advertisements or content as well as track the content you access (including video viewing). We may also collect password information from you when you log in, as well as computer and/or connection information. During some visits, we may use software tools to measure and collect session information, including page response times, download errors, time spent on certain pages and page interaction information.

Advertising

These cookies are placed by third-party companies to deliver targeted content based on relevant topics that are of interest to you. And allow you to better interact with social media platforms such as Facebook.

Necessary

These cookies are essential for the Site’s performance and for you to be able to use its features. 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.

To see a detailed list of cookies, click here.

Save preferences

Best Font for Resume: Tips on Size, Types, and Styles

What is the best font for a resume? Check our guide and learn the differences between Calibri and Cambria and see what font size you should use on your resume.

Christian Eilers, CPRW
Career Expert
Best Font for Resume: Tips on Size, Types, and Styles

A nightmare scenario. You’ve prepared a perfect resume. You’ve got the right skills and top-class experience for the job. You even included a cover letter. Yet, nobody called back.

Why? Because your resume is as illegible as a doctor’s prescription. Good resume layout is key. And to have a good layout, you need to use the best font for a resume. Otherwise, nobody will care to lay their eyes upon it.

This guide will show you:

  • A list of best fonts for resumes.
  • How to properly use resume fonts to make resumes pop.
  • Tips and examples of how to pick the best font for a resume.
  • How to choose between different types of resume fonts, as well as bold, italics, and underlines.

Save hours of work and get a job-winning resume like this. Try our resume builder for free. Start by choosing a resume template.

Create your resume now

CREATE YOUR RESUME NOWresume fonts example

What users say about ResumeLab:

I had an interview yesterday and the first thing they said on the phone was: “Wow! I love your resume.”
Patrick

I love the variety of templates. Good job guys, keep up the good work!
Dylan 

My previous resume was really weak and I used to spend hours adjusting it in Word. Now, I can introduce any changes within minutes. Absolutely wonderful!
George

Create your resume now

1. What is The Best Font for a Resume?

 

With so many creative resume designs and fonts available, one can be tempted to use them to reflect their personality and style. However, with unusual resume characteristics like non-standard fonts, a resume can become hard to read. Here’s how to find the best font for a resume to make it both appealing and legible.

Resume Font Size

The best font size for resume text is between 11–12pts. If you can’t fit in all crucial information on one page, then 10pts is the way to go. Smaller fonts can also be useful for less consequential text, such as dates worked at a past job.

 

For resume subsections and their headings, you can increase that size 2–4pts (13–16pts) to help them stand out and help scannability. Finally, your name at the top can be another 2–4pts larger than that (15–20pts) to help it stand out well and act as a sort of resume page title.

Best Fonts for a Resume

Common resume fonts include both serif and sans serif fonts that we will describe further in the article:

  • Calibri

  • Cambria

  • Noto

  • Georgia

  • Helvetica

  • Garamond

  • Verdana

  • Lato

  • Trebuchet MS

  • Book Antiqua.

2. The Best Resume Fonts to Apply in 2024

1. Calibri

The Calibri font is one of the sans serif, modern fonts. It is the default font in Microsoft Office, and it has recently been added to Google Docs.

Its widespread usage means that HR managers and ATS software will be able to open your documents and render them correctly (that does not mean you shouldn't use an ATS-friendly resume template).

Calibri is often considered the best font for a resume. Many resume experts agree that it is among the best sans serif fonts—it constantly makes all the top-10 lists.

Great Calibri alternatives include Raleway, Helvetica Neue, and Open Sans.

Expert Hint: Serif vs sans serif, what do they mean? Serifs are those tiny brushstrokes at the ends of letters’ lines (such as the three points of a letter y). Sans-serif fonts are more modern typefaces which don’t include those brushstrokes.

2. Cambria

The Cambria font is like Calibri’s serif counterpart, and it is also one of the most popular and best resume fonts in use.

Likewise, Cambria is available for both Google Docs and Microsoft Office products, so hiring managers will be able to view your resume as you intended. It is our choice among the best serif fonts on our list.

Excellent alternatives for Cambria include the Source Serif 4 and ITC Charter font types.

3. Noto

Noto fonts is Google’s largest typeface project in which they aim to have one font family that can cover every available language and glyph out there.

Also, Noto fonts is open source and freely available, making it a great choice for resume writers, especially if needing to use a non-Latin alphabet.

Noto is available in both serif and sans serif variants. Looking for the best resume Google fonts? This is it.

Expert Hint: Serif or sans serif for resumes? An old study used to say serif fonts help legibility. However, newer studies say that sans serif fonts are easier to read on older screens, but serif fonts are okay for headings and section titles.

4. Georgia

The Georgia font is considered one of the best resume fonts, too.

Georgia is our second serif font on the list, and many large names use it today; it is the New York Times font as well as Amazon’s.

Best resume font alternatives for Georgia include Droid Serif and PT Serif.

5. Helvetica

The Helvetica font has been a popular choice of designers and advertisers for decades. Helvetica is used by the NYC subway system and the UK’s National Health Service.

Though this sans serif font has been around for over a half century, it still remains one of the foremost modern fonts.

Neue Haas Grotesk and Proxima Nova are some great substitutes for Helvetica, as well as the similarly-popular Arial font.

Expert Hint: Never use a script font or cursive font on a resume or a cover letter. It’s hard to read, and THAT makes you hard to hire.

6. Garamond

The Garamond font is a blend of traditional serifs mixing with a more modern design. Though the Garamond typeface family is centuries old, designers continue to praise it as one of the most elegant fonts.

The Cormorant font is a popular, freely-available replacement for Garamond.

7. Verdana

The Verdana font is a sexy, full-figured typeface which was created for Microsoft to be a sans serif counterpart to the Georgia font we mentioned earlier.

Verdana is a top resume font, due to its excellent readability even at very small font sizes—perfect for employers!

A popular Verdana alternative is Microsoft’s Tahoma font.

8. Lato

The Lato font was created for Poland’s first independent daily newspaper just two decades ago, but since has grown into a worldwide phenomenon.

Lato is an open source font, and it covers Latin, Cyrillic, Greek, and IPA alphabets and scripts, making it perfect for many international CVs.

Expert Hint: Typeface vs font? When you think of a font such as the Century Gothic font, Times New Roman font, or Didot font, you are technically referring to a specific typeface (a font family). Calibri (as a whole) is a typeface, while Calibri italicized, 12pt is a font. You better know the difference if getting a job in design!

9. Trebuchet MS

The Trebuchet font (or Trebuchet MS) is a sans serif font created for Microsoft by Vincent Connare, who also created the notorious Comic Sans font which renders all resumes unreadable.

(Avoid Comic Sans at all costs!)

As Microsoft puts it, he “created a font that works at heading and display sizes as well as small sizes and low resolutions.” That makes Trebuchet perfect for the large text of modern resume headers.

Fira Sans and Allerta are two awesome substitutes for Trebuchet MS.

10. Book Antiqua

Finally, a wildcard: the Book Antiqua font. This font may seem dated, but it’s held on for years and years. Today, it is still popular on more traditional resume formats.

Book Antiqua is a “a roman typeface based on pen-drawn letters of the Italian Renaissance.” Definitely one of the most classy fonts out there.

Expert Hint: Ever saw a font you like online and couldn’t figure out its fonts style? There are tools that can help you identify the fonts that you spotted.

The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your resume in our resume builder now.

CREATE YOUR RESUME NOW

CREATE YOUR RESUME NOWcreate your resume now

Nail it all with a splash of color, choose a clean font, and highlight your skills in just a few clicks. You're the perfect candidate, and we'll prove it. Use our resume builder now.

 

3. Ideal Font Style for Resumes

To accentuate important information such as your name or section headings, you can use additional text styling. Bolding and italicising work best in this case as long as they're applied in a consistent manner.

Bold font—Bold text is particularly useful for drawing the reader’s attention to specific words or phrases. In the case of resume writing, you can guide their gaze over to resume keywords.

In the resume work experience section, bolding is great to start off each entry, specifically to highlight the position you have/had. Check the example:

Relevant coursework:

  • Effective Writing for Strategic Public Relations
  • Social, Legal, and Ethical Foundations of Public Relations
  • Business and Economic Foundations of Public Relations

Italic font—Italics are great for supporting text, such as dates and explanatory statements.

In the resume work history area, italics comes in handy for the second line, where you give the company name you worked for, along with the city and state. See the example:

Junior Flight Attendant

jetBlue Airways, New York, NY

January 2016–Present

And what about other text adjustments?

Underline—Don’t underline text on your resume. Underlining will already be used on digital resumes to identify and email addresses and URLs, such as your LinkedIn profile. Any more underlined text and the resume starts feeling messy.

Font Color—For most resume designs, you’re best sticking with a black color font. Black stands out best against light (hopefully white) backgrounds, making it clear and legible. It's all about balancing resume style and readability.

However, if you have a dual-tone resume, with say a heading area in dark blue, white text goes well here.

Kerning—In typography, kerning is the adjustment between letters. In some more advanced word processing programs, you may be able to adjust this font spacing. Letters too close together have been proven to be hard to read.

Line spacing—When writing, line spacing is the space that separates one row (line) of text with the row above or below it. For resumes, keep it single-spaced. In terms of line space size, that should equate to 1.0–1.15.

Expert Hint: Use resume font styling such as italics and bold sparingly. Too much will be counterproductive to the points you were trying to highlight. Also, don’t use too many colors on your resume, whether in text or otherwise.

4. Pairing Resume Fonts to Increase Readability

Graphic designers and other artistic people often pair fonts together. Why pair resume fonts? If you find two fonts that complement each other well, it can really make your resume stand out and pop. As a job seeker, you want that!

On resumes, the most common font pairings come where body text is either serif or sans serif, with headings and subsection titles being the opposite.

Here’s what that may look like:

Resume Font Combinations

Together, the sans serif title with the serif body text (or vice versa) provide a stark contrast that make it a more pleasurable (which could translate to longer!) reading experience. Try using a font generator to preview how your resume text would look using different fonts. 

Expert Hint:Should I include a cover letter in my application documents?” Our recent survey revealed that 4 out of 5 recruiters will consider a cover letter from you an important part of your job application. Learn how to write a cover letter asap!

Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.

CREATE YOUR COVER LETTER NOW

CREATE YOUR COVER LETTER NOWcreate your cover letter now

Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

Key Points

  • In experts’ opinion, Calibri is the best font for a resume and a cover letter, too.
  • Comic sans and other script or funky typefaces make the worst fonts.
  • Body text should be 11–12pts, while subsection headings can be 13–16pts.
  • Use bold and italics sparingly to accentuate particular passages.
  • Pairing resume fonts together may help your resume to shine.
  • A good resume layout is key. The proper font and margins will make your resume more visually appealing and easier to read. 

Got any questions on what font to use for a resume? Any helpful tips for font pairing? Let’s talk about it in the comments below, and, as always, thanks for reading!

About ResumeLab’s Editorial Process

At ResumeLab, quality is at the crux of our values, supporting our commitment to delivering top-notch career resources. The editorial team of career experts carefully reviews every article in accordance with editorial guidelines, ensuring the high quality and reliability of our content. We actively conduct original research, shedding light on the job market's intricacies and earning recognition from numerous influential news outlets. Our dedication to delivering expert career advice attracts millions of readers to our blog each year.

Rate my article: font
Thank you for voting
Average: 4.91 (11 votes)
Christian Eilers, CPRW
Career expert who has been sharing his expert knowledge since 2017. His advice will guide you smoothly through all recruitment processes: from job hunting to getting a promotion. Christian offers comprehensive advice on career development and each step of the job search, from start to finish and beyond. His guides cover looking for new jobs, sending application documents such as resumes and cover letters, acing interview questions, and settling into the new position. Since 2017, he has written over 200 in-depth, meticulously-researched career advice articles in collaboration with the most renowned career experts in the world. Hundreds of thousands of readers visit Christian’s articles each month. Christian majored in Communication & Culture, Anthropology at the City University of New York. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling and learning about cultures and traditions from around the world.

Was it interesting? Here are similar articles

56 Resume Writing Tips and Tricks for 2024

56 Resume Writing Tips and Tricks for 2024

You can stop searching—this is the ultimate collection of best resume tips that can help you succeed in 2024. These resume writing tips will help to impress hiring managers.

Roma Kończak, CPRW
Roma Kończak, CPRW
Career Expert