Which font should you use on a resume?

If you are struggling with this question, you have landed on the right platform.

Here we will guide you in choosing the best fonts for your resume to ensure that you craft your language with a durable visual form.

A resume without a legible font is almost not worthy to the recruiter. So should be of primary concern to improve the readability of the text.

A resume follows the same line as writing a research paper for your school. You put together a cohesive story with no spelling or grammatical errors and a readable resume font size.

Always remember that a hiring manager must go through many resumes in a day.

Hence, it becomes very crucial to present your resume with a professional yet appealing approach. You can do it by selecting the best resume fonts 2022 based on the answers to the following questions:

• What's the Best Resume Font & Size?
• What are the best 14 fonts in a resume in 2022?
• What fonts to avoid adding to a resume in 2022?
• What are the differences between Serif vs. Sans Serif fonts?
• Should You Use Pairing Fonts in Resume?

What's the Best Resume Font & Size?

It's an open secret that hiring managers take 7.4 seconds to review a resume. And within this limited time, you have to pursue the hiring manager to read your resume.

The font you pick for the resume dramatically impacts how the recruiters will perceive your resume.

Font Size of Resume

Ideally, the font size of a resume must be within 10 - 12 points.

If you are writing the resume header, then the font size can be 14-16 points, but not more than that.

If you can fit your resume content on one page, then you can use sans-serif font at 10 points, but not less than that.

Characteristics of Best Font on Resume

Different fonts can effectively change the perception of a recruiter about a candidate. Here are some of the characteristics of an ideal font for a resume and cover letter.

• Bold: Boding is helpful if you want to draw the attention of the reader to some specific words or phrases.

For example, if you have a work experience section, you can use the bolding to highlight statistics specifically.

• Brainstormed sales strategy while improving conversion rate by 20%

• Italics:

Italics are suitable for supporting text, such as dates and names of honors.

For example:

summa cum laude & magna cum laude

• Underline: It's advisable not to use any underline in your resume or cover letter.

However, you can underline hyperlinks such as your LinkedIn profile, GitHub link, or email Id.

• Font Color:

For consistency and professionalism, it's best to use a primary color as the font color, such as black.

However, if you have a duel-tone design in your resume, you can use other complimentary colors in the resume font.

• Line Spacing:

Make sure to keep the line spacing between 1.0 - 1.5 points. No less than that.

Top 14 Best Resume Fonts

Here are the top 10 best resume fonts in 2022

1. Helvetica

This is a Swiss sans-serif font licensed by Linotype. A lot of professionals rank Helvetica as the most beautiful sans-serif font. Thus, making it the best sans-serif font 2022 as it is sure to divert the recruiter's attention to your resume.

Why use it?

• This typeface has clean lines and exceptional clarity.
• It gives a contemporary look to your resume.
• It has a neo-grotesque typeface.
• Even prominent corporate logos like (BMW and Microsoft) use it.

Roboto is a less-similar resume font alternative to Helvetica created by Google and available for use openly!

2. Georgia

This is a classic serif font choice. It does not compromise on modern digital formatting.

Why use it?

• It uses thicker strokes.
• Designed to create more clarity on a computer screen.
• Looks the same whether you are viewing a Word document or a PDF.
• The New York Times uses this font, and many big corporations, such as Yahoo, Amazon, and Twitter too!

Georgia's popularity may make it difficult for your resume to stand out.

3. Calibri

It has been the default Microsoft Word font since 2007. Calibri even won the Type Directors Club's TDC2 2005 Type System award.

Why use it?

• Calibri is an excellent choice because of its familiarity.
• It is easy on the eyes.
• Reader can swiftly read through it.
• It has a warm and soft character.
• Renders correctly when opened.

Calibri's widespread use makes it a 'lazy' option. But it maximizes relatability, skipping dated serif fonts. It is not as decorated as others.

Google created Carlito as a metrically compatible font match to Calibri. It is open source!

4. Lato

Lato is a sans-serif corporate font! This is a dual-natured font with some unique traits at larger sizes.

Why use it?

• It was created to look neutral in body copy.
• It comes in a wide range of weights and styles.
• It is called a serious but friendly font!

Lato is not a standard Microsoft Word font. It might not load in some systems.

Open Sans is a great alternative for Lato. It is one of the most popular fonts on the web. It is openly available and can be used commercially!

5. Gill Sans

A sans-serif typeface which is London's corporate font!

Why use it?

• Makes your resume look both classic and modern.
• It is used widely across the British Railways system, by the BBC, and elsewhere in the UK.

6. Cambria

Cambria is one of the most popular resume fonts used in the industry. It's a serif counterpart to the Calibri font.

Why it's used?

• It looks clean and professional
• It's available on both Microsoft and Google Docs
• Source Serif Pro and ITC Charter font can be used as an alternative to Cambria font.

7. Noto

Noto is created to be used in every available language out there. And since it's clean and easily available, it's a great choice for adding to a resume, especially if you want to add a non-Latin alphabet.

8. Garamond

A Garamond font is a mix between traditional serif font and modern designs. On top of that, this font looks elegant and professional and is a great choice to add to a formal resume.

9. Verdana

The Verdana font is elegant yet soft font. Microsoft created it to be a counterpart of the Georgia font.

Why is it better?

• It has a soft feel to it, making the reader feel very comfortable.
• The size of the font is also very small, which makes it good for resumes with a lot of content

10. Trebuchet MS

The trebuchet MS font is created for Microsoft. It's not an all-purpose font. You can get the most out of this font if you add it to the resume header since these are sharp fonts.

If you are looking for alternatives, you can use Fira Sans and Allerta instead of Trebuchet MS.

11. Book Antiqua

This is one of the traditional fonts you can find out there, which is still in use widely in professional documentation.

Why it's used?

• Book Antiqua font is classy, professional, and easy to read
• Book Antiqua font is free to use.
• It's easily available on most platforms

11. Tahoma

Tahoma font was released from Windows 95, and since then, it has become a favorite for professionals in the last 25 years.

Why it is used?

• It has a technical vibe, making it best for technical and senior resumes.
• It's now available for most platforms.
• It can be used as an alternative to Ariel and Verdana.

12. Didot

Didot is a serif font with a classy and professional look. Because of its upscale look, it's best to use in fashion and photography-related resumes.

It's good for the resume body, but the delicate Didot font shines at the large size. So it's best to use the Didot font in the resume headings.

13. Constantia

Constantia resume font is designed to look good on a computer monitor while remaining applicable on paper.

So if you are applying online and sending your resume via email, you can use the Constantia font to impress the recruiters.

14. Avenir

Avenir is a very clean and crisp font that gives a resume a modern look. It has multiple weights that you can use to differentiate between headings and body or highlight some parts of your experience.

Also Read: How to choose a Cover Letter font in 2022?

Serif or Sans-Serif for resume?

Many people confuse between a Serif font and a Sans-Serif font. To keep it simple, Serif and Sans-Serif are twins with the former one with little spikes coming out of his head.

Here we are going to give you a group of best fonts for resume which will help you in selecting the best font for resume to make your resume stand out.

What is a serif font?

Serifs are the little lines at the end of each stroke in a letter. They originated in Roman antiquity and are comparably out-dated from similar sans-serif counterparts.

What is a sans-serif font?

Sans-serif fonts do not have the lines at the end of each stroke. They appear fresh, modern, and good for resumes.

What are the best resume fonts 2022?

Which are the best resume fonts 2022 in serif? Which is the best font for resume in sans serif?

Serif fonts are easier to read. The little brush strokes on each letter help our brain in faster reading.

But, sans-serifs are used as best resume fonts for their contemporary look. They integrate seamlessly with modern resume designs.

Also Read: What are the most common resume mistakes in 2022?

Fonts to Avoid in Your Resume

Some resume fonts must be avoided at all costs. They leave a wrong impression on the employer. You should not risk your job for the sake of a wrong font choice!

Here we discuss top 5 worst fonts for resume 2022:

1. Comic Sans

This font is too comical to be put in a resume. It destroys the seriousness of the resume.

2. Arial

This is the most overused font. Choosing it is a lazy choice. This might mean that you did not put much thought or effort into your resume.

3. Times New Roman

This is the most surprising font on the list. It is simple because it is used so widely! It will not help your resume stand out. It will make it boring and safe.

4. Impact

This is a big and bold font. The font is simply too much for a professional document. It is not easy on the eyes!

5. Courier

This font simply replicates the look of a typewriter. Also, it has a monospaced typeface which looks absurd for the whole page of text.

Should You Use Pairing Fonts in Resume?

Now the problem here is which font with the best resume font size 2022 to choose out of a serif or sans serif for resume. To make your resume appear visually stimulating, you can pair two fonts on a resume.

The best font pairs agree with each other. They work together in harmony and do not fight the recruiter for attention.

Pair fonts on your resume using this checklist:

• Differentiate headings and sections from the main resume content.
• Increase the text size, use bold, and pair the fonts together.
• Choose two contrasting typefaces like a standard script with a cursive script, or sans-serif with serif.
• Use one for the main content, and the other for larger elements, such as the name and section headings.

Use the best serif font 2022 along with the best sans serif font 2022
Example: Georgia and Calibri, Helvetica and Calibri.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Small Should Font Size Be on Resume?

Hiring managers and recruiters typically spend only a few seconds glance at each resume before shortlisting or rejecting it. So choose a font size between 10 and 12 to ensure that he/she does not have to squint to read the information on a resume.

How to Choose a Resume Font?

Choose one of the fonts mentioned above and print out a copy of your resume to ensure that the font style and size you have chosen is apt and making the document look tidy. If it doesn't suit try to change the font style.

Key Takeaways

Selecting a suitable font for your resume is not an easy task. Your selected resume font must be easy to read and look elegant to grab the recruiter's attention.

You can follow these guidelines while selecting your resume fonts and outlining your resume in 2022:

• Choose Helvetica, Georgia, Calibri, Lato, or Gil Sans fonts for your resume
• Adjust the resume font size based on the headings and details
• Avoid using Arial, Times New Roman, Courier, Impact, and Comic Sans fonts in your resume
• Always choose Bold over Italic to highlight information in your resume

These points will help you use the best resume fonts 2022 appropriately to grab the recruiter's attention.

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