Top 5 Best Fonts for Resumes: Impress Employers, Get More Interviews!
Take a single second and split it into a thousand equal parts. Now take 13 of those tiny fragments: 13 milliseconds.
That’s how fast you and the humans you know can process an image from eye to brain.
What’s more, some experts suggest that your unconscious brain can process about 11 million pieces of sensory information every second. Even though your conscious mind can only process about 40.
What does that mean for your resume?
In today's competitive job market, your resume is often your first opportunity to make a lasting impression on potential employers. As professional resume writer and career coach who has written thousands of resumes that consistently helped clients secure job offers, I understand the significance of every detail in crafting a standout resume. One such crucial detail is the font you choose.
The Role of Fonts in Resume Writing
Do resume fonts really have that much of an impact? Isn’t it the content of the resume, the substance, that matters?
Think of it this way: do you dress up for a job interview? Sure you do. Even though what really matters is you — the person — you still garb yourself up to make a good first impression.
Because, want it or not, first impressions influence us all, regardless of the substance underneath.
When it comes to resume writing, fonts play a more significant role than you might think. They affect not only the visual appeal but also the readability and professionalism of your resume.
Why Fonts Matter
Keep in mind that your resume acts as a proxy for you. Recruiters see it before they ever see you. Their initial impression of it is their initial impression of you.
Imagine your resume as a piece of art, and fonts as the brush strokes that bring it to life. The fonts you select help convey your personal brand and professional image. They can communicate traits such as reliability, creativity, or attention to detail.
Fonts also have a profound psychological impact on readers. Certain fonts can evoke emotions and associations. For instance, a classic and elegant font may suggest professionalism and reliability, while a playful font may convey creativity.
So, there are at least three reasons why resume fonts matter, and why you should pick good ones:
They help you make an amazing first impression, which may influence the company’s perception of you throughout the hiring process.
They help convey who you are — trustworthy, conscientious, gifted communicator, etc.
They promote readability, which improves your resume’s chances of making it past the culling stage.
Yes, your choice of resume fonts can either make you or break you. By themselves, the words in your resume may convey your skills and expertise with elegance, but how you dress them up affects their credibility and chances of getting read.
How to Choose Your Resume Fonts
The following tips come from a decade of my nerding out about typefaces and their psychological impact, and from seeing hundreds upon hundreds of resumes — some beautiful, some (ahem — most) not quite there.
Know What Fonts Not to Use
Knowing what fonts to avoid will narrow your choices. That’s a great thing. Who wants to go looking for a needle in a haystack? Easier to look for it in a hay handful.
Why You See So Much Subpar Typography
Typography — the art of making text pleasing to the eyes — used to be a mystery to most, seemingly only open to the select few who devoted their professional lives to it.
That started to change in the 1980s, when the home computer revolution brought the word “font” into public awareness.
For decades now, anyone with access to a digital device has had the option of changing the appearance of their text. Humankind is no longer shackled to the whims of handwriting or the fixed pitch of a typewriter. This is an exhilarating capability at the literal fingertips of billions of humans.
But it comes with a price: the proliferation of haphazard typography.
Why that Gives You the Upper Hand
Any time you put text on a page, you’re making typographical choices, even if your only choice is to leave everything at the default settings. Typography emerges even without your intent.
Now, most people don’t know anything about typography. They shouldn’t have to; it’s a lot to learn and there are many other things to experience in life.
But this does lead to billions of pieces of sloppy typography being created every day by second-graders, S&P 500 corporations, and Hollywood studios alike.
Which, of course, gives you an advantage if you know and apply even just the basics.
Avoid Apathetic Fonts
In his fantastic book Butterick’s Practical Typography, award-winning typographer and lawyer Matthew Butterick gives his perspective, with which I agree. (The book is freely available online, but the author encourages and appreciates donations.)
Says Mr. Butterick:
The Windows and Mac OS libraries have improved, but they’re still minefields of awful fonts. I won’t name names, but my least favorite rhymes with Barial.
My suggestion: stay away from any font that is or ever has been a Microsoft Office default. As of 2021, that means Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, and Cambria.
All these fonts suffer from overexposure resulting from a decades-long accumulation of documents produced with “the font[s] of least resistance,” as Butterick puts it.
You can argue whether those are good or bad fonts. It doesn’t matter. The point is, they’re overused. They say absolutely nothing about your or your text because they’ve lost their character through ubiquity.
What’s more, they make your resume look like those of half of your competitors. And they indicate that you’re not making thoughtful choices about your resume.
A recruiter may not think of all this, but she may think something like, “Hmm, not quite the strongest resume I’ve seen.”
Other Fonts to Avoid
The following list is by no means comprehensive, but it will give you a good idea of what an inappropriate or unattractive font looks like. Try some of them out and see how they affect the credibility of your resume:
Comic Sans
Papyrus
Copperplate
Courier or any of its variants
Gigi, Vivaldi, Kristen ITC, Chiller, or any font that isn’t perfectly legible at first glance
Impact
Poor Richard
Trebuchet MS
Verdana
Criteria for Choosing the Best Resume Fonts
Selecting the right font for your resume involves considering several important factors:
Clarity and Readability
Your resume's primary purpose is to convey information clearly and effectively. Therefore, readability is paramount. Choose fonts that are easy on the eyes and maintain consistency in font size and spacing throughout your document.
Professionalism and Aesthetics
Professionalism should be at the forefront of your font selection. While creativity is important, it should not compromise the formality expected in professional documents. Striking a balance between creativity and formality is key.
Compatibility with Digital Systems
In today's digital age, your resume may be scanned by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) or viewed on various devices. It's crucial to select web-safe fonts that remain legible in both print and digital formats. ATS-friendly fonts are designed to pass through automated systems without formatting issues.
The Top 5 Fonts for Resumes
Now, let's dive into the top 5 fonts that will help you create a resume that impresses employers and gets you more interviews:
Garamond
Garamond is a timeless, elegant font that exudes professionalism.
Its readability makes it an excellent choice for both print and digital formats.
Use Garamond when you want to project a classic, sophisticated image.
Gill Sans Nova Light
Gill Sans Nova Light offers a modern and clean look.
Its minimalist design communicates a sense of clarity and simplicity.
Ideal for professionals in design, marketing, and technology fields.
Bierstadt
Bierstadt is a versatile sans-serif font designed for legibility.
Its neutral and contemporary style suits a wide range of industries.
Use Bierstadt to convey a clean and professional appearance.
Hadassah-Friedlander
Hadassah-Friedlander is a unique, artistic font that adds a touch of creativity.
Best suited for creative roles or industries where originality is valued.
When used sparingly, it can make your resume stand out.
Goudy-Type
Goudy-Type is a classic and formal serif font.
It conveys tradition and respectability.
Consider it for roles in law, academia, or other conservative professions.