US Trends

what font should a resume be in

The safest answer in 2026 is to use a clean, common, professional font like Calibri, Arial, Cambria, Georgia, or Helvetica in 10–12 pt for the main text, with your name larger (16–20 pt) and section headings slightly larger than the body.

Best fonts for a resume

These fonts are widely recommended because they’re easy to read, ATS‑friendly, and installed on most computers.

  • Calibri (modern sans serif, “corporate standard”)
  • Arial (simple, neutral sans serif)
  • Cambria (clear serif designed for on‑screen reading)
  • Georgia (classic serif that still looks good on screens)
  • Helvetica (sleek, minimalist sans serif; great for design‑conscious roles)
  • Times New Roman, Garamond, Palatino (more traditional serifs, good for conservative industries)
  • Tahoma, Verdana, Trebuchet MS (crisp, very readable sans serifs)

If you want to be extra current with Microsoft’s ecosystem, Aptos (newer default in Office) is also acceptable for resumes.

Ideal font size and formatting

Recruiters and resume tools consistently recommend keeping your resume highly readable rather than squeezing everything onto one page.

  • Body text: 10–12 pt is the sweet spot (11 pt is common).
  • Your name: 16–20 pt so it stands out at a glance.
  • Section headings: around 13–14 pt, bold.
  • Use one font (two max: one for headings, one for body).
  • Use bold and spacing to create hierarchy; avoid underlining, which can look like links.

If your resume only fits by going below 10 pt, you’re usually better off cutting weaker content or allowing a second page instead of shrinking the font.

Fonts to avoid

Some fonts hurt your credibility or readability, even if they look “fun” on your screen.

  • Comic Sans, Papyrus, Brush Script, Mistral, Impact, decorative scripts.
  • Very thin, condensed, or highly stylized fonts that are hard to read at small sizes.
  • Custom or rare fonts that might not be installed on the recruiter’s computer.

These can make your resume look unprofessional or break when opened on another device or scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS).

Matching font to job type

You don’t have to overthink this, but different roles can lean slightly different ways while staying professional.

  • Business, tech, engineering, data roles: Calibri, Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica.
  • Traditional fields (law, academia, government): Cambria, Georgia, Garamond, Times New Roman.
  • Creative and marketing roles: still stick to readable fonts, but Georgia, Garamond, Palatino, Helvetica, or Trebuchet MS add a bit of personality without losing clarity.

A practical example:

  • Software engineer: Calibri 11 pt, bold 14 pt headings.
  • Corporate lawyer: Cambria 11 pt, classic layout, minimal color.

Quick mini‑checklist

Before you send your resume, quickly run through this list.

  1. Is the font one of the standard, ATS‑friendly options (Calibri, Arial, Cambria, Georgia, etc.)?
  2. Is the body text between 10–12 pt and easy to read without zooming in?
  3. Is your name clearly larger and bold, with headings also larger than the body?
  4. Are you using at most one or two fonts, with consistent sizes throughout?
  5. Have you avoided decorative or “playful” fonts like Comic Sans or script fonts?

If you can answer “yes” to these, you’re in the safe zone for what font your resume should be in.