How to Choose the Best Font for Your Resume (Style & Size)

There's no universally best resume font, so how do you choose the right one for yours? Good resume fonts are clean and simple and, most importantly, keep the focus on your qualifications. We'll show you how to choose the best font for resumes and impress employers with your style.

The font on your resume might seem like a minor detail, but don't overlook it. The right resume font can present you as a polished, professional candidate who's worthy of a closer look. If you want help making your resume perfect, try using resume AI tools that help optimize formatting and fonts automatically.

But what's the best font for a resume? We'll show you the top options with tips for choosing the best font for your resume that makes you stand out for all the right reasons.

What's the best font for a resume?

There's no single best resume font, but here are some good options that are worth checking out:

• Arial
• Calibri
• Cambria
• Garamond
• Georgia
• Helvetica
• IBM Plex Sans
• Lato
• Open Sans
• Roboto
• Source Sans Pro
• Times New Roman
• Trebuchet MS
• Ubuntu
• Verdana

The best resume fonts are clean, easy to read, and professional. They keep a hiring manager's focus on the content of your resume—not on an unusual or distracting font choice.

A good resume font should also be readable for applicant tracking system (ATS) software, which many employers use to scan and rank resumes. This will help ensure that your resume makes it past the software and into the hands of a real person.

Font choice is equally important for cover letters. If you're also working on your cover letter, use our cover letter builder with matching professional fonts.

Should you use a serif or sans serif resume font?

A common question is whether to use a serif or sans serif font for a resume. Here's a quick comparison of these two styles:

• Serif: These fonts have decorative strokes, known as serifs, added to their letters. Serif fonts, such as Times New Roman, usually have a classic, traditional feel.
• Sans serif: In comparison, these fonts have clean lines with no serifs or artistic flourishes. Some experts say sans serif fonts, like Arial, are more readable on computer screens.

While sans serif fonts may look slightly cleaner, you can use either type of font for your resume as long as it's simple and easy to read. If you're unsure, print out a copy of your resume to check the font readability.

Top 15 best fonts for a resume

Not sure which font you want to use for your resume? Here's a comparison of the best fonts for resumes, including their pros and cons:

1. Arial

Arial is a modern sans serif font with clean lines and good legibility. It's a safe choice if you want something straightforward and easy to scan. However, it is a fairly common font, so it may not help you stand out from the crowd.

2. Calibri

Long the default typeface for Microsoft Word, Calibri is a highly readable sans serif font with a modern, crisp look. Like Arial, though, it's also a common font that may not give your resume a very distinctive look.

3. Cambria

Cambria is a serif font that balances traditional and modern. It also looks great in smaller sizes. It's slightly more formal than some other fonts on this list, so it may look out of place on resumes for creative industries.

4. Garamond

This classic serif font has roots dating back hundreds of years. Garamond looks distinctive and interesting without being over the top, making it a popular font for print. However, it can be slightly harder to read on a screen.

5. Georgia

Known as an alternative to Times New Roman, Georgia is an attractive serif font. Like Cambria, it reads well in smaller sizes. That said, many people tend to use this font, so it may feel more generic than others.

6. Helvetica

Helvetica is a classic, widely used sans serif typeface. This font is so popular that it's even the focus of a documentary with the same name. Then again, it may be too popular, especially if you're looking to distinguish yourself.

7. IBM Plex Sans

This font has a sleek, professional feel. But even with its clean lines, it has enough personality to set your resume apart. It's a newer font, so it may feel less established than other ones on this list.

8. Lato

Lato is a contemporary sans serif font with a warm, friendly feel. It's less common than some longtime favorites, like Arial and Times New Roman, making it a more distinctive choice. However, it's not a standard typeface across all software, so it may cause formatting issues.

9. Open Sans

The Open Sans font is clean, neutral, and modern. It's also easy to read in all sizes. This sans serif font is perfect for tech and information technology (IT) fields, but may feel too modern for more traditional industries.

10. Roboto

Roboto is another common tech industry font that's popular for digital applications. It's readable and modern, and comes in both serif and sans serif versions. This font could be a good choice to help your resume stand out. But like other tech fonts, it may be too cutting-edge for conservative fields.

11. Source Sans Pro

Source Sans Pro is a clean, readable, and professional sans serif font. It's a fresh typeface that can catch an employer's eye among piles of resumes in Arial or Helvetica. But it may not align as well with the tone of traditional industries or employers.

12. Times New Roman

Before Calibri, Times New Roman was the default typeface for Microsoft Office. It's a classic, old-school serif font that's still appropriate for traditional employers. However, some may find this font to be less legible on digital screens, and perhaps a bit outdated, overused, or even boring.

13. Trebuchet MS

Trebuchet MS is an elegant sans serif font. It's designed to look good and read well on computer screens, making it a good choice for resumes. Though some people may find its narrow letters harder to read.

14. Ubuntu

Modern yet professional, Ubuntu is a sans serif font with rounded edges that was designed for readability on digital screens of all sizes. It looks sharp without being overpowering. However, it may not be installed on all systems, which could cause compatibility issues.

15. Verdana

This popular sans serif font is easy to read, even in small font sizes, thanks to its open letterforms and wide spacing. But some say that it looks too similar to Arial or Helvetica to stand out.

Tips for choosing the best font for a resume

When in doubt about the best resume font to choose, ask yourself these questions:

• Is it clean and legible? The resume font you use should be easy on the eyes. If it looks crowded or cluttered, especially in bullet points, it may be too hard to read.
• Does it look good in print and on screens? It's rare to apply with a paper version of your resume anymore, but you may want to bring copies to an interview or a networking event. Make sure your resume font looks as good on paper as it does on a screen.
• Is it appropriate for your industry and profession? Different fonts work best for different industries. Clean, contemporary fonts, like Roboto and Open Sans, work well for technology companies and startups. If you're applying to more traditional businesses, consider using a conventional, widely accepted font, like Arial, Calibri, or Georgia.

What resume fonts to avoid

Not every font belongs on a resume. Unusual or overly decorative fonts can distract a hiring manager's attention from the actual content on your resume. You should also avoid using cursive typefaces or fonts with all capital letters, since these are usually hard to read.

In general, skip these fonts when creating your resume:

• Bradley Hand
• Brush Script
• Century Gothic
• Comic Sans
• Courier
• Curlz MT
• Impact
• Mistral
• Papyrus
• Trajan

Get more tips in our guide on how to make an ATS-friendly resume and resume mistakes that get you rejected.

How to choose the best resume font size

Once you have a font style in mind, you also need to consider the size. In most cases, the best font size for a resume is between 10 and 12 points.

It might be tempting to choose a smaller size if you want to fit your resume onto one page. However, hiring managers only spend a few seconds when first reviewing a resume. If they have to squint or use glasses to decipher yours, they may just ignore it. See our resume length guide for 2026 for one-page discipline without shrinking text.

For section headings, you can use a slightly larger font size (between 14 and 16 points). This helps to guide the reader through different parts of your resume, especially if they're scanning it quickly. At the top of your resume, your name should also be in a larger font size, so that recruiters immediately know who you are. Our resume header guide covers name sizing and contact layout.

Why choosing the right resume font is important

It might seem silly to spend time picking the best font for your resume, but this small detail can have a big impact. Before a hiring manager reads a single word of your resume, they'll begin to form an impression of you based on its format and design, including the font style and size.

A stylish, clean, and legible font instantly conveys professionalism. It shows a hiring manager that you care about the small details and take pride in delivering quality work. Additionally, the right font makes it easy for your resume to read, so the recruiter can focus on what matters most: your qualifications.