Resume Fonts and More

Resume Fonts and More
Editor's Note
Choosing a resume font should not be more laborious than it needs to be. The two most important criteria when choosing a font is to choose one that is easy to read and that is professional. Following are some additional factors to consider when choosing what font to use for your resume: What industry are you applying to? Some industries may see originality in a more favourable light. Will you submit your application by email or by mail? If you submit your application by email, make sure to use a font that will be recognized by most word processors. If you want to be safe, PDF your resume. Two safe choices are Times New Roman and Arial. Times New Roman is most often used by people working in non-technical professions, such as law, journalism, education, etc. The Arial font is most often used by people working in technical professions, such as engineering or accounting. Do not worry too much about what font to use. There are other aspects of resume writing that are more important. Further, what matters is not necessarily what font you choose, but how you highlight the various elements of your resume using italics, underline, bold and CAPITAL LETTERS. In terms of what font size to use, we suggest 12pt or 11pt. 10pt is acceptable too, although it could be small for some people, especially if your resume is dense. Keep in mind that you don't have to use the same font size throughout your resume, but that you can play with different sizes for different parts of your resume such as your name, section titles and company information. On a concluding note, do not let aesthetic decisions such as what font to use or font size get in the way of clarity. Your resume is there to present your qualifications in the most convincing way possible. It should be an easy read.

Editor's Note

Choosing a resume font should not be more laborious than it needs to be. The two most important criteria when choosing a font is to choose one that is easy to read and that is professional. Following are some additional factors to consider when choosing what font to use for your resume:

What industry are you applying to? Some industries may see originality in a more favourable light.
Will you submit your application by email or by mail? If you submit your application by email, make sure to use a font that will be recognized by most word processors. If you want to be safe, PDF your resume.

Two safe choices are Times New Roman and Arial. Times New Roman is most often used by people working in non-technical professions, such as law, journalism, education, etc. The Arial font is most often used by people working in technical professions, such as engineering or accounting.

Do not worry too much about what font to use. There are other aspects of resume writing that are more important. Further, what matters is not necessarily what font you choose, but how you highlight the various elements of your resume using italics, underline, bold and CAPITAL LETTERS.

In terms of what font size to use, we suggest 12pt or 11pt. 10pt is acceptable too, although it could be small for some people, especially if your resume is dense. Keep in mind that you don't have to use the same font size throughout your resume, but that you can play with different sizes for different parts of your resume such as your name, section titles and company information.

On a concluding note, do not let aesthetic decisions such as what font to use or font size get in the way of clarity. Your resume is there to present your qualifications in the most convincing way possible. It should be an easy read.