Whether lawyer, photographer or educator: every résumé needs the right font. It is not uncommon for applicants to worry about this before they even write the first line of their CV. It doesn’t have to be!
When choosing from all of the fonts, the requirements of the job you are applying for are supreme. What is expected of your Theoretical knowledge or more tangible, practical skills? Or are creativity and imagination essential for the job?
With or without serifs, in large or small letters, in colour or not – resume coach will tell you which font on your résumé will give you plus points with HR professionals even before they have read it.
Align the font on the resume with the job
Let’s clear up a myth right away: There is no one-size-fits-all font that a doctor, a mechanical engineer and a commercial artist can safely use for their CV. The position you apply for is crucial in determining which font goes with your resume.
With serifs: classic and intellectual font for the résumé
You have probably heard of serifs either in your daily work with various word processing programs or at the latest when creating your résumé. But what is behind this mysterious term?
Serifs are short, fine lines that close the letters at the end and run across the lines to be closed. Probably the best-known font with serifs is Times New Roman – the absolute classic among Microsoft fonts, which is still used today for resumes and cover letters.
But this is precisely where the mistake often lies: especially for jobs that attract many competitors, it is usually helpful to use other serif fonts. This is how your CV stands out from the crowd and attracts the attention of the HR manager. Good alternatives are, for example, Baskerville Old Face, Book Antiqua, Cambria, Garamond or Georgia.
Letters with serifs are reminiscent of elegant handwriting. They give the impression that the text was written by an educated, reflective and balanced person. Therefore, fonts with serifs are recommended for the résumés of all professions.
Without a serif: practical and functional
For fonts without serifs, the fine lines at the ends of the respective letters are missing. They are usually slightly larger than the serif fonts but appear slimmer. The spaces between the letters also appear larger.
The most popular non-serif font is Arial. Similar to Times New Roman, however, it has long outlived itself. If you want to design your CV in a serif font and at the same time original, you can use Calibri, Helvetica, Lucida Sans, Microsoft Sans or Tahoma.
Such fonts look technical, sober and direct. The one who uses them appears pragmatic and competent to the reader. They are therefore ideally suited for technical professions such as engineers , mechanics and laboratory technicians .
Something different: Font in the CV for creative minds
For jobs that require creativity and unconventional thinking, an ordinary font is often not enough – regardless of whether it is serif or not. Think about doing without the standard fonts of word processing programs and start looking for new solutions! The internet has tons of fancy fonts, many of which you can download for free.
But there is one thing you must not forget: readability must always be the main focus. Even the most beautiful and original font on the resume won’t help you if the recruiter can’t decipher it at first glance. It doesn’t matter how well qualified you are and how much experience you have, no one will bother to read it from an overly squiggly or deformed font.
Don’t forget to format
The right font alone is not enough for a successful application. There are several factors that determine whether or not your résumé will immediately be noticed positively by the recruiter.
Size matters!
A resume must be easy to read. However, that does not mean that a sentence has to take up half the page! The optimal font size for the body text is size 11, for smaller fonts it can be size 12. Headings can be one or two sizes larger than the body text. However, this is not a must if they stand out from the text in some other way (for example, with bold text and/or small caps).
If you use a cover sheet for your CV, you are welcome to use larger letters on it, as small ones would get lost too much. Make sure your name stands out. For example, if you put your contact details on the cover page in font size 18, your name should be in size 24 above.
Remember that too small or too large a font size in the body text is not only difficult to read, but conclusions can also be drawn. Letters that are too small suggest that you are unable to shorten your résumé to the required two pages. A font that is too large, on the other hand, gives the impression that you are trying to cover up a lack of experience by dragging on space.
The line spacing is also important. Resumes without line spacing appear exaggeratedly compressed, similar to font sizes that are too small. However, line spacing that is too large gives rise to the suspicion that the applicant is trying to artificially fill the spaces in his CV. The best choice is a line spacing of 1.15 for smaller fonts or 1.5 for larger fonts.
Colorful bird? No thanks!
Experimentation with colour is absolutely undesirable on résumés regardless of font. The only font colour you are on the safe side with is black. If you really want to add some colour to your CV, it is better to do it in the design, for example on the cover sheet or with a uniform frame on all pages of the CV.
Even in creative professions, it is risky to want to stand out with colorful fonts. Remember that the readability of your CV must be paramount, and this is not infrequently affected by the wrong color choice. Especially when you apply online, you cannot foresee which screen settings the HR manager will use and how the font colors you have carefully selected will actually be displayed.
Before you browse through all the fonts on your computer, we’ll tell you how to write a perfect CV and create a convincing cover letter.
Once your resume has been topped off with the correct font, you are ready to check out Monster for your dream job.
Top 10 list of fonts
As already mentioned, it is of course particularly important that the reader can grasp the content of your resume well and quickly. According to an international survey, recruiters only take an average of 31 seconds for initial screening in order to then decide whether you are suitable for the position to be filled.
It is therefore important that the font you choose is easy to read – even in small formats, such as on a smartphone! But of course, the personal touch shouldn’t be neglected. These “resume” -friendly fonts, which are also popular with recruiters, still give you enough leeway for your personal touch.
Here are the top 10 recruiters:
1. Calibri
Soft, subtle and modern – Calibri is the font that is often pre-saved in e-mail programs, meaning that the eye is well used to it and a safe choice.
2. Times New Roman
Very suitable for more conservative jobs! It is also easy to read electronically and is characterized by its conventional character.
3. Arial
The classic – the “sans serif” font is a good choice, also for creative minds, for example in marketing.
4. Verdana
Like Arial, Verdana is a modern and popular font that is almost easier to read due to the slightly increased spacing.
5. Cambria
Also, an often seen “standard” font that recruiters already know well and are used. You don’t do anything wrong with that!
6. Garamond
Garamond comes across as a bit more “graceful” and fits very well with creative applicants – better than with bankers and executives.
7. Book Antiqua
As the name suggests, Book Antiqua is best suited to applicants in the arts and humanities.
8. Trebuchet MS
Friendly, round and positive – also a good choice for candidates applying in the fields of marketing or creative industries.
9. Arial Narrow
Do you have a problem with space? Then offer this narrower form by Arial, because it is modern and still easy to read.
10. Didot
The font has style and is still easy to read. Probably the most artistic in the top 10, but still professional.
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