Best fonts for a resume in 2026

Why font choice matters for ATS

Most large employers in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia route applications through an ATS before a recruiter sees them. The system reads the text layer of your file, not the visual appearance. Decorative or script fonts often embed as outlines rather than readable characters, which means the ATS may extract your name as a string of symbols or skip it entirely.

Stick to fonts that are included in standard operating system installs or the core PDF font set. These are the fonts the ATS renderer is most likely to handle correctly. Anything you download from a third-party site is a risk.

• Calibri: the default Microsoft Office font since 2007, universally supported
• Arial: a clean sans-serif that renders well in every major ATS
• Helvetica: the Mac equivalent of Arial, safe for PDF submissions
• Georgia: a serif option that stays readable at smaller sizes
• Garamond: a compact serif that fits more content without crowding
• Times New Roman: technically safe but considered dated by most recruiters

Fonts to avoid on a resume

Some fonts look impressive in a design tool but cause real problems in hiring pipelines. Script fonts like Brush Script or Lobster are the most common offenders. The ATS either skips them or produces nonsense characters. Novelty display fonts such as Papyrus or Comic Sans signal poor judgment to recruiters who do see them.

Narrow or condensed variants of otherwise safe fonts can also cause issues. A condensed Arial at 10 pt may look fine on screen but become unreadable when printed on a recruiter's desk or displayed on a small laptop screen.

• Script fonts: Brush Script, Pacifico, Lobster, Zapfino
• Display fonts: Papyrus, Comic Sans, Impact, Curlz
• Condensed variants: Arial Narrow below 11 pt, Gill Sans Condensed
• Icon fonts: Font Awesome and similar sets used as decorative elements

Correct font sizes for each resume section

Size hierarchy helps a recruiter scan your resume in the six to ten seconds they typically spend on a first pass. Use one size for your name, a slightly smaller size for section headings, and a consistent body size throughout. Do not mix more than two or three sizes on the page.

These ranges apply to standard US letter, A4, and Canadian letter formats. If you are submitting to a UK or Australian employer who requests a CV rather than a resume, the same size rules apply even if the document is longer.

1. Your name at the top: 18 to 24 pt, bold
2. Contact details directly below your name: 10 to 11 pt, same font
3. Section headings such as Experience or Education: 12 to 14 pt, bold
4. Job titles and employer names: 11 to 12 pt, bold or semi-bold
5. Body text for bullet points and descriptions: 10 to 11 pt, regular weight
6. Optional footer with page number or LinkedIn URL: 9 to 10 pt

Line spacing and margins that help readability

Spacing is as important as font choice. Text that is too dense looks like a wall and slows down a recruiter. Text that is too spread out wastes space and can make a strong candidate look thin on experience.

Set your body line spacing to between 1.15 and 1.3. Single spacing at 1.0 is too tight for most fonts at 10 to 11 pt. Double spacing wastes too much vertical room. Add a small space of 4 to 6 pt after each bullet point and 8 to 12 pt between sections. Keep margins at 0.5 to 1 inch on all sides. Going below 0.5 inches risks content being cut off when the document is printed or converted.

Serif vs sans-serif: which is better for a resume

Neither category is universally better. The right choice depends on your industry and how the resume will be read. Sans-serif fonts like Calibri, Arial, and Helvetica are easier to read on screen, which matters when a recruiter is reviewing applications on a laptop or phone. Serif fonts like Georgia and Garamond are slightly easier to read in print, which matters in industries where physical copies are still common.

Technology, marketing, and startup roles tend to favour sans-serif. Legal, finance, academia, and government roles in the US, UK, and Australia often expect a more traditional serif look. When in doubt, Calibri or Georgia are safe choices for any industry.

How to check your resume before you apply

After you set your font and spacing, run two checks. First, save the file as a PDF and open it on a different device or in a browser tab. Confirm the font has not substituted and the spacing has not shifted. Second, copy all the text from the PDF and paste it into a plain text file. Read through it. If any characters look wrong or sections are out of order, the ATS will likely have the same problem.

Break-In Bad's resume enhancement feature reviews your resume line by line through a short conversation with Omar. She checks that the content is consistent with what you tell her and produces a tailored version for each job you apply to. The process uses credits and takes around 15 minutes, which is faster than reformatting a document manually and then discovering a font issue after you have already applied.