When it comes to résumés, think of font like tone of voice. Your résumé is what speaks for you when a possible employer is sifting through a mountain of candidates. Pick a font that’s too silly or difficult to read, and you’ll be perceived as unprofessional.
Take a look at the nine best and worst fonts to use on your résumé.
The Best
9. Helvetica
Helvetica is one of the most famous and popular typefaces in the world, and for good reason. The font design is simple, professional, and supports the reading process by not straining the eye with complex flourishes. Should you use Helvetica, you’ll be in good company. The typeface is a popular choice for corporate logos including BMW, Target, American Airlines, and Jeep.
8. Times New Roman
Times New Roman is another font that has been widely used for years because of its legibility. The typeface is translated well from book and newspapers to digital environments.
However, there is a spit consensus on whether or not Times New Roman is boring. A font like Times New Roman would be fine for a business job, but if your line of work is design conscious you might want to steer clear of this one. For example, if you’re applying for a job at a graphic design firm, Times New Roman may come across as lazy and unsophisticated.
7. Didot
Didot is a great choice for people wanting to express femininity and sophistication. It’s an intentionally fancy font, so it is only suitable for specific job fields. This typeface would be suitable for a job in fashion, but would be too whimsical for most other careers.
6. Proxima Nova
Proxima Nova is an extremely popular typeface because is solves the few problems associated with Helvetica. It’s similar enough to Helvetica that it still expresses professionalism and honesty, however it’s less stiff than the aforementioned font. It has a slightly rounder appearance, which brings a sense of freshness to a résumé.
5. Garamond
Garamond is a great choice for people who have a lot of information to fit onto one page. The design is small enough to fit a lot of words on a single page, yet doesn’t strain the eye, which can become an issue with other fonts on a text-heavy résumé. The font is easy to read because of the quirks in the design that help show the eye where to move.
The Worst
4. Zapfino
For a wedding invitation you might consider a flowery font like Zapfina, but for anything to do with your job, you should steer clear. Not only is Zapfino, and any other script font, inappropriate for a résumé, but it’s also is very difficult to read. When there are thousands of applicants for one job, the last thing you want to do is make it harder for someone to consider you.
3. Comic Sans
This should go without saying, but you should NEVER use Comic Sans for your résumé. Comic Sans says you are childish, inappropriate, and not serious about the position.
2. Emoji
Yet another thing that has no place on a résumé is an emoji. Yes they’re great when sending a text to your best friend, but a hiring manager is not your best friend. There may be a few jobs where an emoji would be acceptable, but for the vast majority of positions, do yourself a favor, and leave the emojis out of it.
1. Courier
Courier is a caricature of the font world. You aren’t actually using a typewriter, so there’s no reason to use a font that’s pretending to imitate one. Courier is similar to Comic Sans in that it makes you appear unprofessional and and not serious about the opportunity.
Which font do you use for your résumé? Share with us in the comments.
[Featured image credit: www.jobs.aol.com]