Choosing the right font size and font style for your resume plays a major role in how recruiters perceive you. Even with strong experience, a poorly formatted resume can look unprofessional or become unreadable by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). If you’re still unsure about the overall structure, this complete guide on how to format a resume correctly walks you through layout, spacing and design fundamentals.
This guide covers the best resume fonts, the ideal font sizes, spacing rules, what to avoid, and examples you can copy. For a broader breakdown of resume design rules, you can also review our resume format guide.
Why Resume Font Size & Style Matter
Your resume is usually scanned in less than 7 seconds, either by a recruiter or an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). In that short time, typography plays a critical role in readability and parsing accuracy. In fact, resumes that ignore ATS optimization best practices often fail before a human ever sees them.
The right font size and style determine:
- Readability – whether your text is easy on the eyes
- Professional appearance – clean fonts signal credibility
- ATS compatibility – simple fonts improve parsing accuracy
- Visual hierarchy – typography guides the reader’s eye
- First impression – poor typography weakens even strong experience
Using decorative fonts or shrinking text to fit more content is one of the most common resume mistakes that cost interviews.
Best Font Size for a Resume (2025 Standards)
Choosing the correct resume font size ensures balance, clarity, and professionalism. These standards align with modern resume margins and spacing rules used by recruiters in 2025.
Body Text
10–12 pt
This range provides the highest readability on both digital screens and printed copies. It’s also the size most hiring managers expect.
Section Headings
14–16 pt
Section titles should stand out clearly from the body text without looking oversized or distracting. Larger headers improve visual navigation and make your resume easier to skim.
Applicant Name (Header)
18–24 pt
Your name should be the most prominent text on the page. It acts as your personal brand marker, so slightly larger text is appropriate and expected.
Subheadings (Job Titles, Company Names)
12–14 pt
These serve as secondary elements and should be more visible than body text but smaller than section headings.
Font Size Mistakes to Avoid
- Body text smaller than 10 pt (too difficult to read)
- Unbalanced or inconsistent header sizes
- Oversized text that makes your resume look unprofessional or like filler
- Using more than 2–3 font sizes in total
Using proper sizing creates a resume that looks structured, modern, and hiring-manager-friendly.
Best Font Styles for Resumes (ATS-Friendly Options)
Not all fonts are ATS-safe. Recruiters consistently favor fonts that are widely supported and easy to parse, especially when using reverse-chronological resume formats.
Below are the best resume font styles recommended by HR professionals, recruiters, and major ATS providers.
Top Sans-Serif Resume Fonts
Clean, modern, and ideal for digital resumes.
- Arial
- Helvetica
- Calibri
- Inter
- Verdana
Sans-serif fonts are excellent for readability on screens and provide a sleek, contemporary look.
Top Serif Resume Fonts
Professional and great for formal applications.
- Cambria
- Georgia
- Times New Roman (traditional but still acceptable)
Serif fonts are often preferred for roles in academia, law, government, and executive-level positions.
These fonts work well because they balance professionalism with high readability — two things ATS scoring algorithms prioritize.
If you’re switching industries, pairing clean typography with a strategic layout — like a career change resume format — helps maintain clarity and credibility.
Fonts You Should Avoid on a Resume
Some fonts may appear stylish or expressive, but they hurt clarity and reduce your chances of passing ATS scans. Avoid these at all costs:
- Comic Sans – looks childish and unprofessional
- Courier New – outdated typewriter vibe
- Papyrus / Script / Bradley Hand – decorative and hard to read
- Cursive or handwritten fonts – ATS cannot interpret them
- Any font with heavy styling, shadows, or extreme thickness
These fonts often fail ATS scans and reduce professionalism — especially compared to resumes built using ATS-friendly resume templates.
Best Resume Font Combinations (Safe & Professional)
If your resume uses more than one font, choosing combinations that complement each other is essential. Here are some SparkCV-approved pairings used by modern resume templates:
Combination 1 — Modern & Clean
- Name/Header: Helvetica Bold, 20 pt
- Body: Helvetica Regular, 11 pt
Combination 2 — ATS-Optimized
- Headings: Calibri SemiBold, 15 pt
- Body: Calibri Regular, 11 pt
Combination 3 — Elegant & Traditional
- Headings: Georgia Bold, 16 pt
- Body: Georgia Regular, 11 pt
Combination 4 — Ideal for Tech/Startup Roles
- Headings: Inter Bold, 16 pt
- Body: Inter Regular, 11 pt
These combinations blend readability, professionalism, and modern design.
Line Spacing & Margins (Often Overlooked but Crucial)
Even the most carefully chosen fonts and sizes won’t look good without proper spacing.
Recommended Line Spacing
1.0–1.15
This range keeps your resume easy to read without leaving awkward gaps.
Spacing Between Sections
6–12 px
Adding space differentiates sections and improves visual flow.
Standard Resume Margins
- 1 inch (ideal)
- 0.5 inch (minimum) if you need extra space
Proper spacing prevents text from feeling cramped, which significantly improves readability and keeps your resume looking clean and organized.
These principles align with modern resume layout best practices used by hiring teams.
Example: Perfect Typography Setup for a Resume
Here’s a ready-to-use typography system that works for almost any profession:
- Name: Inter Bold, 22 pt
- Section Headings: Inter SemiBold, 15 pt
- Body Text: Inter Regular, 11 pt
- Line Spacing: 1.15
- Margins: 1 inch
This setup is fully ATS-friendly, easy to read, and visually modern — ideal for 2025 job applications.
Common Font Mistakes to Avoid
Many job seekers underestimate how much typography influences readability and overall professionalism. Even small font errors can make your resume look cluttered, amateurish, or difficult for ATS to read. Here are the most common mistakes to avoid — and why they matter:
Using more than 1–2 fonts: Mixing several typefaces makes your resume visually inconsistent and harder to scan. Stick to a single font family or a clean, compatible pair.
- Using ALL CAPS for entire sections: All caps reduce readability and appear overly aggressive. Use them sparingly — for small labels only, never full paragraphs.
- Excessive bold, italics, and underlines: Over-formatting makes your text look busy and distracts the reader from key information. Reserve bold text for job titles or section headers only.
- Bright or distracting font colors: Neon or unconventional colors hurt readability and look unprofessional. Black or dark gray is the safest choice.
- Shrinking text to squeeze in more content: Tiny text is hard to read on both screens and printed pages. If you’re running out of space, edit your content — don’t reduce the font size.
- Overusing serif fonts for junior or creative roles: Serif fonts can appear formal or academic. For entry-level, marketing, or tech positions, clean sans-serif fonts typically perform better.
Remember: Your typography should support your message — not compete with it.
The Best Resume Font Style for ATS Systems
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) rely on predictable letter shapes, standard spacing, and clean digital rendering. When you choose the right font, you ensure the ATS reads your resume correctly — increasing your chances of landing an interview.
ATS-friendly fonts share these characteristics:
- Standard and widely available on all devices
- Simple and easy-to-render letterforms
- No decorative elements or irregular spacing
- High clarity at smaller sizes (10–12 pt)
Best ATS-Compatible Resume Fonts:
- Arial — clean, modern, and highly readable
- Calibri — Microsoft default, designed for screens
- Helvetica — premium clarity (especially for design/tech roles)
- Cambria — professional serif font optimized for digital text
- Georgia — elegant but still ATS-safe
- Times New Roman — traditional but acceptable
- Inter — modern web-safe font used by startups and tech companies
Fonts to Avoid for ATS:
- Decorative scripts
- Handwriting styles
- Slanted or ultra-light fonts
- Compressed or stylized display fonts
ATS may misinterpret these, causing broken text, missing characters, or unreadable job titles.
Final Answer: Best Font Size and Font Style for Resume
Here’s a quick, clear summary of the best practices when formatting your resume typography:
Best Resume Font Styles (Professional & ATS-Friendly)
- Arial
- Calibri
- Helvetica
- Cambria
- Inter
- Georgia
Best Resume Font Sizes
- Body Text: 10–12 pt
- Section Headings: 14–16 pt
- Name (Header): 18–24 pt
- Subheadings: 12–14 pt
Essential Rules to Follow
- Keep fonts simple, modern, and easy to read
- Avoid decorative, script, or cursive fonts
- Stick to a single font family for a unified look
- Use consistent formatting across all sections
- Ensure spacing and margins enhance readability
- Always format for ATS compatibility
Pair clean typography with a proven structure like the chronological vs functional resume format comparison to maximize recruiter engagement.
Format Your Resume Instantly With SparkCV
If you don’t want to worry about choosing fonts, matching sizes, or adjusting spacing manually, SparkCV can do everything for you.
With SparkCV, you can:
- Use professionally pre-formatted, ATS-approved resume templates
- Choose clean, recruiter-preferred font styles
- Ensure flawless spacing, margins, and layout
- Export instantly to PDF or DOCX
- Generate resume content automatically with AI
- Create matching, professionally designed cover letters
You can also explore resume examples by job title to see how typography and formatting work in real-world resumes.
