Fonts for resumes

A resume is skimmed in seconds by a human and often parsed first by software, so legibility and cleanliness beat personality every time. Choose a body face with a tall x-height and unambiguous figures, because dates, phone numbers and metrics must read correctly at 10 or 11 point on paper and on screen. The heading face can add a touch of character to your name and section labels, but keep the contrast gentle — a resume that looks designed but not decorated signals care without distraction. Favor families with several weights so you can build clear hierarchy (name, section, role, detail) without switching fonts or resorting to underlines. Steer clear of thin weights and tight tracking that vanish when printed, and avoid anything a strict applicant-tracking system might mangle; a sturdy, well-spaced pairing survives both the recruiter and the robot.