I just came across a good explanation of how to choose a serif or sans serif font for your resume. This matters in a world full of font types and font choices.

Serif or Sans Serif Font for Your Resume?

And I thought, “Oh my, this is SO applicable to job search, resumes, and cover letters.” I did. Really. Hence this blog post.

Why was I excited? Because people battle over this serif vs. sans serif question. Plus, I love it when I think, “Oh my.”

Serif vs. Sans Serif Fonts

If you’re wondering what a serif is, check out this infographic for a quick primer on serif and sans serif fonts:

By mostash . From Visually Fonts for Resumes All done with the infographic? Good, now you should understand the distinction between serif and sans serif fonts. Back when people printed and mailed or faxed resumes (yes, that happened), most people used Times New Roman, a serif font. Now job seekers email their resumes and upload them to applicant tracking systems. Thus, recruiters and hiring managers read resumes on computer and mobile screens, not paper. So it’s critically important to choose an easy-to-read font that’s screen-friendly. Use Fonts with Serifs for On-Screen Text As I mentioned above, there’s a massive argument over serif versus sans serif fonts for resumes. I like the infographic because it distinguishes between text in printed works and text read online — or on screens — which is where most people read resumes. Google, a company with a vast, expert user experience team, picked a sans serif font for its logo. Google’s logo is mostly seen on screens. That’s all I need to know. It’s sans serif typefaces for the resumes I write! Use Calibri Font for Resumes In particular, I like Calibri, a sans serif font, for resumes. While there are many choices, I’ve haven’t found another sans serif font that offers better readability and scale for a 700 to 800-word, two-page resume than Calibri does. Thus, it’s my favorite, default font choice. I’ve tested it in 10, 11, and 12 points. My favorite resume font size for resume body text is 11-point. I use 10-point to describe companies and 15-point for people’s names. Most people easily read those sizes. I would, of course, love to hear about your resume font preferences in the comments below. You Might Also Like Your Resume & The Psychology of Fonts — Infographic Updated June 2019

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