5 Reasons Why Calibri is the Best Resume Font (2024)

5 Reasons Why Calibri is the Best Resume Font (1)

Do you want to know if there is a recommended font for resumes?

Yes, there is — not just one, but many — a veritable fontroversy!

So what should a job seeker do? How can you decide which font is the best for your resume?

5 Considerations for Resume Fonts

I consider 5 factors when choosing and recommending fonts for resumes:

  1. Microsoft Word: I limit myself to fonts that come with Word because recruiters and hiring managers often ask for .doc files. If you use a non-standard font in a .doc file, it will render oddly on many screens.
  2. Reader Experience: I want an easy-to-read font (more below) so readers will go beyond a 6-second scan.
  3. Mobile-Friendly: The font needs to render well on mobile devices.
  4. Font Size & Word Counts: I want a font that lets me write 600 to 750 words on 2 pages. The ideal word count for most resumes is 600 to 700 (per the research). Calibri delivers better than any other font.
  5. Don’t Overthink It: If people can easily read your resume, you win. They’re more interested in that than the merits of Calibri versus Helvetica or any other font.
Recommended Font for Resumes

When I consider those factors and every MS Word font (I’ve tried them all), there’s only one I recommend for resumes — 11-point Calibri.

Microsoft designed it for computer screens and made it their default Office font. Thus, it’s familiar to your readers and easy on their eyes.

That said, I agree with Calibri’s critics; it’s not a beautiful font. I wish Microsoft would provide a collection of standard fonts purpose-selected for resumes. But until they do, I’ll stick with Calibri because it checks all my other boxes.

Best Font Size for Resumes

Moving on to font size, notice I referred to 11-point Calibri above.

I’ve tried 10-point and 12-point, but 11-point Calibri rocks it for producing a 2-page resume.

I mostly use 15-point Calibri for headings.

I always use 10-point Calibri for company descriptions.

Resumes Written in Calibri

Do you want to see some examples? You can find links to 2 resumes written in Calibri here.

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5 Reasons Why Calibri is the Best Resume Font (2)

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5 Reasons Why Calibri is the Best Resume Font (2024)

FAQs

5 Reasons Why Calibri is the Best Resume Font? ›

Calibri font for a resume

Is Calibri a good font for resume? ›

Here are some of the best fonts to use for your resume. Calibri: The Calibri font has a contemporary style with a modern, clean, and professional appearance. The font is easy to read and aesthetically pleasing.

Why is Calibri the best font? ›

It is readable at both small and large sizes but does lose some sharpness at lower resolutions. Since angular serifs on fonts such as Times New Roman can create reading issues for some users, Calibri is a font of choice for many designers.

What font is best for a resume? ›

Popular professional font choices for resumes include Arial, Cambria, Garamond, and Times New Roman. These typefaces are widely-used and considered appropriate for resume content, as they make information appear organized and concise.

Is Calibri a good font for formal letter? ›

Recommended serif fonts include Cambria, Georgia, and Times New Roman. Sans serif fonts don't have small strokes attached to their letters, giving them a cleaner and more modern style. Some recommended sans serif fonts include Arial, Calibri, and Verdana.

What is Calibri font used for? ›

Calibri is a popular sans-serif font designed by Lucas de Groot and is commonly used for various types of documents, presentations, and designs.

When to use Calibri font? ›

In January 2023, the United States Department of State retired Times New Roman in favor of Calibri for official communications and documents due to superior readability on a computer screen, and accessibility, since its sans-serif nature would cause fewer problems in the usage of text-to-speech and optical character ...

What are the pros and cons of Calibri? ›

Pros: Calibri's sleek design gives documents a contemporary and professional appearance. It's easy to read on both digital displays and in print. Cons: Being the default font for Microsoft Word, Calibri can be perceived as generic or lacking originality.

Is Arial or Calibri better for resume? ›

Top 8 commonly used good resume fonts (green)

This is Arial. Calibri: Microsoft Word's default font, Calibri is a highly readable sans serif font to use for a resume — not as popular as Arial but with few minuses except that its increasing use may not give your resume a distinctive look.

Is Calibri a good font for essays? ›

Don't use Calibri, or any other sans serif font, for your body text, though it is fine for headings. Most people agree that dense chunks of printed text are easier to read if the font is serif, and examiners are likely to expect a typeface that doesn't stray too far from the standard.

What font is used in Harvard resumes? ›

While there's no strict template, here are some formatting tips commonly seen in Harvard-inspired resumes: Consistent Font and Size: Use a professional, easy-to-read font such as Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman.

What is the best font for a resume in 2024? ›

Acceptable resume fonts include Calibri, Cambria, Garamond, Helvetica, Georgia, Tahoma, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, and Book Antiqua. Bad resume fonts include Times New Roman, Courier, Comic Sans, Papyrus, Impact, Futura, Lucida Console, and Arial. The ideal resume font size is between 10 and 12 pt.

What is a better font than Calibri? ›

Seravek and Fort are both sharper than Calibri—Seravek is similarly narrow, while Fort is wider and more open.

What does the Calibri font say about you? ›

'Calibri users value efficiency and trust in the default,' explains Lee. 'They are likely to be less bothered by what others think. 'They may be a little boring, or a bit lazy, or not enjoy expressing themselves as individuals. '

What type of font is Calibri? ›

Calibri is a modern sans serif family with subtle roundings on stems and corners. It features real italics, small caps, and multiple numeral sets.

Is Calibri 11 too small for resume? ›

No, size 11 font is not too small for a resume. In fact, even a size 10 font can be okay. What matters is that it's easy for the hiring manager to read your resume. However, keep in mind that some fonts are slightly smaller than others.

Is Calibri 10 good for resume? ›

Calibri's modern look creates a sleek appearance, making it ideal for job seekers looking to highlight their contemporary skills. Calibri is also lighter than other font options, making it an ideal choice for single-page resumes.

Is Calibri better than Times New Roman? ›

It is a digital-first typeface, as opposed to Times New Roman, which was created in 1931 for print newspapers and then reverse-engineered into a digital font. Calibri also has a larger character set, allowing it to be used for more languages and in more use cases than Times.

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