Best fonts to use on your resume

The best fonts to use on your resume are Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, Georgia, and Cambria, set at 10 to 12 point. They are clean, easy to read on screen, and they survive the resume scanners that most Singapore employers run before a human sees your CV.

You spent weeks on your content. Then you picked the font in three seconds because it was already there. That is backwards. The font is the first thing a recruiter's eye and a recruiter's software both judge, often before a single word registers. Pick wrong and a strong resume reads as junior, or worse, gets garbled by the system and rejected without a human ever opening it.

This guide covers the specific fonts that work, the exact sizes to use, which ones are safe for applicant tracking systems, and the fonts to delete from your shortlist today. There is a comparison table you can use as a checklist, and the advice is written for how hiring actually happens here.

What makes a font good for a resume

A resume font has one job: get out of the way so your experience does the talking. Three things decide whether a font does that job.

Readability at small sizes. Your resume is read on a laptop screen, a phone, and sometimes a printout, all at 10 to 12 point. A font that looks elegant at 30 point on a poster can turn into mush at 11 point in a dense bullet list. Test every font at the size you will actually use, not at heading size.

Wide availability. If a font is not installed on the recruiter's computer, their software substitutes a different one, and your careful spacing collapses. Fonts that ship with Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and macOS are the safe bet because they render the same everywhere.

Machine readability. Most mid-size and large employers in Singapore screen resumes through an applicant tracking system, or ATS, before a recruiter reads them. Plain, standard fonts get parsed cleanly. Decorative or condensed fonts confuse the parser, which can scramble your job titles and dates. We cover this in detail in the guide on how to make your resume pass the ATS in Singapore.

The best fonts to use on your resume

Here are the fonts that hit all three marks. You cannot go wrong with any of these. Pick one for the whole document and stick to it.

Calibri. The default font in Microsoft Word since 2007 and the safest modern choice. It is a sans-serif with soft, rounded edges that reads cleanly on screen at 11 point. Because it is everywhere, no system will substitute it. If you want one answer and no further thinking, use Calibri at 11 point. Microsoft publishes the font's history and design notes on its official typography page for Calibri.

Arial. The workhorse sans-serif. Neutral, universally installed, and impossible to get wrong. It runs slightly wider than Calibri, so the same content takes a touch more space. Use it at 10 to 11 point. If you submit through Google Docs, the open equivalent is Arimo, which has the same metrics and is free on Google Fonts.

Helvetica. The font that built modern corporate design. It is the cleanest sans-serif on this list and a favourite in finance, consulting, and design roles. The catch: it ships on macOS but not on every Windows machine, so a Windows recruiter may see Arial instead. That substitution is harmless because Arial is nearly identical, but know it happens.

Georgia. The best serif for a resume. Serifs are the small feet on letters, and they signal a more traditional, considered tone. Georgia was designed specifically for screen reading, so it stays sharp at small sizes where older serifs blur. Good for law, academia, government, and senior roles. Use it at 10 to 11 point.

Cambria. Microsoft's screen-friendly serif and the serif counterpart to Calibri. It ships with Word, so it never gets substituted, and it reads well in dense paragraphs. A solid pick if you want a serif and Georgia feels too soft.

Two more that are perfectly fine: Garamond, a classic serif that fits more text on the page without feeling cramped, useful when you are one line over a clean page break, and Verdana, a sans-serif designed for maximum on-screen legibility, though it runs wide and eats space fast.

Font comparison: what to use and what it signals

Use this as a quick checklist. Match the font to the role and the system you are submitting to.

Serif or sans-serif: does it matter

Both work. Sans-serif fonts like Calibri and Arial read as modern, clean, and tech-forward. Serif fonts like Georgia and Cambria read as established, formal, and traditional. Neither is objectively better, so match the tone to the role.

A safe approach used by many designers: a sans-serif body with serif headings, or the reverse. Mixing two fonts can look sharp, but only if you commit to exactly two and apply them consistently. One font for body text, one for your name and section headers, nothing more. Three or more fonts on a single page looks chaotic and amateur. When in doubt, use one font for the whole document and vary size and bold instead.

The case against Times New Roman

Times New Roman is readable, ATS-safe, and was the default in older versions of Word, which is exactly the problem. To a recruiter who screens dozens of resumes a week, it signals a document that has not been touched in fifteen years. It is not wrong, but it is the visual equivalent of a beige cubicle. Swap it for Calibri or Georgia and your resume instantly looks more current with zero extra effort.

The one exception: if a job posting, scholarship, or government application explicitly requires Times New Roman at 12 point, follow the instruction exactly. Some formal Singapore institutions still specify it. When they do, the rule beats the preference.

Fonts to avoid on your resume

Some fonts will actively hurt you. Cut these from the shortlist.

Comic Sans. Reads as unserious for any professional role. There is no situation where it helps.

Papyrus, Brush Script, and other decorative fonts. Hard to read at small sizes and they confuse ATS parsers. The recruiter's software may turn your name into gibberish.

Condensed or ultra-thin fonts. Squeezing more words in by using a narrow font backfires. It hurts readability and parsing. If your resume does not fit, cut content, do not shrink the font below 10 point or switch to a condensed face.

Anything below 10 point. No matter how good the font, 9 point and smaller strains the eye and looks desperate to fit. A recruiter spends seconds on the first pass. Do not make those seconds harder.

Sizing, spacing, and the details that finish the job

Font choice is half the work. Sizing and spacing do the rest.

Set your body text at 10 to 12 point depending on the font. Calibri and Cambria read well at 11, Arial and Verdana run wider so 10 to 11 is enough, Garamond can go to 12 because it is compact. Your name at the top can sit at 16 to 22 point. Section headers like Experience and Education work at 12 to 14 point, bolded.

Keep line spacing at 1.0 to 1.15 for body text. Tighter than 1.0 cramps the text and hurts both human and machine readability. Leave clear white space between sections. A resume that breathes reads as confident; a wall of text reads as anxious.

Use bold sparingly to mark job titles and company names, and skip underlining entirely, which clutters the page and can break ATS parsing. Stick to black text on a white background. Coloured text is a gamble that rarely pays off and can fail when printed in greyscale.

If you are still building the resume itself, the WSG-run MyCareersFuture portal has practical resume guidance for the local market on its official career resources site, and you can sharpen the underlying skills employers screen for through SkillsFuture Singapore. For a wider view on whether a polished resume is even the right tool for your situation, read our take on a resume versus a portfolio in Singapore.

Frequently asked questions

What is the single best font to use on a resume?

Calibri at 11 point. It is the default in Microsoft Word, installed on virtually every computer, reads cleanly on screen, and parses perfectly through applicant tracking systems. If you want one safe answer and no further decisions, use Calibri and move on to the content, which is what actually gets you the interview.

Are serif or sans-serif fonts better for a resume in Singapore?

Both are fine and the choice depends on the role. Sans-serif fonts like Calibri and Arial read as modern and suit tech, startups, and creative work. Serif fonts like Georgia and Cambria read as formal and suit law, government, finance, and senior positions. Singapore employers accept either, so match the tone to where you are applying.

Does the font really affect whether my resume passes the ATS?

Yes. Decorative, condensed, or uncommon fonts can confuse the parser that reads your resume into the system, which scrambles your job titles, dates, and skills. Standard fonts such as Calibri, Arial, and Georgia parse cleanly. Stick to a common font and the system reads you correctly.

Can I use two different fonts on my resume?

Yes, but cap it at two. Use one font for body text and one for your name and section headers, applied consistently. Three or more fonts on a page looks messy. If you are unsure, use a single font throughout and vary size and bold to create structure.

Fonts are the easy 10 percent of a resume that makes the hard 90 percent look like it was done by someone who cares. Pick Calibri or Georgia, set it at 11 point, give it room to breathe, and you are done. If you want help turning a clean resume into actual interviews and offers, the free six-week FINternship masterclass works with students, NSFs, and fresh grads on exactly this. You can also apply to the programme to get mentored through your first job hunt.