Sending a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 to a potential employer can be nerve-wracking.<\/p>\n
You might overthink the entire process, anxiously wondering whether or not you\u2019ve included all the information that\u2019ll let them know you\u2019re the best choice for the job.<\/p>\n
But what if you\u2019ve been missing something major all along \u2013 something that has nothing to do with your work experience or the content on your r\u00e9sum\u00e9?<\/p>\n
What I\u2019m talking about is font choice. That\u2019s right \u2013 the carefully selected words you\u2019ve included in your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 may not matter one bit if the aesthetic choice you\u2019ve made to present those words is a bad one.<\/p>\n
So, let\u2019s talk about why font choice matters and which fonts you should (and shouldn\u2019t) use on your r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/p>\n
The way your font looks can determine whether or not your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is actually legible.<\/p>\n
Since advancements in technology have changed the way we read most documents, you can be pretty sure whoever\u2019s looking at your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is using a screen on a phone, tablet, or monitor. Even if you do send in a paper r\u00e9sum\u00e9, it may be processed through a digital scanner and be read later on some sort of device.<\/p>\n
This is what makes your choice of font so important. Evidence from laboratory experiments<\/a> has shown that when people read on modern screens, they\u2019re more likely to have slightly lower reading comprehension.<\/p>\n Which means that, if your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is already hard to read because of poor font choice, it\u2019s going to the bottom of the pile.<\/p>\n So, which typeface is best? Your choice lies between the serif fonts and the sans-serif fonts.<\/p>\n Serif fonts are said to aid the horizontal movement of the eye<\/a>, helping us move from one word to the next with ease. But, because of the low resolution of early screens<\/a> and on some mobile devices today, the more detailed serif characters are often \u201ccrowded\u201d and harder to read.<\/p>\n The sans-serif fonts are so-called because they\u2019re literally without serifs, the little \u201cfeet\u201d the letters in serif fonts seem to stand on. And while readers once preferred serif typefaces (which are still found in nearly all books, magazines, and newspapers these days), sans-serif typefaces are much more common today. Especially on screens.<\/p>\n Does that mean you should never use serif fonts? Which sans-serif fonts are the best for a r\u00e9sum\u00e9? And which fonts should you never, ever use?<\/p>\n You\u2019re about to find out.<\/p>\n This font is one of the more straightforwardly designed sans-serif typefaces out there. Using Helvetica, you can be fairly confident no one is going to be raising their eyebrows (or squinting) at your selection, and they\u2019ll be able to better focus on the content of your r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/p>\nThe Best<\/h2>\n
1. Helvetica<\/h3>\n