Spotlight for Career Services Professionals

A good resume offers a snapshot of the job seeker’s experience, skills, and abilities. It is organized for easy reading, includes keywords (including some from the job description), contains relevant work experience, and features correct spelling and grammar, all in a succinct package.

However, since presentation is an important part of any resume, what typeface (font) should a student job seeker use? Is Times New Roman, the long-lived standard, outdated?

Recently, career services practitioners shared their thoughts on choosing an appropriate type face in a discussion in the NACE Community. Here’s what they said:

• Times New Roman was the standard on many typewriters, and later, on computers when the word processing software offered a limited number of fonts to choose from. A serif font, it’s thought to be easier to read in printed matter.
• Arial and Calibri offer sans serif (no extra on the edges) relief and are considered up-to-date choices, say some career counselors.
• Personal branding should dictate font choice. The typeface chosen for a resume from an accounting major will be different than one chosen by a film or marketing major.
• The chosen font should be readable and clean, but not necessarily a “pretty” typeface that isn’t widely used.
• One NACE Community member suggested Sans Forgetica, a typeface designed by typographic specialists and psychologists to help people retain what they read. 
• No matter which font is chosen, adds one practitioner, students should stick to one font on their resume.

Which fonts do you suggest students use on their resumes? Join the discussion in the NACE Community.