A resume is one of the places where people still tend to use
typeface to express themselves. It does not always go well, according to people
who spend a lot of time looking at fonts.
After asking around we returned with just one consensus winner: Helvetica.
“Helvetica is so no-fuss, it doesn’t really lean in one
direction or another. It feels professional, lighthearted, honest,” says Brian
Hoff, creative director of Brian Hoff Design. “Helvetica is safe."
There are other options that, like Helvetica, are sans-serif,
meaning their letters do not have the tiny "feet" that adorn the "T" in
Times New Roman, for example.
Garamond is legible and easy
for the eye to follow and to see where it should go.
Times New Roman has
the reputation of being staid, it has been a system font for a long time. Using
old faithful might send the wrong sign to your future boss, telegraphing that
you didn’t put any thought into the typeface that you selected.
If you want something intentionally upscale, try Didot. It’s
very tall, it’s a little fancy and it’s a little feminine. It’s a good option
for a fashion job.
It may go without saying, but do not use the
flowery Zapfino type on anything you will show an employer. Do not even use anything that looks like
Zapfino, all the fonts belonging to this family of connected scripts wouldn’t
be right for your resume. They are hard to read, and not designed to express
anything longer than a headline.
Don’t use Courier, you don’t
have a typewriter, so don’t try to pretend that you have a typewriter.
We probably do not even need to
discuss this, but you should never use Comic Sans unless you are designing the
investment issue of a national business magazine. Do not even look at Comic
Sans. It should not be on your resume unless you are applying to clown college.
The other fonts we use from time to time
when preparing resumes for clients are Calibri and Cambria both of which a similar to
Helvetica.
The only other rule to remember when doing
your resume is do not mix fonts and do not through in italics because it can cause formatting problems and affect the
readability and flow of your resume.
If you are now wondering how your resume
looks why not take advantage of our complimentary resume review service and get
some honest feedback.
No comments:
Post a Comment