The font you choose for your CV affects more than its visual appearance — it affects readability, professionalism, and whether your document passes ATS screening correctly. A poorly chosen font can make a strong CV harder to read, signal a lack of professional judgment, or — in the worst cases — cause character encoding errors that damage ATS parsing.
This guide covers the best fonts for a CV in 2026 — which fonts to use, which to avoid, the correct sizes for every section, and how font choice interacts with ATS compatibility. Once you have the typography right, build your complete CV using our free CV builder with professionally typeset templates.
Why Font Choice Matters for Your CV
Readability
Recruiters spend an average of seven seconds on an initial CV scan. A font that is difficult to read — too decorative, too small, or too condensed — creates friction that costs you precious seconds of attention. Clean, readable fonts remove barriers between your content and the recruiter's comprehension.
Professionalism
Font choice signals judgment. A recruiter who sees Comic Sans, Papyrus, or an overly decorative script font on a CV immediately forms a negative impression before reading a word. Standard professional fonts signal that you understand the conventions of the industry you are applying to.
ATS Compatibility
Non-standard fonts — particularly decorative or handwriting-style fonts — can cause character encoding errors when ATS systems parse your CV. The system may misread individual characters, merge words incorrectly, or fail to recognise keywords because the characters have encoded incorrectly. Read our ATS screening guide for more.
The Best Fonts for a CV in 2026
Top Recommended Fonts — Professional and ATS-Safe
Calibri — Most Widely Used
The default font for Microsoft Word since 2007 — and for good reason. Calibri is clean, modern, highly readable at small sizes, and universally compatible with ATS systems. It is the safe choice for any industry and any level. Slightly rounded letter forms give it a modern feel without sacrificing professionalism.
Best for: All industries — technology, finance, marketing, corporate, government
Body text size: 10 to 11pt
Heading size: 13 to 14pt
Arial — Classic and Reliable
Arial is one of the most widely recognised sans-serif fonts in the world. Clean, professional, highly legible, and universally ATS-compatible. The slightly wider letter spacing compared to Calibri makes it particularly readable at smaller sizes.
Best for: Corporate, finance, legal, government, engineering
Body text size: 10 to 11pt
Heading size: 12 to 14pt
Roboto — Modern and Clean
Google's signature font — designed specifically for digital readability. Roboto has a clean, geometric structure that looks particularly strong on screen and prints well at small sizes. Increasingly popular for technology and digital-sector CVs.
Best for: Technology, digital, startups, product management
Body text size: 10 to 11pt
Heading size: 12 to 14pt
Georgia — Professional Serif
Georgia is a serif font — meaning it has small decorative strokes at the ends of letters — that was designed specifically for screen readability. It gives CVs a slightly more formal, traditional feel compared to sans-serif options. Well-suited to legal, academic, financial services, and conservative industries.
Best for: Legal, academic, finance, publishing, executive roles
Body text size: 10 to 11pt
Heading size: 12 to 14pt
Times New Roman — Traditional and Formal
The most recognised serif font in professional documents. While slightly dated in modern corporate contexts — it is still widely used and fully ATS-compatible. Best suited to very formal applications — legal, academic, and government — where traditional presentation is expected.
Best for: Legal, academic, government, formal sector
Body text size: 10 to 12pt
Heading size: 13 to 14pt
Lato — Contemporary and Versatile
A modern sans-serif with a clean, open structure that reads well at all sizes. Lato is a Google Font — freely available and increasingly used in professional CV templates. Its slightly warmer feel compared to Arial makes it a good choice for creative and technology roles without sacrificing professionalism.
Best for: Marketing, creative, technology, consulting
Body text size: 10 to 11pt
Heading size: 12 to 14pt
Garamond — Elegant and Distinctive
A classic serif font with elegant proportions — Garamond gives CVs a distinctive, refined appearance. Best suited to senior, executive, and creative applications where a more distinguished typographic choice signals confidence and sophistication.
Best for: Executive, senior management, legal, creative
Body text size: 11 to 12pt (Garamond reads smaller than other fonts at the same size)
Heading size: 13 to 15pt
Fonts to Avoid on Your CV
Comic Sans — informal and universally associated with unprofessional documents
Papyrus — decorative and distracting — signals poor design judgment
Courier New — typewriter-style font — dated and difficult to read in large blocks
Impact — designed for headlines — not readable at body text sizes
Script or handwriting fonts — any cursive or handwriting-style font — completely inappropriate for professional documents and often ATS-incompatible
Highly condensed fonts — overly narrow letter spacing reduces readability at small sizes
Decorative display fonts — any font designed for headings, logos, or decorative use rather than body text
CV Font Size Guide
| CV Element | Recommended Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Your name — header | 18 to 24pt | Bold — prominent at top of CV |
| Professional title | 12 to 14pt | Below name — regular or light weight |
| Section headings | 12 to 14pt | Bold — clearly distinguishable from body |
| Job titles | 11 to 12pt | Bold or semi-bold |
| Body text — bullet points | 10 to 11pt | Regular weight — most readable range |
| Contact details | 10 to 11pt | Regular — same as body |
| Dates and locations | 10 to 11pt | Regular or italic |
Font Weight — Bold, Regular, and Italic
Using font weight strategically creates visual hierarchy on your CV — helping recruiters navigate the document quickly and find the information they need.
✓ Correct Use of Font Weight
- Bold: Your name, section headings, job titles — the most important navigational elements
- Regular: Body text, contact details, bullet points, dates
- Italic: Company names, degree titles, or brief annotations — used sparingly
- Consistent application throughout — the same element always the same weight
✗ Incorrect Use of Font Weight
- Bold used throughout body text — loses all emphasis value
- Mixing bold and regular within the same element — inconsistent
- Italic used for entire sections — reduces readability
- Underline — reserved for hyperlinks — using for headings creates confusion
Line Spacing and Margins
Font choice alone does not determine readability — spacing plays an equally important role. A well-chosen font set at poor spacing is harder to read than a basic font with excellent spacing.
Line spacing:
- Body text: 1.15 to 1.5 line spacing — single spacing (1.0) is too cramped for comfortable reading
- Between sections: One blank line — consistent throughout
- Between bullet points: 2 to 4pt spacing after each bullet
Margins:
- Standard: 2cm to 2.5cm on all sides
- Minimum: 1.5cm — do not go smaller to fit more content
- Consistent margins on all sides — mismatched margins signal poor editing
Font Choice by Industry
| Industry | Recommended Fonts | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Technology and IT | Roboto, Lato, Calibri | Modern, clean, digital-native feel |
| Finance and Banking | Arial, Georgia, Calibri | Professional, traditional, trustworthy |
| Marketing and Creative | Lato, Roboto, Calibri | Contemporary without being distracting |
| Legal and Government | Times New Roman, Georgia, Arial | Formal, traditional, conservative |
| Healthcare and Medical | Arial, Calibri, Georgia | Clean, readable, professional |
| Academic and Research | Times New Roman, Garamond, Georgia | Traditional academic convention |
| Engineering and Manufacturing | Arial, Calibri, Roboto | Clear, technical, precise |
| NGO and Development Sector | Calibri, Arial, Lato | Professional and approachable |
One Font vs Two Fonts
The most common typographic approach for CVs — and the safest — is to use a single font throughout the document, varying only the weight and size to create hierarchy. This is clean, consistent, and completely ATS-safe.
Some CV designers use two complementary fonts — one for headings and one for body text. This can look professional when done well — but adds complexity and risk. If you use two fonts:
- Use one serif and one sans-serif — they complement each other naturally
- Keep the pairing simple — heading font for your name and section headings only, body font for everything else
- Ensure both fonts are standard and ATS-compatible
- Be consistent — the same font always in the same role throughout the document
Georgia (headings) + Calibri (body)
Garamond (headings) + Arial (body)
Times New Roman (headings) + Roboto (body)
If in doubt — one font, varied weights. Always cleaner than a poorly executed two-font combination.
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For more on CV formatting, read our guides on how to structure a CV, ATS compatibility, and CV length.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best font for a CV?
Calibri, Arial, and Roboto are the best choices for most CVs in 2026 — clean, professional, highly readable, and fully ATS-compatible. For more formal or traditional industries — Georgia or Times New Roman are appropriate. The most important qualities in a CV font are readability, professionalism, and ATS compatibility. Avoid decorative, script, or display fonts entirely.
What font size should I use for my CV?
Body text should be 10 to 11pt — never below 10pt. Section headings 12 to 14pt bold. Job titles 11 to 12pt bold. Your name in the header 18 to 24pt bold. Using font size strategically creates visual hierarchy that helps recruiters navigate your CV quickly. Never reduce font size below 10pt to fit more content — the right length is always better than cramped text.
Is Calibri a good font for a CV?
Yes — Calibri is one of the best choices for a CV. It is clean, modern, highly readable at small sizes, universally ATS-compatible, and widely recognised as a professional standard. As the default Microsoft Word font since 2007, it is familiar to recruiters across all industries and markets. Use Calibri at 10 to 11pt for body text and 13 to 14pt bold for section headings.
Should I use a serif or sans-serif font for my CV?
Both are appropriate — the choice depends on your industry and personal preference. Sans-serif fonts (Calibri, Arial, Roboto, Lato) are more modern and work well across most industries. Serif fonts (Georgia, Times New Roman, Garamond) are more traditional and suit legal, academic, financial, and executive applications. Both perform equally well in ATS screening when they are standard system fonts.
Can font choice affect ATS screening?
Yes — non-standard or decorative fonts can cause character encoding errors in ATS parsing, causing keywords to be misread or missed. Always use standard system fonts — Calibri, Arial, Roboto, Georgia, Times New Roman — for ATS-safe results. Avoid script, handwriting, condensed, or display fonts entirely. Read our complete guide on passing ATS screening for the full formatting checklist.
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