Last week AOL Jobs interviewed me for an article about fonts and asked me which fonts were preferable for resumes. While many fonts including Arial, Arial Narrow, Times New Roman, and Calibri are fine, others really have no place on a resume. You can click the link to read about my opinions on resume fonts.
But what struck me as interesting were some of the comments from frustrated job seekers saying the font shouldn’t matter. And maybe it shouldn’t. But it does.
Recruiters and hiring managers are sifting through dozens, maybe even hundreds of resumes every day. If the font is too small, too bold, or too fancy they may just skip your resume in favor of something easier to read. And if your font is too whimsical or childish, or all caps they may just question your judgement.
Put yourself in the reader’s shoes. Have you ever gone to multiple websites searching for a product or service? Do the aesthetics of the site influence the amount of time you stay on the site? If key information is difficult to find do you spend a lot of time looking for it or do you move on to the next site? If the site has annoying pop ups or distracting music do you click away quickly? If the site doesn’t look very professional do you question the quality of the service they are offering? Yes, you do.
It’s no different with resumes. The way they look is an important part of your professional brand. Select a font and resume style that is easy to read so the decision maker stays engaged and hopefully contacts you for an interview.
