Best Resume Fonts for ATS: Safe Font Choices That Parse Perfectly
Font selection directly impacts how accurately the ATS parses your resume. While most standard fonts work well, decorative or uncommon fonts can cause character extraction errors. This guide provides definitive font recommendations with size and formatting guidelines.
Top ATS-Compatible Fonts
The safest fonts for ATS are standard system fonts installed on virtually all computers. These fonts use universal character encoding that every parsing engine recognizes without substitution or error.
Sans-serif fonts (Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Verdana) offer clean, modern readability and excellent ATS compatibility. Serif fonts (Times New Roman, Georgia, Garamond, Cambria) provide a more traditional, formal appearance with equally strong ATS support.
The choice between sans-serif and serif is purely aesthetic—both categories parse identically. Choose based on the industry and company culture.
| Font | Type | Best For | ATS Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calibri | Sans-serif | Modern corporate | Excellent |
| Arial | Sans-serif | Universal professional | Excellent |
| Garamond | Serif | Traditional/elegant | Excellent |
| Times New Roman | Serif | Academic/legal/government | Excellent |
| Helvetica | Sans-serif | Clean professional | Excellent |
| Georgia | Serif | Screen-optimized reading | Excellent |
| Cambria | Serif | Modern formal | Excellent |
| Verdana | Sans-serif | High readability | Excellent |
Font Size Guidelines
Font size affects both ATS parsing and human readability. Body text should be 10-12pt for optimal extraction accuracy. Text below 9pt may not be extracted by some parsers and is difficult for human readers.
Section headings should be 12-16pt, sized consistently throughout the document. Your name at the top should be the largest text on the page, typically 14-18pt, to help the parser identify it as the document's primary heading.
Maintain at least a 2pt size difference between body text and headings for clear visual and structural hierarchy.
Fonts to Avoid
Avoid decorative fonts (Papyrus, Comic Sans, Brush Script, Impact), script fonts that mimic handwriting (Lucida Handwriting, Edwardian Script), and symbol fonts (Wingdings, Webdings). These either have poor character encoding support or are unprofessional.
Custom downloadable fonts from Google Fonts, DaFont, or similar sites may not be installed on the ATS parsing server. When a font isn't available, the system substitutes a default font, potentially changing character widths and breaking your layout alignment.
Narrow or condensed font variants (Arial Narrow, Times New Roman Condensed) are technically parseable but harder to read and may cause spacing issues in some systems.
Pro Tips
Use Calibri, Arial, or Garamond as your primary font—all three are universally ATS-compatible
Set body text to 10-12pt and headings to 12-16pt for optimal parsing and readability
Use a maximum of two fonts: one for headings, one for body (or one font throughout)
Avoid decorative, script, and custom fonts that may not be available on the parsing server
Test font rendering by opening your resume on a different computer to check for substitution
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Using decorative fonts that look creative but fail ATS character extraction
Setting body text below 9pt to fit more content—this may not be extracted and is hard to read
Using more than two fonts, creating an inconsistent appearance
Choosing narrow/condensed fonts to save space, sacrificing readability