Hi guys, I just realised that I have been using Times 9 for my resume and it's too DAMN small.
What are the best font types and sizes for resumes?
Is 10 Times New Roman alright? Or would you recoommend Arial or Arial Narrow?
Font Format for Resume
For your resume - our users recommend using a range between 10 - 12 size font. The most common response from our users is to use a 10.5 font. This font size should be uniform throughout.
Regarding fonts - arial, calibri, and times new roman are typically the recommended fonts. Our WSO sample resume utilizes times new roman.
Content Editor Note: Below are five helpful posts on resume fonts, overall resume improvement, and also make sure to check out our Professional Resume Review Service ...because odds are if you aren't sure what font to use on your resume...
Two Free Investment Banking Resume Templates and Additional Reading:
For college students: WSO Investment Banking Resume Template for College Students Released to the Public!
For experienced IB professionals: WSO Investment Banking Resume Template for Professionals with Deal Experience is Released!
- Great tips on overall improvement of your resume
- Discussion on whether your resume and cover letter should have the same font
- "Take Your Resumé to the Next Level"
Please see our sample resume template below.
| Attachment | Size |
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| wso_undergrad_resume_templatev6-11pt_font.doc 66 KB | 66 KB |
Edit: disregard what I said about specific fonts and read the thread linked in the post below.
Font size - The range is 10 - 12, but honestly 10 is still too small and 12 is so big it looks goofy... so you should aim for 10.5, 11, or 11.5
Oh and if you're interested, I am currently using 11 point Garamond.
Preferred Margins/Font Size? (Originally Posted: 10/17/2010)
What are the preferred margins and font size for resumes? I've heard 12 Times New Roman and 1" margins to make it easier to read, but from the examples I've seen on wso, it seems like they squeeze a lot of words onto one page. seems like they've either shrunk the font size or shrunk the margins.
http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/best-font-for-a-resume-0
0.5 all around, 11pt font.
Not a fan of 12pt Times New Roman, it will look very...bland. 11pt Calibri or another sans serif font (except maybe Arial). And 0.5 margins are fine.
Thanks guy! im kinda freaking out cos I sent TNR 9 for like at least 100 applications
Different Font Sizes in Different Sections? (Originally Posted: 05/25/2013)
My resume might not fit on one page unless I have the entire upper section in size 11 (Education), but then the second and largest section on work experience in size 10.5 font. Is this an issue as there will be inconsistent font size in the body of my resume? Of course headings and those sorts of things can be larger but I am not sure if this could cause my resume to get trashed - something so trivial.
The reason I want to keep the Education part in 11 is because I feel like anything less is getting too small and this is where they will look first for School/GPA, etc so I feel it should be more readable.
Any ideas? Or should I go completely uniform here and find a way to keep it all the same?
Uniform. 10.5 is fine.
Keep it the same font size so it doesn't bother the reader. Mine is also 10.5.
Font Size (Originally Posted: 07/20/2013)
Hey guys, just a quick question. As I'm editing my resume I've found that in order for everything to fit onto one page I have to reduce the font size to 10. Would it be better to leave off a few things such as a cashier / manager or a researching job i currently have on it? I just don't want it to become too small and crowded.
Mess with the spacing beween things. I found that if you decrease the spaces between headers and text or between the name/address etc and little places like this, you can basically fit another line or two.
Use the paragraph settings and set the spacing before or after to 3 or 0. If this doesn't work, decrease the margins a bit. If that doesn't work, see if there is one line where you went over by a few words and cut it back to 1 fewer line. Then decrease fonts as a last resort.
I would leave off the cashier gig. Not super applicable to anything because everyone has probably done it at some point. Unless you don't have other exp.
TNR Font Size 9 ? (Originally Posted: 08/15/2013)
Do you guys thank Times New Roman font size 9 is pushing it for a resume? I end my internship tomorrow and in the process of filing in my bullet points for my internship on my resume. I have a lot of crucial experience and "story telling" on my resume that TNR font size 9 is needed. A recent graduate at my school is using TNR 9 for her resume (she already landed a job in the insurance industry) and recommended that I use TNR 9.
So what do you guys think? Should I chop off some of my crucial experiences for TNR 10 or is TNR 9 fine?
Yes I do feel like font 9 would be pushing it. But I think it depends on your "story telling" skills, i.e. if you have a good enough story, you can get away with the smaller font.
I've worked at 4 firms since undergrad and have gone to grad school. No way as an intern your experience warrants 9pt font. I use 10 and think that is already pushing it. You should have someone review your resume because based on your font size it sounds like there is way too much fluff.
This is why I love this place -- you guys are blunt and to the point (which I NEED lol).
@ke18sb, you're right :( I have 4 "internship" work experience entries and like 5 volunteer experience entries -- what I'll do is cut the volunteer stuff down to 3 -- I've come to realize that I don't have to mention EVERYTHING.
You don't really need to chop entire things off your resume. Just list them on it, but don't break them down individually. I worked as an SI last year and just listed it, as it isn't comparable to my other experience, but is still notable.
Perpetua 10.5 or strap up
Does the font size for cover letter and resume have to be equal to another? (Originally Posted: 09/09/2014)
I use arial font size 11 for my IBD cover letter, but use arial 9 for my resume, as using arial 11 would exceed 1 page limit (even arial 10). Should I put them in the same font size?
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