Most ATS parsers handle common fonts cleanly. A few decorative or unusual fonts can break parsing in subtle ways. Stick to the safe list.
ATS-safe fonts
- Calibri
- Arial
- Helvetica
- Georgia
- Cambria
- Garamond
- Times New Roman (still safe, slightly dated)
Avoid
- Display, handwritten, or decorative fonts
- Comic Sans (always, for any reason)
- Light-weight fonts at 9pt or smaller (parsing accuracy drops)
- Mixing more than 2 font families
Sizing
Body text 10.5-12pt, section headings 12-14pt, name 18-24pt. Smaller than 10pt and recruiters squint; larger than 12pt and the resume gets long fast.
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Resume Bestie templates use only ATS-safe fonts at recruiter-friendly sizes.
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