Using Times New Roman on Your Résumé Is Like Wearing Sweatpants to an Interview

If you opt for Times New Roman on your résumé, then you may as well show up to the interview in sweatpants. At least that is what some experts say. The classic font is said to be one to avoid these days, with modern ones like Helvetica and Proxima Nova edging out more antiquated styles. Bloomsberg asked type experts to weigh in on what job candidates should be using, and they had some pretty strong opinions on what works and, more importantly, what doesn't.

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Do Use:

Helvetica

There is a resounding vote from the experts for this one. "Helvetica is beautiful," said Matt Luckhurst, who is the creative director at Collins in San Francisco. Brian Hoff, creative director of Brian Hoff Design, added that the font is "so no-fuss, it doesn't really lean in one direction or another. It feels professional, lighthearted, honest."

Proxima Nova

"I never met a client that didn't like that typeface," Hoff told Bloomberg. The font does not come free, but because of how positively it is viewed in the professional world, it may be worth the cost to upgrade to the typeface if you are applying to a job at a more formal company or for a higher-up position.

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Garamond

This font is easy to read, compact, and simple.

Avoid:

Times New Roman

This may come as shock to all the traditionalists and postgrads out there, but the usage of Times New Roman has begun to be seen by some as lazy. "It's telegraphing that you didn't put any thought into the typeface that you selected," Hoff said. "It's like putting on sweatpants." Definitely not what you want your potential employer's first impression to be.

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Zapfino

This should probably be obvious, but any font that resembles cursive should be avoided. They can be hard to read, overly fancy, and generally inappropriate for a professional setting.

Courier

"You don't have a typewriter, so don't try to pretend that you have a typewriter," Luckhurst told Bloomberg. "You have been using a computer to do a handwritten thing. You haven't used a computer properly, and you haven't handwritten properly." Pretty much sums it up, right?

Comic Sans

Is there ever a time and place for this font? Probably not. But it's most definitely one to avoid when writing up a résumé. It's unprofessional, whimsical, and will most likely be dismissed right off the bat by potential employers. Seriously, steer clear of this one pretty much always.

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Guest's picture
Rajesh

Helvetica font is really awesome. It looks really good

Guest's picture
Julie

Except that this is completely untrue. Sure, maybe in fields like graphic design or typography, where people actually care about fonts, this might be an issue. But for most hiring managers, the important thing is the content of the resume, not the font. (So long as it's not comic sans...)

Guest's picture
Brian

All the more reason to use Times New Roman. Any company that would let a hiring manager make ANY decision based on the font used by an applicant should be shunned.

Guest's picture
Dan

nearly every resume of all time goes into an ATS and the font is never considered.

Guest's picture
Hawk

I disagree. Times New Roman has proven to be one of the most easily read fonts. The serif serves to carry the eye along the written line. Sans serif fonts chop up words and sentences and slow down reading. There's a reason for Times New Roman's wide use.

Guest's picture
Hawk

I disagree. Times New Roman has proven to be one of the most easily read fonts. The serif serves to carry the eye along the written line. Sans serif fonts chop up words and sentences and slow down reading. There's a reason for Times New Roman's wide use.

Guest's picture
Chad

Helvetica is such a slick, calming font ... Comic Sans is ridiculous looking, but I would give the person that uses this one a chance for being so bold to consciously choose to use such a typeface!

Guest's picture
Eattherich

Who says using Times New Roman on Your Résumé Is Like Wearing Sweatpants to an Interview? And on what grounds?
Yeah, someone called Popsugar and their appeal to a false authority: "some experts".
I hope this webpage eventually gets removed because it's just useless.

Guest's picture
Bishal Biswas

Haha, it's funny to see some people recklessly using Comic Sans font on their resume. Hellvetica is good font.