Best Resume Font and Size for ATS (India 2026)

Your Font Choice Is Quietly Killing Your Resume.#

You spent hours writing the perfect resume. You matched keywords from the JD, quantified your achievements, and kept it to one page. Then you picked a font called "Playfair Display" because it looked fancy on Canva.

The ATS couldn't read half your text. Your resume scored 29/100.

Fonts sound like a tiny detail. But the wrong font can make your resume unreadable to ATS software, hard to scan for recruiters, and unprintable in many office setups. The right font does the opposite: it makes your content clear, professional, and easy for both machines and humans to process.

This guide covers exactly which fonts to use, which to avoid, and what size works best for resumes in India.

The 7 Best Fonts for Indian Resumes in 2026#

These fonts are safe for ATS, readable at small sizes, and professional in appearance. Pick one and stick with it throughout your resume.

1. Calibri

Why it works: Calibri has been the default Microsoft Word font since 2007. Every ATS system on the planet can read it. Every recruiter's computer has it installed. It's clean, modern, and readable at 10pt.

Best for: Any resume. This is the safest choice if you're not sure what to use.

Size recommendation: 10.5-11pt for body text, 14pt for your name.

2. Arial

Why it works: Arial is a sans-serif font that's been around since 1982. It's on every operating system, every browser, and every ATS system. It's slightly wider than Calibri, so you fit fewer words per line but it's very easy to read.

Best for: Resumes where readability is the top priority. Especially good if you have a lot of technical terms.

Size recommendation: 10-11pt for body text, 13-14pt for your name.

3. Garamond

Why it works: Garamond is a serif font that's been used in professional publishing for centuries. It's slightly narrower than other fonts, which means you can fit more content on a page without reducing font size. ATS reads it well.

Best for: When you're squeezing content onto one page. Garamond at 11pt fits about 10% more text than Calibri at 11pt.

Size recommendation: 11-12pt for body text (it reads smaller than Calibri, so go slightly larger), 14-16pt for your name.

4. Cambria

Why it works: Cambria was designed by Microsoft specifically for on-screen reading. It's a serif font that pairs well with Calibri. ATS handles it perfectly since it ships with every Windows installation.

Best for: Resumes for traditional companies, consulting firms, and banking roles where serif fonts feel more appropriate.

Size recommendation: 10.5-11pt for body text, 14pt for your name.

5. Helvetica

Why it works: Helvetica is one of the most used fonts in the world. It's clean, neutral, and professional. One catch: it comes pre-installed on Macs but not on Windows. If a Windows user opens your .docx file, Word substitutes it with Arial (which is close enough).

Best for: Resumes submitted as PDF (formatting locks in regardless of the reader's system). Popular choice for design, product, and startup roles.

Size recommendation: 10-11pt for body text, 14pt for your name.

6. Times New Roman

Why it works: Times New Roman has been the "formal document" font for decades. Every system has it, every ATS reads it, and older recruiters associate it with professionalism. It's a serif font that's slightly narrower than Cambria.

Best for: Government job applications, PSU applications, academic CVs, and conservative industries like banking and law.

Size recommendation: 11-12pt for body text (it reads smaller on screen than sans-serif fonts), 14pt for your name.

A note: Some people say Times New Roman looks "dated" for tech roles. That's a fair opinion. If you're applying to Flipkart or Razorpay, go with Calibri or Arial. If you're applying to SBI or UPSC, Times New Roman works great.

7. Georgia

Why it works: Georgia was designed specifically for screen readability. It's a serif font that looks good even at smaller sizes, unlike Times New Roman which can get hard to read at 10pt on screen.

Best for: When you want a serif font that still feels modern. Works well for marketing, content, and communication roles.

Size recommendation: 10.5-11pt for body text, 14pt for your name.

Fonts to AVOID on Your Resume#

These fonts will hurt your resume in one or more ways. Don't use them.

Comic Sans

Looks unprofessional. No recruiter in India or anywhere else will take a Comic Sans resume seriously. Hard pass.

Papyrus

Same problem as Comic Sans. It screams "I have no sense of professional formatting."

Brush Script / Any Script Font

Cursive and script fonts are hard to read even for humans. ATS systems can't parse them at all. Your name in brush script might get read as random characters.

Impact

Too bold and heavy. Body text in Impact is unreadable. Headers in Impact look aggressive.

Courier New

This monospaced font is designed for code, not resumes. Every character takes the same width, which wastes space and looks like a terminal output.

Narrow/Condensed Fonts (Arial Narrow, etc.)

While these save space, they're harder to read at smaller sizes. Some ATS systems also struggle with condensed font variants.

Decorative Fonts (Lobster, Pacifico, Dancing Script)

Any font you'd use on a party invitation doesn't belong on a resume. These are nearly impossible for ATS to parse accurately.

Fonts Not Installed on Standard Systems

If you use a font that's only available on your computer (downloaded from Google Fonts, Adobe Fonts, etc.), two things can happen:

1. In a .docx file, the font gets replaced with a system default, breaking your formatting
2. In a PDF, the font might embed correctly, but some ATS systems still struggle to read embedded non-standard fonts

Stick with the 7 fonts listed above. They're all pre-installed on Windows and Mac.

The Ideal Font Size for Each Resume Section#

Font size isn't one-size-fits-all. Different sections need different sizes for the resume to look balanced and scannable.

Your Name: 14-16pt

Your name should be the largest text on the page. It's the first thing a recruiter looks at. 14pt is the minimum; 16pt works if you have a short name and want it to stand out.

Don't go above 18pt. A massive name with tiny body text looks unbalanced.

Section Headings (Education, Skills, Experience): 11-13pt, Bold

Section headings should be larger than body text but smaller than your name. Bold formatting helps them stand out. Some people also use CAPS for headings, which works fine for ATS.

EDUCATION (12pt, Bold)
or
Education (12pt, Bold)

Both work. The ALL CAPS version is slightly easier to scan.

Body Text: 10-11pt

This is where most of your content lives. 10.5pt is the sweet spot for most fonts. It's readable without wasting space.

Never go below 10pt. At 9pt or 8pt, text becomes hard to read on screen, and older recruiters (who might print your resume) will struggle to read it. If you need to shrink below 10pt to fit on one page, cut content instead.

Never go above 12pt for body text. It wastes space and makes your resume look like it was written for someone with poor eyesight.

Contact Information: 10-11pt

Same size as body text. Your phone number and email don't need to be larger. The information itself (a phone number, a URL) is distinctive enough to spot without special formatting.

Bullet Points: Same as Body Text

Keep bullet point text the same size as your body text. Don't shrink bullets to 9pt to fit more content. If you need more space, cut weak bullets.

Formatting Rules That ATS Actually Cares About#

Beyond font choice and size, here are formatting details that affect ATS parsing:

1. Use Bold Sparingly

Bold your name, section headings, company names, and job titles. That's it. Don't bold random words in your bullet points for emphasis. It doesn't help with ATS and it makes the resume harder to scan.

2. Avoid Italic for Important Information

Some ATS systems don't read italic text correctly. If your skill "Machine Learning" is in italics, the ATS might miss it. Use regular weight for all keywords and skills.

Italics are fine for things like dates, locations, and minor notes. Just don't put critical keywords in italic.

3. Don't Use Underline (Except for Links)

Underlined text looks like a hyperlink. It confuses both ATS and human readers. Use bold for emphasis instead of underline.

4. Stick to Standard Bullet Points

Use simple round bullet points. Not squares, not arrows, not custom symbols, not checkmarks. The standard bullet character is universally supported.

Good:
• Built a REST API handling 10,000 daily requests

Bad:
→ Built a REST API handling 10,000 daily requests
✓ Built a REST API handling 10,000 daily requests
■ Built a REST API handling 10,000 daily requests

Some of those special characters get converted to gibberish by ATS systems.

5. Use Standard Section Headings

ATS looks for specific section names. Use these exact headings:

• Education (not "Academic Background" or "Qualifications")
• Experience or Work Experience (not "My Career" or "Professional Journey")
• Skills or Technical Skills (not "What I Know" or "Expertise")
• Projects (not "Things I've Built" or "My Work")
• Certifications (not "Courses Completed" or "Learning")

Creative headings confuse ATS. Save the creativity for your project descriptions.

For a complete guide on ATS-friendly formatting, read our ATS resume format guide.

Font Combinations: Should You Use Two Fonts?#

Short answer: you can, but you don't need to.

One font throughout is the safest approach. Use the same font for headings and body, just in different sizes and weights (bold for headings, regular for body).

If you want two fonts, follow this rule: pair a serif heading font with a sans-serif body font, or vice versa.

Good combinations:

• Headings: Cambria (serif) + Body: Calibri (sans-serif)
• Headings: Georgia (serif) + Body: Arial (sans-serif)
• Headings: Arial (sans-serif, bold) + Body: Garamond (serif)

Bad combinations:

• Two serif fonts (Cambria + Times New Roman = looks conflicted)
• Two sans-serif fonts (Arial + Calibri = too similar, why bother)
• Any decorative font with a professional font

Our recommendation: Just use one font. Calibri or Arial for everything. Keep it simple. Recruiters are reading your content, not admiring your typography.

What Indian Companies Specifically Look For#

TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL, Tech Mahindra

These IT services companies process thousands of resumes through ATS. They don't care about fancy fonts. Use Calibri or Arial at 10.5-11pt. Standard formatting wins.

Their ATS systems (Taleo, SuccessFactors, Workday) parse standard fonts perfectly. Non-standard fonts create issues.

Flipkart, Amazon India, Google India

Product companies care more about content than formatting. But clean, readable formatting shows attention to detail. Calibri, Arial, or Helvetica at 10-11pt.

Startups (Razorpay, Cred, Zerodha, PhonePe)

Startups tend to have a modern aesthetic. Sans-serif fonts like Calibri, Arial, or Helvetica fit better than serif fonts like Times New Roman. Keep it clean and minimal.

Banks and Financial Services (ICICI, HDFC, Kotak, SBI)

Traditional sector, traditional fonts. Calibri, Cambria, or Times New Roman all work. Serif fonts are slightly more common in banking resumes.

Government Jobs and PSUs

Times New Roman is the standard here. Government forms, applications, and documents have traditionally used serif fonts. When in doubt, go with Times New Roman at 12pt.

Consulting (Deloitte, McKinsey, BCG, EY)

Consulting firms have strict resume formatting guidelines. Most prefer Arial or Calibri at 10-11pt, single page, very specific margin sizes. Check if the firm has a resume template and use it.

Color on Resumes: Yes or No?#

While we're talking about visual formatting, let's address color.

Body text: Always black. No exceptions. Dark grey (#333333) is acceptable but black is safer.

Headings: Black is safest. Dark blue (#003366 or similar) is acceptable for section headings but adds no real value.

Accent colors: Some templates use a colored line or bar to separate sections. This is fine for human readers but ATS ignores it. If the colored element contains text (like your name in blue), ATS usually reads it fine as long as it's actual text and not an image.

What to avoid:

• Light colors (light grey, light blue) that don't print well
• Multiple colors that make the resume look like a flyer
• Colored backgrounds behind text (ATS sometimes can't read text on colored backgrounds)
• Red or orange text (hard to read on screen and print)

Our recommendation: Stick with black text throughout. Maybe dark blue for your name if you really want a touch of color. Your resume should be read, not displayed in an art gallery.

Quick Reference Table#

The 30-Second Font Check#

Before you submit your resume, do this quick check:

1. Is the font one of the 7 recommended ones? If not, change it.
2. Is the body text between 10-11pt? If smaller, you're sacrificing readability. If larger, you're wasting space.
3. Is your name the largest text on the page? If not, increase it.
4. Are you using more than 2 fonts? If yes, cut down to 1.
5. Is all body text the same size? Mixed sizes look unprofessional.
6. Can you read every word clearly at 100% zoom? If you need to squint, the font or size needs to change.

Build a Perfectly Formatted Resume with JobRise#

Stop guessing about fonts and sizes. JobRise's AI Resume Builder uses ATS-optimized formatting with the right font, size, and spacing automatically.

Every resume generated by JobRise uses ATS-safe fonts, proper hierarchy, and clean formatting that works with Taleo, SuccessFactors, Workday, and every other ATS used by Indian companies.

Already have a resume? Run it through our free ATS checker to see if your font and formatting choices are hurting your score.

For more formatting tips, check out our guide on 10 resume formatting mistakes that get you rejected.