To Flare or not to Flare

I am often asked what type of font to use for a cover letter and resume. Here’s my take on it: Picking a font is much like picking an outfit for an event—it must be acceptable. You are likely not going to wear your best purse, heels, and jewels from New York’s runway to your friends BBQ, right? So, pick a font that suits the intention. There are two fonts frequently used by writers: serif and sans serif. I like the word serif as it represents letters with flare; meaning, letters that have semi-structural details at the corners of the letters like Times New Roman font (My opinion? Times New Roman is also more feminine). Sans serif font, sans meaning “without” in French, is very simple, stick-like, and uninteresting like Arial font. When determining which font to use, ask yourself the following questions Will I be faxing my documentation? Will I be emailing my documentation? or Will I be handing out my documentation in person?


Typically, if you are handing out your resumes and cover letters in person, a serif font like Times New Roman is a great choice; the serifs propel the reader to move forward and studies state that a serif font is easier to read in print. On the contrary, if you will be primarily faxing or emailing your resume and cover letter, you may want to choose a sans serif font which may look clean and crisp once received by the employer (most notably when faxing as fax machines tend to smear or blur the content with a serif font).

My choice is clearly a font with flare. Characteristic of my personality? Definitely!

Happy job shopping!