How to Format a Resume (Fonts, Margins, Spacing, and Length)

Content is what wins interviews — but bad formatting is what gets a strong resume skimmed past or filtered out before anyone reads it. Cramped margins, a hard-to-read font, or a layout the applicant tracking system (ATS) can't parse will sink good experience. The good news: formatting is the easy part to get right. Here are the rules.

Length

• One page for students, new grads, and most people with under ~10 years of experience.
• Two pages for seasoned professionals with a lot of relevant history.
• Never pad to fill space or shrink everything to cram in more. Density of relevant content beats raw length. (See how far back a resume should go for trimming older roles.)

Fonts

• Use a clean, professional font — Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, Georgia, Garamond, or similar. Avoid decorative or hard-to-read typefaces.
• Body text: 10–12pt. Headings can be slightly larger.
• Pick one font (or one pairing) and use it consistently throughout.

Readability beats personality here — your font should be invisible, not a statement.

Margins and Spacing

• Margins: 0.5 to 1 inch on all sides. Below 0.5" looks cramped and can get cut off when printed.
• Use white space to guide the eye — consistent spacing between sections and entries.
• Don't cram. A slightly shorter, breathable resume reads better than a wall of text squeezed onto one page.

Layout: Single-Column Wins

For anything going through an online application, use a single-column layout. Two-column and sidebar designs look modern but frequently scramble when an ATS reads them top-to-bottom. Save the creative layout for a portfolio. (More on this in one-column vs. two-column resumes.)

Section Headings and Consistency

• Clear, standard headings — "Experience," "Education," "Skills" — that both humans and ATS recognize.
• Consistent formatting for every entry: same order of fields, same date style, same bullet style.
• Reverse-chronological order within experience and education.

Consistency signals attention to detail without you having to claim it.

File Format and Name

• Export as PDF (unless the posting asks for .docx) to lock your formatting across devices.
• Make sure it's a text-based PDF, not an image — select-and-copy the text to confirm.
• Name the file Firstname-Lastname-Resume.pdf, not resume_final_v3.pdf.

What Breaks Formatting and ATS

Avoid elements that look fine to you but confuse parsers:

• Tables used for layout
• Text boxes (often invisible to ATS)
• Headers/footers for key info like contact details
• Graphics, icons, and charts that hold text
• Photos (in most Western markets)

Keep important information in plain, linear text.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best font and size for a resume?

A clean, professional font like Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, or Garamond at 10–12pt for body text. Use one font consistently, and keep headings only slightly larger.

What margins should a resume have?

Between 0.5 and 1 inch on all sides. Going below 0.5" looks cramped and risks content being cut off when printed; wider margins improve readability.

How long should a resume be?

One page for students and most professionals with under about 10 years of experience; up to two pages for senior candidates with extensive relevant history. Don't pad or cram — prioritize relevant content.

What resume format is best for ATS?

A single-column, text-based layout in a standard font, saved as a text PDF, with standard section headings and no tables, text boxes, or graphics holding text. This parses reliably across applicant tracking systems.

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Good formatting should be invisible — it lets your content do the work instead of getting in its way. PrismResume's templates are built to look polished and stay ATS-readable by default — correct margins, clean fonts, single-column structure — and export a properly named, text-based PDF, so you never lose an opportunity to a formatting problem.

Not sure how your resume reads? Check it for free on PrismResume to spot missing keywords and formatting issues.