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Standard Fonts for ATS

ATS

Standard Fonts for ATS

Standard fonts for ATS are widely supported typefaces like Arial, Calibri, and Times New Roman that ATS software can reliably read and parse.

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Standard Fonts for ATS

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PLAIN ENGLISH

What it means

01

Standard ATS fonts are typefaces that are universally supported across operating systems and reliably parsed by all major Applicant Tracking Systems. The most commonly recommended fonts include Arial, Calibri, Cambria, Garamond, Georgia, Helvetica, and Times New Roman.

02

Using non-standard or decorative fonts can cause parsing issues in several ways. If the ATS system does not have the font installed, it may substitute a different typeface that changes your layout, shifts text positions, or renders characters incorrectly. Some custom fonts embed characters using non-standard Unicode mappings, which can cause the parser to extract garbled or missing text.

03

For the best compatibility, choose a professional sans-serif font (Arial, Calibri, Helvetica) or serif font (Times New Roman, Georgia, Garamond) in 10-12 point size for body text and 14-16 point for your name. Avoid script fonts, novelty typefaces, and extremely thin or light font weights that may not render well on screen or in print. The goal is clean readability in both the ATS database view and the original document format.

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Related terms

5 connections

01

ATS-Friendly Format

An ATS-friendly format is a resume layout designed to be accurately read and parsed by Applicant Tracking System software without losing or scrambling content.

02

ATS Parsing

ATS parsing is the process by which an Applicant Tracking System extracts and categorizes information from a resume into structured, searchable data fields.

03

Single Column Layout

A single column layout is a resume format that arranges all content in one vertical column, ensuring maximum compatibility with ATS parsing software.

04

Resume Template

A resume template is a pre-designed document layout that provides a professional structure and formatting foundation for building a resume.

05

White Space

White space is the intentional empty area on a resume that improves readability by preventing the layout from appearing overcrowded.

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01

Complete ATS Optimization Guide

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