Resume Fonts, Margins, and Spacing: ATS-Friendly Layout

A strong resume layout is simple, readable, and consistent. Use a clean font such as Arial, Calibri, Georgia, or Helvetica at 10.5 to 12 points for body text and slightly larger sizes for section headings. Keep margins around 0.5 to 1 inch so the page has comfortable white space without wasting room. Use consistent spacing between headings, jobs, and bullet points. Avoid text boxes, decorative graphics, unusual symbols, and multi-column layouts when an applicant tracking system must read the file. Export a final PDF when the employer accepts PDF, then open it to check that dates, bullets, links, and page breaks are correct. The best ATS-friendly resume is easy for both software and a recruiter to understand in seconds.