Should Your Resume Have Colour? Here's What You Need to Know
If you're putting together a new resume, you might be wondering whether you should use colour or stick with a completely black-and-white document.
The good news is that there is nothing inherently wrong with using colour on your resume. In fact, a small amount of well-chosen colour can help your resume look modern, professional and easier to navigate.
The key is to use it sensibly.
Your resume is still primarily about your experience, skills, achievements and suitability for the role. As experienced CV writers, we believe that colour should support the content rather than distract from it. You don't want a potential employer remembering the bright orange headings on your resume but forgetting what you actually did in your career.
Is colour okay on a resume?
As professional resume writers, we think yes. Using colour on your resume is perfectly acceptable, particularly if it is subtle and professionally presented.
There was a time when traditional black-and-white resumes were often considered the safest option, and there are still situations where a very conservative format makes sense. However, modern resumes can be presented in a variety of ways, and a little colour can help create a clean and polished document.
For example, you might use a dark blue, charcoal, green or another muted colour for headings, your name, section dividers or other small design elements.
You don't need to make every section a different colour. In fact, keeping the colour palette simple will generally make your resume look more professional.
Don't be afraid to add a little personality
Your resume doesn't have to look completely bland to be professional.
A small amount of colour can help give your resume some personality and make it visually distinctive without taking away from the content. This can be particularly useful when you're competing with a large number of applicants and want your resume to be easy to recognise and pleasant to read.
That doesn't mean you need to create something highly stylised. Your personality should primarily come through in the way you describe your experience, achievements and career history.
Think of colour as an extra design element rather than a way to make your resume stand out at all costs.
The problem is when colour is overdone
This is where things can go wrong.
Using colour isn't a bad thing, but using too much colour can make your resume look cluttered or unprofessional. Bright backgrounds, multiple contrasting colours, large coloured blocks and excessive graphics can distract from the information an employer actually needs to see.
For most professional roles, you probably don't need more than one or two complementary colours.
For example, black or dark grey text combined with a single colour for headings can be more than enough. You might also use a slightly different shade for subtle lines or other design elements.
The aim should be for someone to look at your resume and immediately see your experience and skills — not spend time trying to work out why you've used five different colours.
Think about the type of role you're applying for
The right approach can also depend on the industry and role.
If you're applying for a graphic design, marketing, advertising or other creative position, there may be more scope to demonstrate your visual style through your resume. In those industries, presentation can be particularly relevant to how you're perceived as a candidate.
For more traditional professional roles, such as accounting, finance, legal, executive, engineering or corporate positions, you may want to take a more conservative approach.
That doesn't mean your resume has to be completely black and white. A subtle colour used for headings or your name can still look polished without making the document feel overly designed.
Make sure the colour doesn't affect readability
Whatever colours you choose, readability should come first.
Your main body text should be easy to read against the background. Dark text on a light background is generally a safe approach, while large areas of pale text or text placed over strong colours can be difficult to read.
Remember that your resume may also be viewed on different screens, downloaded, printed or converted between different formats. A colour that looks fine on your computer might not look quite the same elsewhere.
It's worth checking the finished document on a few different devices before sending it out.
What about ATS systems?
Another reason people sometimes avoid colour is concern about Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
There is a common belief that any colour, graphics or design elements will automatically cause problems with an ATS. That's an oversimplification.
Using a small amount of colour in your resume does not automatically make it unsuitable for an ATS. The bigger concern is whether the document has a clear, logical structure and whether the important information can be properly read and extracted.
Complicated layouts, excessive graphics, text embedded inside images and overly elaborate formatting can create more issues than simply using colour.
If you're applying for jobs online, particularly through large employers or recruitment agencies, keeping your resume clean and straightforward is still sensible. But you don't need to remove every trace of colour just because an ATS might process the document.
Your resume should still be professional
When choosing colours, ask yourself a simple question: does this make the resume look more professional or less professional?
If the answer is more professional, you're probably on the right track.
A muted colour used consistently can create a strong visual hierarchy and make different sections easier to identify. It can help the reader move through your employment history, education, skills and other information without making the document feel boring or difficult to navigate.
On the other hand, if the colour is distracting, difficult to read or doesn't seem appropriate for the industry you're applying to, it is probably worth toning it down.
Don't let design take over your resume
One of the biggest mistakes people can make with resumes today is focusing too heavily on how the document looks.
A great-looking resume with weak content is still a weak resume.
Your employment history, achievements, skills and relevant experience should remain the most important parts of the document. Good design should make that information easier to understand, not hide it.
This is also something to be careful about with resume templates. There are plenty of visually impressive templates available online, but some include large graphics, rating scales, icons, columns and design elements that take up valuable space without actually telling an employer anything useful about you.
A simple, well-written resume with sensible design will generally be more effective than an elaborate document that looks impressive but doesn't communicate your experience clearly.
So, should your resume have colour?
There is no rule saying your resume has to be black and white.
Colour is absolutely fine, and when used well, it can make your resume look modern, professional and visually appealing. You don't need to avoid colour simply because you're applying for professional roles or because your resume may be processed through an ATS.
The important thing is moderation.
Choose one or two professional colours, use them consistently and make sure the main focus remains on your content. Avoid excessive graphics, bright backgrounds and anything that makes the resume difficult to read.
Ultimately, your resume should look like a professional representation of your career. A little colour can help with that. Just don't let the design become more memorable than the experience you're trying to showcase.
