Find the ideal color for your resume based on advice from design and recruiting experts. What colors YES and what colors NOT to use.
Once you’ve finished writing your resume, choosing the color is the next step. The choice of color for your CV is very important, since colors have their own symbols and each one has a different meaning. In the same way that your education, professional experience, skills and competencies or interests have an important weight, color does too.
Just as content is important, so is design. Color plays a major role in your resume. In the eyes of the recruiter it will not be the same to have your information on a white, black, blue or yellow background.
What is the ideal color for a resume?
Next, we tell you what colors you can use within your CV:
- Blue
- Gray
- Yellow
- Green
- Brown
- Violet
- Red
The variety of colors allows you to have a different resume that stands out from others in the eyes of the recruiter. But be careful, because we do recommend using colors, but it is not the entire background of your CV, only in certain areas or elements.
Meaning of the colors in the CV
Blue on the resume
Whether in fashion, graphic design or interior decoration, blue is a modern and trend-setting color. Navy blue is elegant and sober, dark blue has a special touch and royal blue is resplendent. There are many ranges of blue and all are recommended.
Regarding natural elements such as the sea or the sky, light blue or deep blue convey calm and serenity. For these reasons it is a good idea to include the color blue within the design of your CV.
However, if you go for turquoise blue, recruiters will know that you are one of the people who are looking to jump-start their candidacy, so if you use it sparingly, you will have favorable results.
The Gray on the resume
The main advantage of gray is that it is neutral. This color is a combination of black and white and works well on your resume as it gives your information an understated, classic look.
Gray is the ideal color for professional candidates who do not want to fall into the traditional resource of black and white.
Yellow on CV
The color yellow is synonymous with good humor. Of course, if you decide to use yellow on your resume, you must be careful that it is visible and that it does not hurt the eyes, that is, make sure that your range of yellow is neither too bright nor too faint.
This is why recruiters prefer to find a mustard yellow or more geared towards orange. These colors not only allow you to stand out from the other candidates, they also give the feeling of giving off positive vibes and transmitting a good mood to the reader.
Also, if you decide to include a photograph in your resume and you put a yellow outline on it, this color will give a special touch to your skin that will make you look good.
The Brown in the CV
As well as gray, brown or coffee are colors that remain within the classic category. Making your CV brown gives it a touch of originality without taking risks.
Compared to colors like pink, blue, or green, brown gives you the opportunity to stand out noticeably from other candidates and show that you have a good sense of aesthetics.
Green on the resume
As in the case of yellow, if you decide to use the color green in your CV, you should be careful when choosing the range, since not all green is elegant or discreet.
It is important to note that the colors should not make it difficult to read your resume. However, it must be visible enough to stand out from the rest of the candidates. For this reason, apple green and pastel green are the two most recommended ranges to include in a CV.
What color to choose for my CV?
It is best to adapt the color of your resume depending on the characteristics of the vacancy you are applying for.
Examples of colors for the CV according to the type of vacancy
- Within a financial or banking application, red is the most appropriate color. Its meaning refers to passion and commitment, to an illustrious person, with a competitive mind and a strong personality. Red is recommended for vacancies where money is at stake.
- For candidates from the environment, ecology or renewable energy sector where the preservation of natural resources is involved, such as landscapers, agronomists, forest rangers, florists, gardeners, green or brown are ideal. These two colors refer to nature, trees and the countryside. For this reason, companies specializing in recycling or renewable energies always use green in their logos.
- For the restaurant and food products sector, yellow and the mustard yellow and orange ranges are recommended, as they are colors that refer to food. Therefore, a large number of restaurants have these colors in their decoration.
- If you consider that your sector is neutral and you prefer not to risk much, opt for the color blue and gray. A pair of shades that adapt to a large number of work fields.
Tip to choose the color of your CV
The best advice we can give you for choosing the color of your CV is that you choose it depending on the color of the logo of the company to which you will apply.
Each company has its own logo. For the choice of shades of a logo, a study must be made where the colors are related to the values of the company. Therefore, offer them their own colors on your resume and allow them to identify you with the company.
CV sections that can have a different color
- Titles of the sections such as Professional Experience, Profile, Contact, Hobbies, Skills, Languages, Academic Training.
- The box on which the titles of each section are written.
- The interior of a column that is part of the design.
- A box.
- Dates, names of companies or institutions.
As you can see, the best thing you can do is modify the color of your CV depending on the specifications of each vacancy, this will allow you to have greater opportunities to obtain the job you are looking for.