Help Building Resume: Which Resume Colors To Use?

The digital age makes a difference to the way we consume the information. We are not satisfied by the simple text anymore; we are attracted to eye-catching, colorful pieces of text combined with images. The same rule applies to job application process. When you say “help me build a resume”, you look forward to not only informative text, but for fancy design as well.

Black ink on a white paper don't work any longer, and many resume experts share the idea that you can add some color to your resume, but you should do it smart. If you are hesitant about how to employ the colors on your resume, just write “help me build my resume!” and our resume writer will pick a color scheme right for your needs.

Three keys to using a color on your resume:

1. Don't turn your resume into a rainbow
   being over-creative isn't the best tactic for a job hunt. The overuse of bright colors never makes a good impression on a hiring manager. They can either think that you don't take the application process seriously or you're not familiar with how business documents should be formatted. Anyway, the purpose of making a desired effect won't be reached.
2. Use the color consistently
   the reason why you want to make your resume not black and white is to get noticed and to convey your message to the HR better. Therefore, you shouldn't use color just for the sake of it. Think over which aspects of your career history are the most impressive and highlight them with colored font or simply put the text into a color block. For instance, you can color the sections headings, or your achievements and awards, or the career summary, etc.
3. Get the best out of the psychology of color
   it's a well-known fact that every color affects our subconscious in a particular way. That's why you should be extremely picky about choosing a color for your resume. Don't just use a color simply because you like it or someone you know have already used this color in their resume. Consult with the list below and pick the color that better reflects your personal attributes and your impact on businesses:

The meaning of colors

• Red – is commonly used to express action, courage and power. Feel free to design your resume in red shades to demonstrate rapid growth, orientation on action and aggressive business tactics.
• Orange – is the best color to show your energy, excitement and productivity. If your career assumes cheerful mood and enthusiasm, feel free to pick orange.
• Yellow – a worldwide color of optimism, creativity and positive vision. Storyism.net states that yellow catches our attention more than any other color, so highlighting your most important achievements in yellow is a way to help you get noticed.
• Green – represents the environment, growth, calmness and the rebirth process. It's a good idea to design your resume in green when applying to an eco-friendly organization or if your career history demonstrates slow yet constant growth.
• Blue – is best to show trust, reliability, intelligence, and security. These attributes make blue a perfect fit for IT resumes and when applying to non-profit organizations.
• Purple – means spirituality, luxury, inspiration or creativity. Many top managers have their resume designed in purple shades.

Again, stay on the color which will convey your personal brand and value depending on your unique career history and your industry, and the right choose of color will help you to get noticed.

How to use the color more effectively

Once you've made up your mind about the color that determines your personality, you can go further. Don't limit yourself by using the color in a resume only.Theladders.com gives a few more hints on how to utilize the influence of color with maximized efficiency:

• Use it on your personal website or blog, if you have one
• Add the color stripes or images in your social media profiles if your resume contains links to them
• Bring the items of the same color on the interview (i.e. pen, briefcase, accessories, etc.)
• Use the color in your e-mail signature
• Wear this color – just make sure that your appearance fits into the dress-code

Reasons to get help with building a resume

Can't figure out which colors work better for your resume? Don't know which layout to apply to make a resume easy and comfortable to look through? Then, refer to professional resume writers for help. Here are just a few ways how our resume experts can contribute to your resume looks:

• Design is customized especially for you. We don't use ready-made templates and every resume produced by us looks different. The writer will work out the combination of layout, font and color to present your strengths more effectively.
• Effective choice of color. Not sure which color (or colors) to use or how better incorporate them into a resume to maximize its efficiency? Our writers know how to use color to draw the attention to your resume and make your advantages more visible for a hiring manager.
• Right fonts and resume structure. Did you know that the font and the order in which the information is given on a resume influences whether the resume will be read or not? By placing the text in the right order and formatting it up to the latest standards, writer composes a resume which evokes the desire to read it from the top to the bottom.

Contrasting colors make your resume memorable

Adding the third color (for example, green or red) to your traditional black and white resume design will give your resume a brighter look. Yet, there is more than one strategy when it comes to using colors on a resume. Experienced resume writers recommend that you use contrasting colors – the ones that are located on the opposite sides of the color wheel.

The examples of contrasting colors are blue and yellow (as on the Ikea logo), or green and purple. Contrasting colors allow for maximum readability, which means that your resume will be undoubtedly noticed in the pile of others. However, mind your industry when choosing a pair of colors – the options which are too bright might not be welcomed in, say, finance industry.

Design elements catch the reader's attention

Give your resume a creative touch and add something other than text. Graphs, charts, quotes, and text boxes work well on resume, subtly drawing the reader's eye to the most essential elements on the page. You may want to use a graph to show a progressive track record in sales or profitability, add a testimonial from the previous employer, or to indicate the skill level graphically. Since these elements are unique to you, they will help your resume to get noticed.

Why colored resume beats the black-and-white one?

• It makes your resume look attractive and easy on the eye. All in all, the resume's purpose is to make the recruiter notice your resume and pay attention to your experience and skills. A colored resume serves this purpose better than a monochrome one.

• It highlights the key details. Using colors to make your accomplishments, testimonials or other details that can sell you for the job pop up is a smart move. You can be the best of breed in accounting, but who will notice it if your accomplishments are packed at the resume's bottom?

• It communicates the connection with the brand. Are you applying for a dream company? Then, how about formatting your resume in using their brand colors? It will show the hiring manager that you are serious about the opportunity and share brand's values.

• It shows your creativity. If you work in a creative industry such as software development, design, or advertising, your resume's design is a great way to show off your creative potential. Just don't go overboard – this is still a professional document.

The statistic shows that recruiter prefer colored resumes either. We've asked their opinion on the matter and here's what they had to say:

Would you disregard a resume that incorporates colors?

What is the best color for resume?

Obviously, there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer. Your perfect choice of color will depend on your industry, the impression you're looking to make, and your personal preferences. However, here are the basic guidelines which will help you decide.

If you're not sure whether bright resumes are welcomed in your industry, use a safe bet: black and white plus third color. Choose the one we've listed above based on the impression they communicate. Want to get remembered? Use contrasting colors. And, whatever colors you opt for, avoid using light fonts on a white background (it makes the text hard to read) and use big, readable font.

The bottom line

Although the color isn't a final argument for or against the success of your resume, it definitely can make a positive contribution. The right choice of color and design will increase the chance that your resume will get a proper consideration and an interview.

Need help building a resume? Contact the affordable writing service or consult the professional resume tips. You can find all the information on creating an effective resume in our blog.

Do you make your resume colored or prefer a conservative ‘black and white' style? Why?