should a cover letter have color

• 1-855-333-5793

Member Login

• Job Seekers - Find a Writer
• Certification
• Testimonials
• Find a Writer
• Free Resources
• Student Access

Does Your Cover Letter Have Color?

By Brenda Bernstein

The Essay Expert

The content of most cover letters that come across my desk, both at the University of Wisconsin Law School and in my business, are bland and unexciting. They sound like everyone else’s letters. I call them gray. And gray doesn’t stand out. It just blends into the background.

A Little Gray is Okay

A bit of basic information is necessary in the first paragraph. You need to communicate what job you’re applying for and where you found out about it. But if you can “wow” your reader in the first paragraph, you are well on your way! Impress them with the most important and relevant qualities you have to offer, and make it clear you know you will fill an important need of the company. 

Time for a Paint Job

The middle paragraph or two is where you have a chance to show your true colors.

The “gray” cover letters I tend to see look something like this:

“I have spent the last ten years gaining experience in X. At job A, I did B, where I gained experience in C. At job D, I did E, and gained experience doing F. At job G, I did H, and learned J. I therefore feel that I would be an asset to your company.”

I hope you agree with me that it’s time for a makeover!

Painting Your Passion

Stop blending into the background! The cover letter is your opportunity to paint yourself in bright, eye-catching colors — as someone who would bring personality and flair to a position, or true problem solving or negotiating skills, or, at the very least, some passion.

How do you do that? Tell a story that shows them who you are.

If I were writing a cover letter, for instance, I might talk about how I won the trust of a contract manager who had been ready to pull a contract from my organization. One of my clients wrote about how he successfully negotiated a conflict at work and obtained payment from a customer who was refusing to pay. Another wrote about his quest for the perfect problem to solve.

These stories will catch an employer’s eye and paint a picture of a real person, with experience and attributes that reach beyond a list of resume bullets.

Take My Advice!

I’d like to share with you the following letter, which I received from a student at the University of Wisconsin:

Thanks for our talk earlier today. I appreciated your straightforward honesty. I felt like a naive kid who was suddenly given a cover letter awakening.

Now, I took your advice withOUT a grain of salt. I took it straight and changed most everything. I am ashamed to call the last documents I sent you “cover letters.” I wouldn’t have wanted to interview me. Sad. In these new cover letters, every sentence gives information that cannot be quite gathered from my resume. I really tried to pour some personality and passion into these and keep the reader’s attention. I can actually be proud of these letters.

This student says it well. Give them new information, NOT a regurgitation of your resume. Pour in some personality (purple?), passion (red?) Throw in some anecdotes (green?) And you too will be able to say you are proud of your cover letters.

You’ll be a lot more likely to get that interview, where you really get to show them who you are. 

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @TheEssayExpert

Phone: 608-467-0067 

• RWA Graduates Create Listing Create Free User Account
• Learn How to Get Listed! Become a Certified Writer

Marie Zimenoff

Related Posts

• Finding Resume Writers is easy by searching our trusted network of top-rated Resume Writers.
• How It Works
• List Your Company
• Browse Categories
• Browse Locations

• Resume Writers - Get Listed Today
• Resume Writing Academy
• All Rights Reserved
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy

The best colors for a resume are black, white, and blue. Blue is commonly used in workplaces and is associated with professionalism and trust. Many large websites, from Facebook to LinkedIn to Twitter, use blue as their main accent color. Blue also gives the reader a feeling of calmness and serenity. If you’re looking for the best color scheme for your resume and want a resume color that’s proven and safe to use, go with the same color that these big brands use — blue.

However, this doesn’t mean that blue is the only good resume color. You have a few additional options if you want to get more creative…

3 More Good Resume Accent Colors

If you want to use an accent color other than blue, you can opt for a different color scheme. Consider green, orange, or red. These are all professional resume colors that look great if used correctly.

Red is more aggressive, though. It’s associated with urgency. For example, think of stop signs and red traffic lights. They’re red because they need to grab your attention quickly. So a red color on a resume will be seen and noticed, but red may not give the tone and message you’re hoping for.

Whereas, a color like dark green is more neutral and calm.

Think about the following when choosing your resume’s accent color:

• Your industry (formal, non-formal, etc.)
• Your personality

Coming up, you’ll see examples of how to use all of these colors on a resume.

The bottom line is: You should only use colors as a subtle accent, to make the document look a bit more modern and interesting. The focus shouldn’t be on your colors. You aren’t going to gain a major advantage by having the most colorful, “loud” resume. In fact, overusing color or using it ineffectively could take the reader’s attention away from the words on the page.

Resume Examples with Good Color Schemes

Below, you’ll see examples demonstrating what some of the best color schemes for a resume look like.

Since we talked about blue being the best color for most resumes, let’s start with blue:

In the resume example above, you can see how a subtle blue makes a great secondary color to go along with the black text. As mentioned earlier, research into color psychology has shown that blue is associated with professionalism and trust. This resume above would perform well in formal industries, office environments, etc. And it looks slightly newer and more modern than a traditional black resume, which helps catch the reader’s eye and draw attention to key details.

Here’s one more example of mixing blue into your resume content to draw attention:

Next, let’s look at a different resume color choice. Here, the job seeker uses green to give their resume a modern feel and look. Green isn’t as commonly used in business documents as blue, but it’s still a relatively safe bet in terms of colors for your resume.

Color theory suggests that green has calming attributes and also is associated with abundance and growth .

Finally, we have an example of a resume using red as a secondary color. This resume stands out and catches attention immediately because of the bold color scheme.

A red accent color on your resume may perform well in some industries but could hurt the effectiveness of the document in other industries, so use your best judgement based on your target audience. The right color for your resume depends on your role and industry.

Avoid Using More than One Accent Color on Your Resume

No matter which color you opt for, choose only one color and use that same accent color throughout your resume (along with white and black). Don’t vary your resume colors in each section. This will simply distract the hiring manager and sabotage your job search. Your goal should be to make your resume easy to read and understand. Job seekers who use too much color are hurting their chances of getting the interview. And hiring managers/recruiters only spend a few seconds glancing at each resume at first, so you have to make it appealing to read. This is why you should use your accent color sparingly on your resume… perhaps for your resume header, borders, or key headings.

But the main text, such as your previous work experience and resume bullets , should be black text. One exception: You can substitute dark grey for black when choosing your resume colors. You’ll notice that some resume templates have grey text rather than true black, which is also fine when choosing the color on your resume. Just don’t use too light of a grey color if you’re using a white background, since you want a high contrast for better readability. But a dark grey is still very readable on a white background, and it’s a bit softer on the eyes, which makes dark grey one of the best colors for resume design, too.

You Can Also Mimic an Employer’s Brand Colors When You Apply

If you’re applying for a job at BestBuy, you could add a bit of yellow as a secondary color, with black as the primary color. If you’re applying for a role at Coca-Cola, red would be an interesting choice, to place emphasis on your alignment with the brand.

However, this is not necessary, and brands don’t expect resumes to mimic their color scheme. This is simply an idea to stand out if you’re applying to a company with a strong brand identity. It may not give you a major advantage but it would set you apart from other candidates.

Avoid Resume Templates that Use Too Many Bright, Creative Colors

Notice how the resumes examples above emphasize the text/content more than the colors. That’s how to approach your job hunt and resume design. An overly-colorful resume won’t make the document easy to read and will just distract from the main purpose, which is to show the hiring manager your skills and experience.

In fact, it’s also okay if you have no color on your resume. As I was finishing/editing this article, I saw a recruiter on LinkedIn who explained it quite clearly here:

There’s nothing wrong with a black and white resume. However, using a single accent color, such as blue, can help you stand out to hiring managers while making your resume look a bit more modern and interesting. The ideal resume color scheme finds a balance between enhancing the document without ever being distracting or “loud.”

One Exception: Resume Design in Creative Industries

One exception to the advice above: If you’re in a creative industry like graphic design or web design, you can consider using a few more bright colors on your resume. In this case, an interesting color combination can show that you understand how to create unique design elements and differentiate yourself from competitors. You can get more creative with a resume color scheme and consider using a bit of orange, red, or other eye-catching colors, which will make your resume stand out from other job seekers. But outside of the creative industries, more color on a resume will not impress a hiring manager and will just distract them. For this reason, colorful resumes should be avoided if you’re not a creative worker.

Best Colors for your Cover Letter

The best color scheme for your cover letter is black or dark grey on a white background. Cover letters are slightly different than resumes in terms of color scheme and strategy because employers expect and are most comfortable with a color-free cover letter. The only exception is if you’d like to add some color to the header section. Otherwise, the best option is a black/white color scheme.

Conclusion: Best Colors on a Resume

Blue is the best third color/accent color for a resume and should be used along with black and white. A black, white, and blue color scheme will appear modern, trustworthy, and grab the reader’s attention without being distracting. Beyond blue, other good choices include green, red, and orange. Whichever colors you choose, make sure there’s good contrast so that your resume is easy to read. So avoid light colors on a light background, for example.

And remember, there’s really no perfect color for a resume, since the goal of your resume is simply to draw the reader’s attention to the content and show them that you’d be a great fit for their job. So creating the perfect resume isn’t about finding the perfect color… It’s about having content that’s tailored to the job , showing the employer your accomplishments and results of your past work, and highlighting your skills and personal brand.

Colors on your resume should serve to enhance and modernize the general look and feel, but the content on your resume is ten times more important in winning the job interview. So don’t go overboard with color combinations. If in doubt, stick to dark blue, with black as your primary color for body text. This will ensure that you have a modern and professional resume that’s perfect for formal industries, office jobs, and more.

About the Author

Read more articles by Biron Clark

Read our Resume Essentials Guides

10 best free resume builders, what to put on a resume: 9 things to include, sample list of accomplishments for resume (35+ examples), top 14 resume skills to add on your resume + examples, does a resume need an objective, resume summary with no experience: examples for students and fresh graduates, resume keywords: 80+ verbs and power words to use, previous work experience examples for a resume, 24 resume summary examples that get interviews.

Does Having Color on My Resume Affect My Chance of Getting Hired?

In This Guide:

The benefits of including color on your resume, the drawbacks of using color in a resume, a quick lesson in color theory, 3 steps to choose a brilliant color scheme for your resume, so… should you use color on your resume.

Recruiters take a short six seconds to screen your resume.

Resumes are, therefore, sorted with quick first impressions in mind. Does this look like the right candidate? Are there appropriate skills on the page? These are all things the recruiter thinks about when your resume comes across their desk.

Where does color come into the conversation?

Recruiters tend to favor resumes that show a level of creativity that matches their role. Your resume color can help you stand out, show culture fit, and direct attention.

But that can backfire at any time…

Used poorly, color on your resume can look gimmicky and throw the recruiter off.

See the benefits and drawbacks of using color on your resume, along with the best strategy to get hired.

Alex Lafreniere, a happy user, shared this: "Hands down the best and most intuitive resume builder I've used. Go for the pro plan - it's the best bang for your buck. You get a lot more sections, which helps with the different variations of your cv, especially if you want to tailor it to different industries."

BUILD A STAND-OUT RESUME

Upload & Check Your Resume

Drop your resume here or choose a file . PDF & DOCX only. Max 2MB file size.

1- Demonstrate culture fit

A benefit to including color on your resume is the ability to demonstrate culture fit. Specifically, you can use your color scheme to match the brand of your potential employer.

Not only does this show your awareness of the organization’s brand, but it also highlights your attention to detail in your work. While this won’t be enough on its own to get you hired, it will certainly be a detail that sets you apart.

When Pavel was building his data scientist resume , he chose a blue color scheme that matched the brand of Booking.com, where he eventually got hired. He credits those small details for giving him an edge over other applicants.

Tip: Create a resume just like Pavel’s using Enhancv’s resume builder that perfectly balances professionalism and personality.

2- Direct attention

Ask yourself one question when putting your resume together:

What are the three things you want recruiters to remember about you?

We all have key points in our career we want to highlight for headhunters. On top of that, you’re hoping that the recruiter notices how you answer the job description.

Using color, you can highlight the most important parts of your resume — which can be key sections or even words. Anything to help you pass the 6-second test.

In his IT resume , Adam used color to organize graphics when detailing his typical day of work.

This simple graphic quickly draws the attention of the recruiter and focuses their attention on the makeup of  Adam’s typical day – from utilizing his skills in technical support to building relationships through networking.

3- Automated Tracking Systems

A concern you may be dealing with is passing through Automated Tracking Systems (ATS). These are designed and utilized by recruiters to screen resumes submitted for certain resume buzzwords , key attributes, and so on.

Unlike resume length or format, color does not affect your performance in ATS. So, there’s no need to worry.

4- No limitation on your physical resume

Adding color to your resume doesn’t add limitations. On the contrary, it gives you more options.

When crafting your resume using a distinct color palette, you always have the option of printing your resume in greyscale for those organizations that may prefer a more traditional resume design.

It’s the best of both worlds.

1- Gimmicky

Headhunters will appreciate resumes that use color to add to their resume, but not those that take away from their resume. Using countless color combinations and variations on a single page will look gimmicky.

That gives hiring managers the impression that you’re trying to overcompensate for a lack of experience and skills, which is the last thing you want to do.

2- Distort readability

Some colors can be difficult to read depending on the type of paper they’re printed on.

There’s also a chance the recruiter may struggle with very bright colors or they may not present as pigmented on their computer screen compared to yours.

If you’re using color on important text, this can distort readability.

3- More expensive printing

As a more practical drawback of color on your resume, you’ll have to spend more money on printing.

Whether this is on your personal printer (i.e., purchasing more color ink) or in printing shops, the cost is higher.

The question you’ll have to ask yourself is simple: is it worth it?

Before choosing colors for your resume, you must understand the fundamentals of color theory.

What makes some resumes stand out while others are largely ignored?

Recruiters are only human, and their brains perceive color the same way we do.

So, if you apply the right design principles and use color creatively, you can lead their eyes toward what matters. You’ll enhance their interest in your profile and help them hire you.

Here are five color theory principles to apply in your resume:

1- Contrast

The colors you pick for your resume must ensure an optimal level of contrast with the background to stand out.

For example:

Using a color that’s too bright can cause a massive distraction for hiring managers. That makes it impossible for them to read and understand any of your resume parts.

A well-contrasting color makes all your sections easily distinguishable. It will increase the readability of your fonts and text, which saves the recruiter’s time.

Be sure to pick a dominant color to contrast nicely with the background and keep your resume easy on the eye.

2- Hierarchy

The right color combination allows you to establish a clear visual hierarchy and lead the viewer’s eye in the right direction.

You’ll help recruiters see which elements they should read first by choosing:

A primary color that stands out as the top of your hierarchy. It grabs the hiring manager’s attention as soon as they look at your resume.

A secondary that’s less dominant, yet complementary to your primary color. It allows you to organize your content more efficiently and emphasize secondary elements.

An accent color, which is an artistic choice that makes your resume more visually appealing. It’s also an excellent way to highlight different resume elements such as your job title, profile or portfolio links, university name, etc.

But be careful…

Your colors shouldn’t fight each other for the attention of the recruiter. They can’t be on the same level of dominance and saturation. Or else, it wouldn’t be clear to the recruiter what part to read first.

Instead, your colors must work together to lead the headhunter’s eye towards what to read next.

Jemma used different shades of blue to establish a clear hierarchy on her resume. She started with a strong, high-contrast blue as her dominant color to draw attention to her job title and section titles.

Her sentences and paragraphs were color in a slightly brighter blue that’s easy to read and doesn’t fight her primary color.

Her accent color was a different tint of blue, and she used that to color smaller elements on her page.

You may have wondered before:

What colors look best when used on a resume?

Unfortunately, designing a resume requires creativity and originality. There is no universal answer to the question asked above.

But the rule of thumb is this:

Don’t just pick a color you like and cross your fingers that the hiring manager has the same taste as you. After all, you’re making this resume to convince them.

To pick the right color palette, you must think of color within the context of the job and the hiring company.

• Use green if you’re applying for jobs in the health industry
• Blue works well for web developers and software engineers
• Orange is often used in sports and athletics resumes

These are just examples that you shouldn’t take by heart. You could use different colors in different industries as long as they look good.

Be sure to check out the resumes of other applicants in your industry to see which colors they’re using.

4- Consistency

Do you ever wonder why successful companies rarely change their brand colors?

It’s all about brand awareness…

Big brands can spend millions to make changes to their brand. But that would have the opposite effect of what they’re aiming for.

Companies want everyone to remember their products and services when seeing a specific color. So they stick to the same colors.

What does all that have to do with your resume?

You should think of yourself as a successful brand and start acting like one. Be consistent in the colors you use in your resume, cover letter, portfolio, business card, etc.

Make sure your colors stick inside the recruiter’s head to keep you on top of their minds. That’s a fantastic way to stand out and showcase your creative abilities on a simple resume.

5- Combination

When given the option, most applicants get excited and use too many colors. They see that as a way to make their resumes more interesting.

But the truth is…

That only makes things worse because it’s hard to find a unique color palette.

Not all colors work well together, and most color combinations aren’t visually appealing. You’ll only end up confusing headhunters and giving them a hard time trying to decide what to read next.

You need to keep things simple and not get too creative when choosing which colors to use on your resume.

That’s what Jessica did when creating her medical technologist resume:

Use the same color to group things together and keep them within a category. Be consistent in the color you pick for section titles, separating lines, paragraphs, etc.

More importantly, choose color variations that go well together to maintain color harmony. For example, pick two complementary colors, such as blue and orange.

1- Primary, Secondary, and Accent Colors

To catch your recruiter’s attention and avoid coming off as gimmicky, the best way of using color on your resume is to pick three.

One color should serve as your primary color, a second color as your secondary color, and your third color as an accent.

When developing his teacher’s resume , Ben did just this.

Using grey as his primary color, black as his secondary color, and blue as his accent, St. Francis Xavier College saw the skills that made him a gifted career advisor and teacher.

The primary, secondary, and accent strategy has been used across countless industries. Our users have effectively used it when getting hired at places like Spotify , Verizon Digital Media Services, and Booking.com.

These successes aren’t limited to the tech sector, however. Daniel used it when creating his customer support resume , Casey in her volunteering resume , and Melanie in her sales resume .

2- Match to your cover letter

Consistency is key in most aspects of life – and the same is true when using color on your resume.

There’s little sense in topping your resume (that’s full of life and color) with a black and white cover letter.

Be sure to match the color scheme across all materials your present the recruiter.

3- Consider resume paper

The resume paper you print your resume on can have a great effect on the color fonts and graphics you include.

If you’re planning on printing on white paper, most colors will print and read well off of this. The same can’t be said if you use black paper, or even blue or pink.

When it comes to resume color, the question shouldn’t center around whether you should or not (you should) but rather on how you’ll incorporate color.

As outlined above, there are color theory fundamentals you need to understand to help you pick the right colors.

Pick the right colors to use in your resume. And split your palette into primary, secondary, and accent colors. That’s the best way to get noticed by recruiters and focus their attention.

• Resume Guides

Resume Wars: Anakin Skywalker vs Darth Vader

How do you choose a professional email address for a resume, how to put your thesis on a resume, how to sell yourself in a cover letter, how to send an introduction email to a recruiter (sample included), overqualified for a job tips to overcome this hurdle.

• Create Resume
• Terms of Service
• Privacy Policy
• Cookie Preferences
• Resume Examples
• Resume Templates
• AI Resume Builder
• Resume Summary Generator
• Resume Formats
• Resume Checker
• Resume Skills
• How to Write a Resume
• Modern Resume Templates
• Simple Resume Templates
• Cover Letter Builder
• Cover Letter Examples
• Cover Letter Templates
• Cover Letter Formats
• How to Write a Cover Letter
• Cover Letter Guides
• Job Interview Guides
• Job Interview Questions
• Career Resources
• Meet our customers
• Career resources
• English (UK)
• French (FR)
• German (DE)
• Spanish (ES)
• Swedish (SE)

© 2024 . All rights reserved.

Made with love by people who care.