Should There Be Color In Resumes? Here's What to Know

People are looking for ways to stand out in the job application process, and that often leads to this question:

"Is it okay to use color? I like color but I've been told it's not allowed."

The short answer? Color is fine.

How to use color in resumes

I actually get a little happy when I open up a resume that has color on it, possibly because I've spent too many hours staring at plain black and white type and it all starts to run together after a while.

Color also indicates to me that I'm looking at the resume of a self-confident job seeker, and that's a good thing. HR and recruiter types aren't necessarily looking for wall flowers; we want people confident in their particular skill set. Color can be an avenue to express that kind of confidence.

Regardless, I do need to clarify that color is acceptable in small doses. You can use between one and three different colors in things like:

• borders

• bullet points

• or (if you are in a creative trade) a graphic* of some kind

*Please don’t go overboard using pictures in resumes – it can go seriously wrong.

What not to do

Don't, however, make the print (words) colorful. I want to be slightly "uplifted", not go blind. Colored text can be extremely hard to read, and that defeats the purpose of having a resume.