A resume is an essential document that acts as the first interaction between you and the company you are applying for a job at. In a resume, a person adds the top skills and abilities required for the role or position they have applied for. It matters a lot how you design your resume and what information you are included in it. Now a debate is on the spot that, Colors on resume – Is it a good idea? Well, read the article to know each and everything about it.
Colors on resume – Is it a good idea?
Color is a strong device if used expertly. It is never a bad idea to use colors in your resume. Make sure that you are using colors in the place where it is needed. Unnecessary use of colors in your resume may look childish and weird. Use it, but smartly.
Is it right to use colors in your Resume?
It is a major subject of argument between people if it is right or wrong to use colors in your resume. According to some people, color is an essential part of designing a document to attract people’s eyes to the places needed. For others, a document should be colorless and only designed with black and white colors to make it look more professional and elegant. But for you the only goal is to get a job, so you should stand and think about what would happen if you add colors to your resume. Using colors in your resume can be a unique decision. It will help you to stand out from other job applicants and give a unique impression of yourself to the company. If we are working on your resume with full devotion and adding colors to the places desired, it will give a positive impression of yourself to the company. The company will have a thought about yourself that you are serious about the job as you are designing your resume with adequate skills required in a customized manner.
The idea of adding colors to your resume entirely relies on your choice and personality. You should design your resume according to the job title and industry you are applying for. If you are applying for an artistic job, using color can be effective as it reflects your personality and attitude towards the job. But on the other hand, if you are applying for a job that is not as artistic but mostly professional, then you should design your resume in a grayscale color combination which will make it look more effective and give a reflection about yourself that you are experienced and skilled. Both of the options can be equally important and effective if they are used adequately.
When to add color to your resume?
Color is indeed the powerful equipment to use in a write-up and it attracts an individual’s eyes quickly. But the use of color can look childish sometimes. It is not right to use colors more than they should be used. Here are some places where you can add color to your resume:-
- Heading and subheading- whenever you start a new topic to write on, you can use the color font for your heading and subheading.
- Point of attention- you should add colors where you would like to have the attention of the reader. The people who read resumes of applicants in a company don’t have much time to go through the whole resume of each individual. The maximum time given to a particular resume is 5 to 10 seconds only. So if you want that the most important content in your resume should not miss out on the reader, for example, your skills and abilities then you should put them in the color font.
- Showing creativity- a creative design of a resume can grab attention more effectively. By creative design, it doesn’t mean to add flowers and petals all over your resume. Keep it simple yet significant. Show creativity where it is needed. For example, if you are applying for a job as a role of graphic designer then you can show your creativity on your resume itself because it is the first source of interaction between you and your company. The more you will be active with your resume, the more will be the chances of you getting hired.
When to not add colors to your resume?
Adding colors is a nice way to show your creativity and efforts, but on the other hand, sometimes it can be not so nice as a decision. There are particular situations in which you should be professional and look forward to the quality of the content on your resume. Some situations where you should not add colors to your resume are as follows:-
- Lack of knowledge- when you do not have proper knowledge about colors and color schemes, then you should skip the part of adding colors to your resume. Lack of knowledge can lead to mistakes and blunders in the document. You cannot add every color available on the color palette to your resume, there are certain rules and regulations to add colors to an official document. Lack of knowledge can build up risk.
- Online Resume- adding colors to your online resume is also not a good idea to go for. Especially when there are certain needs of a company on submitting in a document. If you add colors to it and your resume does not compete with the tracking system of the company, then automatically it will be rejected. It is better to keep it simple and basic rather than trying to be creative and losing the job. Sometimes colors make the text difficult to read on someone’s screen. In this situation, you should only use black and white colors on your resume.
What are the best colors to use in a resume?
Using different and vibrant color combinations in your resume can sometimes look informal and unprofessional to the people out there in the company. The color scheme that you are using in your resume is a crucial segment of the structure. One should always have a balance between creativeness and professionalism. The leader who is reading your resume goes through hundreds of resumes daily, so your resume should be unique to stand out for yourself. On the other hand, you need to have a professional and positive first impression as a serious applicant. Make sure that whatever you are doing, is going in the right direction.
The entire focus of your resume design should be based on clearness. Adding colors to your resume is ok but only when the colors are in the right manner so the readability does not decrease. You should know that what you are putting as content in your resume is the most important thing in it. No matter what color you are using to write your resume, what matters is your skills and ability which will help you to get a job. But still, if you want to stand out don’t want to look like everybody else out there, you should pay attention to the design of your resume.
The best color to use in your resume entirely relies on the profession that you are applying for as a job. Still, the best color scheme for a reason can be black white in a third color such as blue and green. This color scheme is the safest of them all. Using vibrant colors red, yellow, or orange can make you look unprofessional and weird. So avoid using bright colors in your resume. also don’t use light colors with a white background because it will make the text difficult to read.
What are the red flags in your resume?
There are certain things that a resume should not contain otherwise it will get rejected automatically and your interview will be a dream which will never come true. Here are some top common red flags on a regimen that should not be there:-
- Unprofessional email address- the resume is a professional document that is the first impression of yourself to the company. Make sure to have a separate email address for your job and business purpose. Use your official first and last name. Unwanted use of letters, numbers, and symbols will be considered unprofessional and informal.
- Typing mistakes- spelling mistakes are general when you are writing something. No one can write perfect content in one go. Make sure to check your resume twice or thrice before submitting it to check if there are any spelling or typing mistakes.
- Inconsistent dates- do not mess up the dates in your resume. Make sure that the date of your past work experience is not overlapping. If you were working with more than one organization at a time then mention that too.
- Too much personal information- the resume is an official document that only requires the skills and abilities of an individual related to the job role. The only personal information that you will have to provide is your name, educational qualification, and email address. Any other personal information such as birthday, social media handles, will be considered unprofessional and your resume will be rejected.
- Unwanted job information- avoid putting unwanted information about previous jobs that you were doing which is relevant to the one that you are applying for with this resume. It may portray your look like an indecisive fool.
Is it necessary to focus on font and font sizes while designing a resume?
Well, the most important thing in a resume is the content that you put on. The skills and abilities to fit in the job that you are applying for to the resume are the most important thing. Make sure to pick a font that is professional and readable.
Many organizations use an applicant tracking system which is a digital method to track your resume. If you are using a unique or unusual font maybe the machine will not be able to recognize what you have written. So make sure that your content is readable and professional enough to fit the job criteria. Here are some top professional fonts used in official documents:-
- Arial- this font always tops the list of most used fonts in the official documents. It is a nice and decent font to use in your resume because of its readability and professionalism.
- Times New Roman- this font is also one of the most used fonts because of its readability and clearness. You can use this font in your resume
- Georgia- this font is very similar to the font of Times New Roman, hence it is a nice font to use in your resume.
- Calibri- simple and basic but the best to use. The clarity of this font is outstanding and you should go for this option if you don’t like others.
Apart from font style, font size also matters. If you want is too small, it will not pass through the tracking system. Also, the clarity and readability of the font will decrease. If it is larger than needed, then it will increase the size of your resume which is not good. Make sure that you are avoiding all the silly mistakes. Here are the general font size you should use while designing your resume:-
- Your name- font size 18 to 24.
- Headings- font size 12 to 16.
- Body- font size 10 to 12.
You can change the font sizes for the length of your resume that you want to be. Make sure that it is not too small or too large. Yes, it is your experience and ability that require the most in the resume. But, designing it properly can steal someone’s attention.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is never a bad idea to use colors on your resume. Just make sure that your resume looks professional enough because what matters is your experience and skills.
FAQs
- Is it unprofessional to have color in your resume?
No, it is not unprofessional to have color in your resume. Just avoid the use of vibrant colors and manage your color scheme well.
- Is pink resume unprofessional?
Yes, bright color may look unprofessional in a resume.
- What is the best color to use on a resume?
Black and white are the best colors to use on your resume.
- Does it matter if your resume is pretty?
No, it doesn’t matter if your resume is pretty or not. A resume is all about your skills and abilities for the job you are applying for.
