What's the Best Color for a Resume in 2025? A Guide to Passing ATS & Impressing Recruiters

Meta Description: What's the best color for a resume? This guide reveals how to choose professional, ATS-friendly colors that make your application stand out for the right reasons. Learn the top colors to use, which to avoid, and boost your interview chances. Read now!

Introduction

You've perfected your resume's content, but one question remains: should you add a splash of color? In a sea of black and white applications, a touch of color can help you stand out, but the wrong choice can make you look unprofessional and even get your resume rejected before a human ever sees it. This guide cuts through the conflicting advice to give you a definitive, data-driven answer on the best color for your resume, ensuring you impress both hiring managers and the automated systems they rely on.

Why Resume Color Matters More Than You Think

Color psychology is a powerful tool in branding and marketing, and your resume is your personal marketing document. The colors you choose can instantly convey personality traits like creativity, trustworthiness, or sophistication. However, the primary goal is always readability and professionalism. The wrong color can distract from your accomplishments and raise red flags about your professional judgment.

The ATS Test: Will a Robot Reject Your Colorful Resume?

Before a hiring manager reads your resume, it will almost certainly be scanned by an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Nearly 99% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS to filter candidates, and these systems are the first gatekeeper you need to pass Jobscan Study on ATS Usage.

ATS software is designed to parse text, not to appreciate aesthetics. Here’s how color can cause problems:

Low Contrast: If your text color doesn't contrast sharply with the background (e.g., gray text on a white background), the ATS may fail to read it.
Colored Text: Some older ATS versions automatically discard colored text, reading it as an error.
Backgrounds & Graphics: Colored backgrounds, images, or complex graphic elements can make your resume completely unreadable to the software, leading to an automatic rejection.

The golden rule is to ensure your resume's core information is presented in a simple, high-contrast, text-based format.

The Best Resume Colors for Professionalism and Readability

Stick to a conservative palette. The goal is to look polished and professional, not to create a work of art.

The Safe Bets: Black, Blues, and Grays

Black: The undisputed champion. It's traditional, easy to read, and 100% ATS-friendly for all text. Your body text should always be black.
Navy Blue / Dark Blue: Conveys trustworthiness, confidence, and professionalism. It's an excellent choice for headers or your name.
Charcoal Gray: A softer alternative to pure black, gray can create a modern, sophisticated look. Use it for subheadings or horizontal lines, but ensure it's dark enough to be easily readable.

The Creative Accents: Muted Greens, Burgundies, and Teals

If you're in a more creative field (like marketing or design), you have slightly more leeway. However, the key is to use muted, deep tones, not bright or neon shades.

Deep Burgundy: Suggests ambition and sophistication.
Forest Green: Implies growth, harmony, and stability.
Muted Teal: A modern color that blends the calming properties of blue with the renewal of green.

How to Use Color on Your Resume: Do's and Don'ts

To ensure you get it right, follow these simple rules. This is a perfect checklist to follow.

Bulleted List: Key Takeaways

Do: Use a single accent color for your name, section headers (e.g., 'Experience', 'Education'), and hyperlinks.
Do: Stick to a maximum of two colors (including black).
Do: Ensure your color choices look good when printed in black and white.
Don't: Use color for the main body text of your resume. Stick to black.
Don't: Use bright, neon, or distracting colors like yellow, pink, or lime green.
Don't: Place text over a colored background. Always use a white background.

Feeling unsure about your template? JobSeekerTools' resume builder offers a range of pre-approved, ATS-friendly templates. You can customize colors with confidence, knowing your resume is optimized for both robots and humans.

Resume Color Comparison: Good vs. Bad Examples

To make it crystal clear, here is a comparison of how color can be used effectively versus ineffectively.

Feature	✅ Good Example	❌ Bad Example
Name Header	Dark Blue or Black	Bright Green or Yellow
Section Text	Black	Dark Gray or Blue
Hyperlinks	Standard Blue or Accent Color	Black (not obviously a link)
Background	White	Gray, Beige, or a Watermark

Industry-Specific Color Palettes

While the "safe bets" work for everyone, here is a step-by-step guide to choosing a palette based on your industry.

Numbered List: Choosing by Industry

Corporate/Finance/Law: Be conservative. Stick to black and an optional navy blue or charcoal gray accent for headers.
Tech/Marketing: You can be slightly more modern. A muted teal or a professional blue works well for headers and links.
Creative/Design: You have more freedom, but don't go overboard. A deep burgundy or forest green can work, but the portfolio it links to is what truly matters.
Healthcare/Education/Government: Professionalism is paramount. It is highly recommended to stick to a traditional black and white resume.

Conclusion

The best color for a resume is one that enhances your professional brand without sacrificing readability or ATS compatibility. For virtually all job seekers, the winning formula is simple: black text on a white background, with a single, professional accent color like dark blue or gray used sparingly for headers. Your resume's content is the most critical factor, so let your skills and experience take center stage, and use color only as a subtle, strategic tool to support them.

Key Resources

The Psychology of Resume Colors

Infographic explaining the best color for a resume based on color psychology and industry standards for job seekers.

This infographic breaks down what different professional colors communicate to a hiring manager.

Color Symbolism

Blue

Trust
Professionalism
Calmness
Loyalty

Black

Sophistication
Power
Elegance
Formality

Gray

Neutrality
Balance
Professionalism
Practicality

Green

Growth
Opportunity
Harmony
Ambition

Burgundy

Ambition
Power
Confidence
Leadership

ATS-Friendly vs. Unfriendly Resume Designs

Comparison chart showing examples of the best color choices for a professional, ATS-friendly resume versus poor color choices.

A side-by-side visual showing two resumes. The 'Unfriendly' one would have a colored background, light-colored text, and multiple distracting colors. The 'Friendly' one would show a clean, white background with black text and a single dark blue accent color for headers.

ATS-Unfriendly Design

Colored background
Light-colored text
Multiple distracting colors

ATS-Friendly Design

Clean, white background
Black text
Single dark blue accent color for headers

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is it OK for a resume to be 2 pages? Yes, a two-page resume is acceptable and often necessary if you have over 10 years of relevant experience. However, for early-career professionals, a single page is still the standard. Ensure the most critical information is on the first page.

2. Should my resume color match my cover letter? Yes, for a cohesive and professional brand identity, you should use the same color scheme and formatting on your cover letter as you do on your resume. This shows attention to detail.

3. Can I use a color photo on my resume? In the United States and UK, you should NOT include a photo on your resume unless you are an actor or model. Including a photo can introduce unconscious bias into the hiring process. In other parts of the world, customs may vary, so it's wise to research local expectations.