What color for a CV? This question seems logical when we see many CV models with colors more original than the others. Indeed, well used, these give a positive image of your profile to attract the attention of the recruiter and land a job interview.
But beware of bad taste. Here are some tips to help you choose the right CV color for your job search…
- CV in dynamic colors: green, purple, red, yellow…
- CV sober colors: midnight blue, off-white...
- Pastel Colors CV
- Patterned and gradient resumes
- Black and white, minimalist CV
Resumes in dynamic colors
Dynamic, modern and trendy colors are very easy to apply to give a youthful look to your CV. These colors are perfect for the Marketing or Communication sectors.
The Green CV
Green is a very positive color that embodies values that are very beneficial for a candidacy: luck, calm, growth, hope.
When we think of green, we also think of the forest and nature. But it can come in multiple more dynamic versions that tend towards blue. For example, duck blue remains our favorite: bright and dynamic, it gives a positive touch to your profile.
Our Versatile CV template illustrates this duck blue trend well:
Another way to use Green with your CV is to play on dark, almost metallic shades. This allows the elements of the title block to stand out better and possibly associate a second dynamic colour with it.
The Elegante CV is a very good example of a green CV:
The Yellow CV
Yellow is a fairly complex color to use for a resume. We recommend that you use it sparingly because it can quickly become too colorful. To give you an example of a yellow resume , our Joli resume template perfectly doses the small touches of yellow that perfectly highlight the profile photo and your personal data.
This pretty resume makes perfect use of touches of yellow:
The Purple CV
Purple is quite practical to use because it allows you to play on a sober color equal to blue, but with more originality. Purple evokes delicacy, prosperity and spirituality. It is a color that takes on its full meaning in positions of responsibility.
If you opt for a purple CV , however, prefer dark purples or gradients. The Feminine CV elegantly degrades the purple throughout the CV.
The Orange CV
An orange CV is quite daring but it gives pep and vitamin to your application. Impossible to miss. The orange color evokes cheerfulness and optimism. It is a color that will be perfect for creative profiles such as graphic designers, designers or architects.
The Orange CV balances with a sober and professional layout:
The Red CV
Initially, the color red evokes sensuality and passion. Basically, it is a fairly aggressive color that also symbolizes danger and the forbidden. In a CV, red can be played in different ways. We have declined it in a darker/purple version, this immediately gives it a sober and serious character.
The CV Profile , very stylish, uses a “burgundy” red tone to maintain a certain sobriety:
Conversely, in a punchier version, red immediately gives more modernity to a very traditional CV. With a simple splash of color, a classic CV becomes a very contemporary red CV.
The traditional CV finds very modern lines with a bright red:
As you can see, anything is possible as long as there is a right balance between color and design. But what about head-to-toe colorful resumes?
The pink CV
A pink CV is obviously very gendered, very feminine. It is a color that evokes femininity, tenderness, happiness and childhood. Positions such as childcare assistant, pediatrician or midwife will be perfect. It is also a color widely used in the beauty and well-being sector: beautician, makeup artist, etc.
The Pink CV comes in several tones, softer or more energetic:
The colorful CV
More original and more daring, mango yellow (or mustard yellow), "Pak Choï" purple or green no. 15. They are used more lightly to avoid the "cheap" effect with large flat areas. To remain elegant, adopt a more sober layout.
The Colorful CV plays perfectly on the balance between a sober layout and bright colors:
Another option is to use these colors in small touches to accentuate the contrasts between the different levels of information. Use yellow sparingly as a time marker, red to highlight essential elements, and the more sober midnight blue for the whole.
The Color CV (below) takes full advantage of this rule.
💡 Good to know
Discover our CV examples in Word , PowerPoint or PDF formats to inspire you with many possible colors for your CV. More than 300 professional CV templates in many colors are at your disposal to save you time.
CVs in sober colours: from midnight blue to off-white
The Blue CV
Blue is a good color for a CV, very sober. Blue reflects the dream, the calm, the wisdom. It makes us think of the sea and the sky, of water and its transparency. It is synonymous with calm and serenity.
The use of blue is ideal for highlighting qualities such as stress management, a rational mind and one that knows how to take a step back.
The midnight blue CV remains our favorite because it combines its touch of color while keeping a serious line close to black. With light gray, the association is perfect, without taking real risks on how the recruiter will consider your profile. Navy blue remains sober, chic, like a beautiful suit with its white shirt.
You won't be the most original by choosing these colors for your CV, but it's perfectly suited to profiles looking to stay modern while avoiding risk-taking or bad taste. For candidates who want to master.
See our Formal Resume example to get an idea:
Our Professional CV template also offers beautiful shades of blue:
The light gray CV
Light gray goes well with midnight blue. More modern than classic white, light gray can be used as the background color of your resume. It gives more body to the content, even when the resume is not very detailed.
Here is an example to download with the Sobre CV :
Another example with the FIRST CV where the gray drowns out the contrasts of darker gray to highlight the 3 major sections: professional experience, skills, projects, etc.
Pastel colored CVs
Pastel CVs are softer, lighter and more sober. Their use is ideal for using more unusual colours but which do not make too much noise in your CV . Green, purple or boudoir pink work very well for example. This gives very floral light colours.
Note that purple is a fairly complex color. Historically associated with royalty (rare and expensive dye), this rather feminine color brings a distinguished side, but it is quite divisive. You either like it or you don't. In its pastel version, the risk-taking is less strong.
See our Chronological Resume template for your inspiration:
The Creative CV template also offers very interesting pastel colors, which help to compensate for an original design...
Resumes with design patterns and gradients
Beyond colors, some trendy patterns can be used effectively to give a modern and contemporary touch to your CV. Diamond or geometric patterns in particular set the tone at the moment.
The blank CV template is the perfect illustration of this:
The use of color gradients, from blue to green or from gray to white, also gives a very stylish result.
Our STYLE and CURRENT CV templates will give you a better idea...
Black and white, minimalist CVs
The black and white CV remains the perfect minimalist choice. Its advantages are numerous, especially for original CVs. You will see the result on our aesthetic CV template , very design and creative.
Black embodies rigor, elegance, luxury and mystery. Indeed, the black and white CV has the strength to be able to make any CV model elegant. But be careful not to choose a simple or classic CV model for black and white, you risk falling very quickly into the boring CV par excellence.
In short, black and white yes, but only to balance a CV with an already quite original design.
Conversely, you can play the total minimalism game by assuming the black and white CV in perfect sobriety.
The Minimalist CV template perfectly illustrates this approach:
There you have it, you know everything!
So, color CV or not?
To create a resume that will get you to a job interview, choose a color that suits you first and foremost because it subtly shows the recruiter who you are. But be careful to look closely at the companies that are recruiting: don't go too far off the beaten track. You risk looking like an original.
To avoid making mistakes in taste, take inspiration from our CV templates and cover letter examples that were created in collaboration with recruitment and design experts. This will be a good starting point or inspiration to land a job interview.
