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careersboosters says August 1
Nice Post. .! Thank you for sharing the article…Enjoyed reading the article.!
ReplyIf you're thinking about using an online resume builder, you've come to the right place!
What's In This Resume Builder Guide
In this in-depth guide we'll review the best resume builder apps and top-rated resume building sites that you can use to automatically build a great-quality resume or professional CV from scratch.
If you are new to the world of resume builders, then don't fret: we also cover how resume builder apps work, the different kinds of resume builders available and their limitations.
Note: This guide is about automated resume builder services and apps. While many of these are quite good today, nothing comes close to the quality a human writer can attain.
If you are looking for a professional resume writer, then check out our resume writing service buying guide, instead.
Best Automated Resume Builders Compared
App/Service | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
 | Classic style resume. ATS-friendly. | |
 | Modern-style resume. ATS-friendly. | |
 | Lots of templates. ATS-friendly. | |
 | Highly- customized resume. | |
 | Highly- customized resume. | |
 | Job-specific resume w/ free online publishing. | |
 | Job-specific resume w/ free online publishing. |
Resume Genius Review
Resume Genius provides a super easy way to create a professional resume even if you have never written a resume before.
They offer over 20 templates that you can use to create a clean, professional resume which is ATS friendly.
The only issue some customers seem to have is being charged for a monthly subscription when all they wanted was a single resume. But they have great customer service to sort out any refund issues.
Pricing
Resume Genius offers a 14-day trial for $1.95.
During this period, you can create as many resumes and cover letters as you want and download them.
If you just need a single resume and cover letter, then 14 days are more than enough.
If you do not cancel by the end of the trial period, Resume Genius automatically charges you $39.95 for a monthly subscription. This has been an issue for some of their trial customers, so be careful to watch the clock.
You can also opt for a yearly subscription which gives you continued access to your resumes and covers letters and lets you create as many as you need.
There is no free package.
Resume Templates
There are over 20 templates to choose from.
The templates are mostly popular resume formats that are widely accepted by many companies.
All of them are ATS friendly.
They include classic templates usually used in traditional-style resumes, modern templates that are ideal for most professionals and creative templates for those who want a unique but still professional resume design.
Resume Genius categorizes their templates into easy-to-choose categories to make it easier to find the one you need. There are the Most-Popular templates, Classic templates, New Arrivals and Creative templates.
You can preview each template to get an idea of how your final resume is going to look.
Cover Letter Builder
If you need a cover letter along with your resume, Resume Genius can help you build one.
You’ll need to answer questions about your work experience, education, and field.
Resume Builder
Resume Genius' resume builder is easy to use.
The entire process takes about 20 minutes.
The first step is to select your preferred template.
Then you’ll fill out the different sections of the resume starting from basic contact info and end with additional skills. You can add a new custom section or rearrange the existing ones.
This gives you a lot of control over how the organization of information on your resume. For example, you can place ‘Education’ before ‘Work Experience’ or add a new ‘Certifications’ section.
Best Features
- Easy to use resume builder with lots of customization options.
- 20 templates are available.
- Customized cover letter builder.
- Extra resources including resume samples, resume writing advice and job alerts.
Known Issues
The only issue is the one I mentioned before: unwanted monthly charges.
More than a few customers have complained that they got charged for the monthly subscription even after canceling the trial period.
But most of them report they got a refund easily, once they contacted customer support.
ResumeBuilder.org Review
ResumeBuilder.org is a resume builder and cover letter builder that is also really easy to use.
Even if you have zero resume writing experience, you’ll be able to put together a nice-looking resume that looks very professional and gets you interviews.
When signing up, check the terms and conditions carefully.
Some customers have complained that they were charged more money because they did not cancel their trial period before it expired.
Pricing
The basic option is a one-off $1.95 package that is valid for 14 days.
If you do not cancel before then, they will charge you a monthly subscription.
You can also sign up for monthly packages that include a $6.99/mo plan, a 3-month $4.99/mo plan and a 6-month $2.99/mo plan.
Resume Templates
There are several templates to choose from ranging from the classic formats of traditional resumes to more modern designs that are becoming more popular (see example above).
Some of the templates include Deluxe, Executive, Modern, Whitespace, and Artistic.
Cover Letter Builder
You will likely need a cover letter for your resume, which ResumeBuilder can produce for you.
As with resumes, there are several cover letter templates available. Once you've choose your template, you’ll answer a few questions and the builder will generate a custom letter that you can download as a PDF.
Resume Builder
The resume building process is very simple.
Once you select a resume template, you'll create an account and then start filling the resume with your details.
Start with basic contact info, move on to work experience, add your skills and finish education.
You can move the sections around to create your custom format, as well.
Best Features
- Very easy to use.
- Polished resume and cover letter available in modern format.
- Professional and ATS-friendly resume and cover letter templates.
Known Issues
Again, look out for the subscription issue. If you sign up for the one-off package, make sure you cancel in time to avoid being automatically charged for a monthly subscription.
From customer experience, their customer service is not the best so you might have trouble getting a refund if you don’t cancel.
Resume.com Resume Builder Review
Resume.com has a really nice visual resume builder app with all the sections laid out just as they will be printed - just click on a section to edit it.
They offer a free version that allows you to build a resume, but you can’t do much with it until you upgrade your account.
Pricing
Resume.com loves to tout their ‘free’ resume building services. But it’s not really free.
Sure, you can build your resume and fill out all the sections. But that’s it.
You'll have to upgrade your account to download your resume or send it by email.
To unlock your resume, the offer a 7-day trial for $5.95.
You will need to cancel your trial, otherwise you will be charged $29.95 per month at the end of the seven days.
You can also opt for a 3-month subscription which costs $59.95 per 3 months.
The paid upgrade allows you to print your finished resume, download it in several formats, use premium templates and send your resume to employers via email - directly from the dashboard.
Resume Templates
There are two dozen great-looking templates to choose from, including Traditional, Improved Traditional, Modern Digital and Side Panel.
The resume templates differ mostly in terms of formatting and section arrangement.
But you can also choose a template based on theme color including True Red, Light Blue, Apple Green and Blue Tabs.
Cover Letter Builder
The cover letter builder is a simple letter template with your details in the head and an editor where you can input more details.
There is a generic cover letter in the editor, so you just need to update a few lines to personalize it.
Resume Builder
You have to sign up before using the resume builder (or cover letter builder). This ensures your resumes and covers letters are saved in your account for later editing and access.
Then, select your template and start filling out the different sections in the visual resume builder. Unfortunately, the builder doesn’t allow you to move the sections around.
When you finish building your resume you can – as long as you have paid for an upgrade –print the resume, download it as PDF or send it out via email.
Best Features
- Easy to use visual resume builder and cover letter builder.
- A wide variety of professional templates available.
Known Issues
The main issue with Resume.com is the way they hide their price.
You only realize you have get a subscription to do anything with your resume after you have finished building it. They should be more upfront.
They should also make it clearer that you will be charged for a monthly subscription if you don’t cancel your 7-day trial in time. Some customers complain they were charged unknowingly and struggled to get a refund.
The resume builder could also use a bit more flexibility regarding customization.
Enhance Review
Unlike some resume builders, Enhance gets big credit for honesty: they tell you upfront what you’ll pay for their services.
Their resume builder is not the easiest to use, but it provides a lot of room for customization and has lots of bonus features to enhance your resume.
Pricing
There are two main packages available. There is a basic $4.99/month subscription that gives you one resume and limits your resume block entries to 15. You also get only basic sections.
You can try the basic package using their 14-day free trial.
There is also a Pro package costing $14.99/month and charged every three months. That means you will pay $44.97 minimum.
While I applaud Enhance for being upfront on their pricing, I think their pricing is a bit unfair.
The Pro package is the obvious best choice for most people in terms of features. But even if you just need one resume, you still have to pay $44.97. You can’t pay for just a single month.
Resume Templates
Enhance does not offer design templates, but they make up for it with a wide variety of customization features.
You choose from three basic formats; double column, compact and single column. Then, you can customize the background design, fonts and colors.
Cover Letter Builder
Enhancv’s cover letter builder is easy to use. You can quickly create a professional cover letter to accompany your resume.
Resume Building Process
You can start building your resume without creating an account. You just won’t be able to save it.
Sign up to save your resume midway and resume editingl, later.
As I mentioned, the Enhancv resume builder is not the easiest to use. Their main menu on the left is just a bunch of icons with no labels. You have to guess what each means.
On the other hand, Enhancv resume builder is very feature-rich and, apart from the menu, quite easy to use. When you click on a section, a helpful tip appears telling you how best to fill that section. You can even view examples of similar sections to guide you.
You can style your resume by changing the font, theme color and background color.
You can also rearrange the sections or even delete some and add others using a drag-and-drop interface.
Best Features
- Feature-rich and highly customizable resume builder.
- Easy to use.
Known Issues
The pricing plan could be friendlier. Unless you want a basic resume, you’ll have to cough up $44.97 for one resume.
The interface could also use a more intuitive design in the menu area with labels added for the icons.
Kickresume Review
Similar to Enancv, Kickresume doesn’t hide their prices until the last minute.
Their monthly subscription is expensive, but you get a LOT of features and customization options.
There is also an option to publish your own personal resume website.
Pricing
Kickresume has two price tiers: a free plan and a monthly subscription plan.
The free plan is not worth it unless you just want to test out the website before plunging in. You get basic templates only and limited entries.
The monthly plan costs $15 per month.
While that is a bit high compared with some other resume builders, you only pay per month.
So if you just need a single resume, you don’t have to pay for a mandatory 3-month bundle.
Kickresume offers an extra review service called Grammar Correction. For $19 per resume, they will polish up your resume, correct grammar mistakes and improve the overall readability to improve your chances of getting an interview. Very nice.
Resume Templates
Kickresumehas offers two dozen resume templates. You can access a few of them on the free plan, but most of the best ones are marked as Pro and are only accessible with a Pro subscription.
Some of the templates include Newsweek, Basic, Midnight, Minimalistic and Ios.
Cover Letter Builder
You can create a cover letter on Kickresume in just 2-3 minutes. There are several templates to choose from, and you can customize everything from the font to the color and format.
Resume Builder
The resume builder is very easy to use. It has a very helpful menu on the left where you select your preferred template and customize the resume.
There are four main sections: Personal Info, Work Experience, Education, and Skills. You can also add your custom sections and rearrange existing sections as you wish.
In the customization tab, you can preview the resume and change the styling. This includes the color, font, font size, line height, date format and address format.
The Publish tab is where you create a personal website containing your finished resume.
Best Features
- Highly customizable resume builder.
- Easy to use.
- Upfront pricing information.
Known Issues
Currently, we can find no major issues with Kickresume.
They have had plenty of problems in the past, however they have corrected most of these. If you look at online customer reviews, there are older complaints regarding customization, styling and other issues affecting the resume builder.
On the plus side, Kickresume is is quick in responding to complaints and making constant improvements.
That’s why Kickresume has become one of the best resume builders online with loads of features and customizations yet easy to use.
VisualCV Review
VisualCV is the only resume builder in this list that lets their customers publish their resumes publicly so that search engines can index your resume and prospective employers can find it.
They even give you stats showing how many times your resume was viewed or downloaded.
You can also list your resume privately and get a shareable URL which you can give to employers.
Pricing
There are two price plans.
The first one is free. You get access to some basic templates and can fill out a full resume. You can also list your resume publicly or privately.
The paid plan costs $18 per month, lets you to print your finished resume and gives you access to pro templates.
Resume Templates
To start building your resume, you can choose to import an existing resume, start from scratch or use a template example.
The template examples include a basic marketing resume, a business development resume for a mid-level professional and a senior executive level resume among others.
VisualCV also offers template styles including Monte, Slate, and Corporate.
If you are on the basic plan, you can only choose from three templates. The paid plan has more than a dozen. Some are marked as web-only.
Cover Letter Builder
You can easily add a cover letter to your resume from the account dashboard. The cover letter builder opens with pre-written text that you can edit to customize to fit your situation.
Create a custom cover letter that is not associated with any resume or choose a resume whose template will be used in creating the cover letter. This ensures there is uniformity between your resume and cover letter.
Resume Builder
The resume builder is easy to use with different sections laid out as you would expect in a normal resume. The entire process is visual - just click a section to edit it.
Using the left-hand menu, you can change the resume template, customize the font, color, background, and margins, insert a page break and list your resume publicly or privately. There is also a revision history tab.
Best Features
- Customizable and feature-rich visual resume builder.
- Easy to use resume builder interface.
- Public and private resume listing options.
- Job-specific resume templates.
Known Issues
The only issue I have with VisualCV is not so much a problem as it is an omission. I wish they had a spellchecker even if it’s a human one. They could offer it free at the paid plan or price it separately. There is nothing worse than sending off your resume with embarrassing grammar mistakes.
Uptowork Review
Uptowork holds your hand throughout the resume building process, showing you where to fill out your details and offering tips to create the best resume.
One of the best things about Uptowork is their payment plans. They have three packages starting from $4.95 for 30-day basic access. There is also a 30-day full access plan and a 90-day package.
In all packages, the payments are non-recurring– they do not renew automatically.
This is important because I see so many people complain that their resume building service charged them because they forgot to cancel their subscriptions.
With Uptowork, you don’t have to worry about that.
Pricing
The Starter package costs $4.95. For that you get basic access for 30 days.
It includes four resume plates and more than 70 color options. You can also list your resume online for employers to access or download as PDF.
There are two premium packages. The first premium package runs for 30 days and costs $14.99.
The second premium plan runs for 90 days and costs $29.99. Premium packages give you access to all template designs and all other features.
Remember that these payments are non-recurring.
Resume Templates
There are 20 professionally designed templates to choose from in the premium package only. They include Cascade, Crisp, Muse, Cubic, and Concept.
Cover Letter Builder
You can build a cover letter on Uptowork and even match it with the template of a specific resume.
Resume Builder
The resume builder is intuitive and easy to use.
You can add or remove sections and rearrange existing sections to create a custom format.
To edit a section, just select it from the left menu. You can then edit it using their built-in rich text editor.
Save your finished resume and then decide whether you want to list it online.
You can also get a shareable link which you can share with employers.
VisualCV will tell you how many times your resume was viewed or downloaded.
Best Features
- Customizable resume builder.
- You can list your resume online or get a shareable link.
- A wide variety of professional templates to choose from.
Known Issues
The only issues I have seen raised by customers are regarding styling, customization and a few technical issues.
Uptowork seems to have solved most of these issues since their resume builder now has most of the features users were asking for.
Hopefully, they’ll add a spellchecker soon.
What Does a Resume Builder Do?
A resume builder does exactly that…build resumes.
It’s not as complicated as it sound; and, you still do most of the work.
A resume builder app simplifies the work by giving you proven templates and examples. You just have to fill in the right sections, and the resume builder spits out a professional properly formatted resume.
Types of Resumes/CVs You Can Produce
The type of resume you can create depends on the templates available in the resume builder.
Most resume builders have at least a dozen templates with which you can create different types of resumes.
Others allow you to move various sections around to create the format you want.
Build a Resume From Scratch
If you don’t want to use a specific template, some resume builders have a ‘build from scratch’ option. You’ll decide what sections you want in your resume and what order.
Optimize a Resume For a Job or Industry
Some resume builders will have templates optimized for certain jobs such as IT, marketing manager, CEO and so on.
Privacy & Security Features
While basic private and security features are important, resume builders are not usually the most secure websites. Some don’t even use the secure https protocol.
This is not a big deal, necessarily, since most resumes are meant to be seen by as many people as possible. You are most likely going also to post it on your LinkedIn account or personal website.
The most important thing is to avoid putting private information on the resume such as home phone number or private email (have a separate work phone number and email). It’s also not a good idea to add your home address.
City and Zip Code are enough.
Store & Share Your Resume
As long as you have created an account, most resume builders will let you store your resume on their site and share it via email.
Some will even allow you to list it publicly or provide potential employers access to it through a shareable URL.
Resume Export
You can easily export your finished resume to .PDF or .Doc format. Note that some resume builders only offer the export/download option if you are on a paid plan.
Integration with Other Apps
This is not a very common feature.
You’ll only find it in a few resume builders that let you to export your resume directly to your LinkedIn account or popular job boards.
What Are the Major Differences Between Paid and Free Resume Builders?
All the resume builders we have covered in this guide have paid plans.
But you can also find 100% free resume builders.
Free resume builders help you save money, but you have to consider what you are giving up in return. Most have privacy policies saying that they can use your information for marketing purposes or give it to third parties.
So be very careful when using a free resume builder. Read their terms and conditions as well as privacy policy.
I recommend you just opt for a paid resume builder to avoid sharing your job-hunting intentions with a marketer. For less than $15, you can easily create a professional resume without risking your privacy.
Additionally, paid resume builders provide more features and a wider variety of well-designed resume templates.
What Are The Limitations of Resume Builders?
Resume builders are relatively unsophisticated software packages today that still leave a lot of the work to you.
You have to fill in every section and decide how to present your value to potential employers.
A resume builder simply gives you a template and an easy way to fill in the sections.
If you'd rather have a person write your resume from scratch, check out our review of the best resume writers online.
What Is the Future of Online Resume Builders?
Right now, resume builders are basic. Most are no more than templates with a few pre-written words and tips to help you get started.
But that is about to change thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence. AI-powered resume builders will take more control of the process, leaving less of the work to job seekers.
For example, resume builders are beginning to incorporate use natural language processing (NLP) to analyze your resume and to optimize it for specific jobs and industries.
We may soon see resume building apps incorporate natural language generation (NLG) to automate writing completely. You'll simply enter basic personal and work details, and the app does the rest of you.