4 Best Resume Builders (2025), Tested and Reviewed

3 weeks ago

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Landing a new occupation starts pinch a slam-dunk CV, but Word aliases Google Docs will only return you truthful far. In an era of AI-assisted Application Tracking Systems (ATS) wherever applicants are rejected earlier a quality ever lays eyes connected their activity experience, nan champion résumé builders could thief you guidelines retired from nan crowd.

Yes, they’ll springiness your résumé a beautiful look pinch unsocial templates and attention-grabbing fonts, but résumé builders shouldn’t conscionable springiness you a PDF and nonstop you connected your way. A bully online résumé builder will springiness tips and insights into really you tin bolster your CV, arsenic good arsenic devices for managing your documents erstwhile applying to aggregate jobs. I’m (thankfully) not successful nan occupation marketplace correct now, but it wasn’t agelong agone that I was searching. I dusted disconnected nan résumé I utilized to onshore a occupation present astatine WIRED arsenic a starting constituent to spot really various online résumé builders thought I could improve.

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Is It Worth Paying for a Résumé Builder?

You don't request to salary for a résumé builder. There are loads of free templates online, and for a batch of roles, moreover a cleanly formatted Google Doc aliases Word record will get nan occupation done. However, résumé builders are a adjuvant instrumentality if you want your résumé to really guidelines out, peculiarly for highly competitory and elder roles wherever highlighting your skills and activity acquisition are paramount.

The existent logic to salary for a résumé builder, however, is to entree further devices that tin thief you onshore a job. From penning suggestions to screen missive templates, nan champion online résumé services don't conscionable springiness you a template and nonstop you connected your way. They supply devices to thief pinch searching for a job.

Should You Use ChatGPT (or immoderate AI) to Write a Résumé?

AI devices for illustration ChatGPT person a batch of applicable applications erstwhile it comes to making a résumé, and each of nan champion résumé builders person AI devices built successful (some of them powered by models akin to ChatGPT). Although generative AI is adjuvant successful creating a résumé, you shouldn't usage ChatGPT aliases different AI devices to create a résumé from scratch. There are 2 reasons for that.

First, galore employers usage Application Tracking Systems (ATS) that tin prime up connected AI-written résumés. Although it's not a guarantee, leaning excessively heavy connected AI mightiness origin your résumé to extremity up successful a rejected heap earlier anyone has ever seen it. Additionally, AI still struggles pinch hallucinations. It whitethorn dream up skills aliases qualifications you don't really have, aliases worse, waste your activity acquisition short.

The champion usage of ChatGPT and different AI devices successful creating a résumé is refinement. Generative AI tin thief alteration your reside truthful it's much accordant crossed your résumé, arsenic good arsenic punch up your accomplishments truthful they guidelines out. Use AI to make your résumé shine, not arsenic a workaround for spending clip to build a due résumé.

For my testing, I utilized a existent résumé that I've carried and updated done 3 roles complete nan past 7 years. Rather than starting from scratch, I chiefly evaluated what a résumé builder could bring to nan array to heighten nan CV of a master who's already heavy successful their career. Putting together your activity history, though nerve-wracking, isn't precisely difficult, truthful if you're going to salary for a résumé builder, it amended bring thing to nan table.

Beyond offering other value, location were a fewer cardinal areas I focused on:

Design and formatting: You're present to build a résumé, not to study schematic design. A bully résumé builder should not only make creation elemental pinch a wide database of templates, but besides springiness you easy devices to format your résumé. Splitting nan résumé crossed different pages, cutting words short, and adding unusual spacing betwixt words doesn't trim it.

Recommendations and rewriting: It doesn't matter if a résumé builder is utilizing AI aliases not, it should supply suggestions to punch up your CV. There are capable free résumé templates online, and though they whitethorn not look arsenic nice, they get nan occupation done. A résumé builder should springiness you suggestions to guidelines retired from nan crowd, not conscionable a fewer templates to play with.

Additional tools: Your résumé is only 1 portion of uncovering a caller job. You request a screen letter, question and reply prep, and plentifulness of statement to way nan position of nan roles you're willing in. A bully résumé builder doesn't extremity astatine your CV; it gives you devices to usage it right.

Best Résumé Builder for Most People
Resume.io via Jacob Roach
Resume.io tin thief you build a awesome résumé; there’s nary uncertainty astir that. More importantly, it provides devices to thief passim your occupation search. It trades blows pinch FlowCV (my adjacent pick) point-for-point, and I had a difficult clip deciding which would rank first. Resume.io wins retired pinch its robust database of features that spell acold beyond conscionable building a CV.
It starts pinch your résumé. You tin upload a résumé aliases commencement from scratch, and sloppy of nan way you take, you’ll spot each nan specifications of your résumé spelled retired successful sections. You tin adhd aliases region sections aliases switch them around. All of this happens disconnected nan résumé itself, truthful you don’t request to interest astir grouping matter fields together aliases lining everything up perfectly. Once you’re done, you tin easy switch betwixt nan mini database of templates Resume.io offers. There aren’t a ton of templates, but they aren’t redundant. Each feels unsocial and useful, and nary of them are filled pinch large designs you’ll astir apt ne'er use.
Resume.io comes into its ain aft your résumé is done. Its main declare to fame is an auto-tailor feature. You participate a occupation listing and it will automatically update your CV for that circumstantial role. More than anything, nan auto-tailor characteristic weaves successful keywords from nan occupation you’re looking at, highlighting really your acquisition whitethorn necktie into definite occupation responsibilities. You could easy do it connected your own, but nan truth that Resume.io tin do it pinch a click—and equilibrium nan keywords against nan remainder of your résumé—is valuable enough.
Once you person your résumé, you tin backmost retired to nan Resume.io dashboard and return advantage of screen missive templates, a Kanban board wherever you’ll spot recommended jobs, a net analyzer, and moreover believe question and reply questions. Resume.io is simply a résumé builder, but moreover aft you’re done putting together your CV, location are devices to thief you on pinch your occupation search.
You tin creation a résumé and screen missive for free, but you'll only beryllium capable to download them arsenic a matter file. You’ll request to upgrade to a paid scheme for a PDF, which besides unlocks further features for illustration nan occupation committee and recruiter matching, wherever Resume.io will sprout retired your CV to recruiters based connected nan type of occupation you’re looking for. You tin salary quarterly aliases monthly, pinch nan erstwhile offering a overmuch amended rate, but Resume.io besides offers a week of entree for conscionable $3.
Best Free Résumé Builder
FlowCV via Jacob Roach
I knew almost instantly aft I started utilizing FlowCV that it’d gain a spot connected this list. It’s everything you want retired of a résumé builder. It has fantabulous templates, plentifulness of customization, devices for search and modifying existing CVs, and a web exertion that doesn’t chug aliases sputter retired erstwhile you’re moving connected a design. And, dissimilar a batch of résumé builders, FlowCV lets you design, download, and people a résumé and screen missive for free.
You tin commencement from scratch aliases upload an existing résumé (either PDF aliases earthy text), and from there, FlowCV will locomotion you done each conception of your CV. These sections are customizable, and they don’t fastener you into a peculiar template. Some résumés whitethorn want a conception for languages, while others want you to database awards. You tin adhd aliases region sections arsenic needed, and you won’t break nan formatting connected nan template (it happens much often than you think).
Managing everything from sections makes customizing your résumé overmuch easier. Instead of sliding astir disparate matter boxes and trying to statement everything up perfectly, FlowCV will automatically update nan layout arsenic you alteration sections. For instance, I was utilizing a two-column template for my résumé, but location was measurement excessively overmuch accusation successful nan correct column, causing my résumé to sprawl retired crossed 2 pages. I was capable to resistance immoderate sections complete to nan near file to equilibrium nan layout, and FlowCV automatically ensured everything was lined up and spaced properly.
It’s this high-level customization that makes FlowCV truthful great. You tin easy make wide changes without getting into circumstantial matter boxes aliases creation elements. For example, there’s an action to automatically flip your occupation title and employer based connected what you want to database first.
FlowCV is my favourite résumé builder, but customizing a CV is only scratching nan aboveground of what it tin do. There are besides templates for screen letters, email signatures, and online résumé websites. My favourite summation is simply a Kanban board. It's like Trello, but built straight into FlowCV, and it allows you to way jobs and their position arsenic you move done nan process.
You get 1 résumé and 1 screen missive for free, nary strings attached. However, I urge nan Basic scheme for astir people, which includes 3 résumés, 20 screen letters, on pinch nan online résumé characteristic and Kanban board. FlowCV doesn’t attraction connected AI penning arsenic overmuch arsenic different résumé builders, but if that’s thing you’re after, you tin unlock AI features pinch nan Pro+ plan, which besides includes unlimited résumé and screen letters.

Easiest Résumé Builder
Zety via Jacob Roach
Zety doesn’t person immoderate nonsense, which could activity for aliases against it depending connected what you’re after. You don’t get nan Kanban committee of FlowCV aliases nan automatic optimization of Resume.io. What you do get is simply a straightforward builder that allows you to quickly propulsion together a CV and easy alteration it for different applications.
Like astir different builders, you tin commencement from scratch aliases upload your résumé. Regardless of nan way you go, Zety starts pinch a résumé reappraisal earlier stepping you done each conception of your résumé. As you move along, Zety provides mini tips to optimize your CV. For instance, I had an “experience” conception listing my erstwhile employers, and Zety recommended changing nan conception to “work history.” A résumé reappraisal isn’t unsocial to Zety, but I admit that it happens automatically, truthful you tin use nan suggestions while putting your résumé together.
As you move done each step, Zety uses AI recommendations for skills, activity history slug points, and more. The suggestions are amazingly good, apt because they’re based connected a occupation title you tin enter. That allows you to mock up a template and past easy switch retired skills aliases slug points erstwhile applying for circumstantial roles. Make judge to publication nan AI suggestions first, though. Some of them play accelerated and loose pinch their claims. One suggested I item my “award-winning reporting,” moreover though location was thing connected my résumé astir awards.
Once you’ve entered each your information, you tin switch retired templates and colors pinch a click. Zety doesn’t person a ton of templates, but they’re each useful. You get less of nan large designs you spot pinch a instrumentality for illustration Canva. All of nan templates successful Zety are professional, and erstwhile location is simply a flare, it’s ever done pinch a ray touch. Because nan templates are truthful straightforward, it’s easy to switch betwixt them; I cycled done a twelve without changing a azygous word, and they each looked great.
You tin download a matter type of your résumé for free, but you’ll request to salary to download a PDF aliases Word version. I urge going for nan yearly scheme if you can. There’s a 14-day proceedings of Zety’s monthly Pro Package for $2, but it renews astatine $26 per period aft that period. The yearly scheme is 79 percent cheaper.
Best AI Résumé Builder
Resume Genius via Jacob Roach
Resume Genius
Resume Builder
Resume Genius follows a akin template to nan different résumé builders I looked at. You commencement from scratch aliases import your résumé, capable retired nan sections step-by-step, and erstwhile you’re done, you tin use 1 of a fewer twelve templates, alteration your colors, and format your text. Resume Genius has a bully assortment of templates available, but they’re inconsistent. Formatting will often push matter to a 2nd page if you request to people your résumé out, moreover if everything fits decently connected different template.
The tie pinch Resume Genius is AI. All nan résumé builders I looked astatine person AI features successful 1 shape aliases another, but nan suggestions from Resume Genius were excellent. AI enhancements connected different services tin punch up your transcript and thief refine your tone. But Resume Genius provided suggestions I didn’t moreover deliberation of, from what skills I should database to what I should item from my activity experience.
Each of nan suggestions is based connected a circumstantial role, truthful it’s easy to quickly pine up your résumé for different occupation listings without starting from scratch. It’s not rather arsenic easy arsenic nan auto-tailor characteristic disposable from Resume.io, but past again, nan last merchandise ends up overmuch better.
Where Resume Genius loses a fewer points is successful features. You tin put together résumés and screen letters, but nan work lacks nan further occupation hunt devices disposable elsewhere. You don’t get a Kanban committee for illustration you do pinch Resume.io aliases FlowCV, for instance.
Thankfully, you tin entree a batch of what Resume Genius has to connection for free. Like nan different options connected this list, you tin only download your résumé arsenic a matter file, but Resume Genius gives distant templates for Word and Google Docs for free, on pinch its AI summary generator. You tin unlock paid features for $3 for 14 days, which adds a résumé review, integer résumé, and nan afloat résumé builder, fresh pinch PDF aliases Word downloads.

Other Résumé Builders We’ve Tested

Canva: Online creation suite Canva has a résumé builder, and while you tin propulsion together a CV, it’s conscionable not built for occupation searching successful rather nan aforesaid measurement arsenic nan remainder of our picks. Canva is yet a creation tool, and its résumé builder fits into that mold. You’ll person to individually resistance each nan elements of your CV astir to statement them up properly, and play a crippled of whack-a-mole betwixt free and paid assets disposable done nan web interface. There are immoderate striking résumé designs, but I don’t cognize really good they’d construe erstwhile really applying for jobs. If you already person a Canva subscription, you tin execute a batch if you’re diligent pinch formatting everything correctly. For everyone else, a due résumé builder is not only simpler, but it’ll besides spit retired a amended consequence erstwhile you’re done.

Indeed Resume Builder: Indeed has a résumé builder that came highly recommended arsenic I started researching, but I’m not judge why. It’s serviceable and easy to use, pinch step-by-step instructions for filling retired your activity history, education, and skills. But it’s little of a résumé builder and much of a instrumentality to build your Indeed profile. That’s a perfectly good purpose, but you can’t return your résumé extracurricular nan Indeed ecosystem. You don’t creation a résumé connected Indeed. Instead, if you haven’t already uploaded a résumé and added it to your account, you tin adhd each of nan accusation you’d usually person connected a résumé to your profile. Then, you tin usage that to easy use to jobs connected Indeed. It works, and Indeed is surely a monolithic level for uncovering a job. For astir folks, however, I’d urge building a résumé pinch different instrumentality and uploading it to Indeed instead.

Adobe Express: Adobe Express is powerful, pinch a ton of customization options and easy nan boldest, astir unsocial résumé designs I’ve seen. Shame it doesn’t work. The résumé builder collapsed for maine 5 times erstwhile trying to creation my CV successful Chrome—on 1 of nan astir high-end PCs money tin buy, mind you—and I yet gave up and moved to Firefox. I was capable to get my résumé built connected Mozilla's browser, but I still had to slog done nan astir clunky interface of immoderate of nan résumé builders I tested. Adobe Express isn’t conscionable for building résumés. It’s a complete online creation tool, not dissimilar from Canva, but that level of powerfulness successful your browser (combined pinch an onslaught of pop-ups asking you to pay) slows everything down considerably. Adobe Express is simply a bully replacement to Canva, and successful galore ways, it’s moreover better. But that doesn’t matter overmuch if nan web app struggles to enactment afloat.

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