Santiago Mallea
Content Writer At Gradehacker
If you want to stand out from the rest in a job application, using a resume builder is one of the best tips you need to know.
Because a simple list with titles isn’t enough to get you a job, you need to add styling that both stands out your experiences and skills and makes your resume feel visually interesting, so you hook your hiring managers from the start.
But there are so many options and templates you can choose, with different style formats that are unique to specific jobs and fields. You want to know which is the best resume builder that best suits your needs.
Here at Gradehacker, we are the non-traditional student’s most trusted resource. We know the market is competitive out there and that if you want to stand out from the crowd, you need to have as many advantages on your side as possible.
And as a resume works as an introduction to new people, making a good first impression is vital. That’s why today, we are listing the best resume builders and what you’ll find in each of them.
Let’s begin!
Resume Builder is an online resume maker with an intuitive and straightforward app.
It’s super easy to use. Just choose one of their professional resume templates, and start by filling in your personal information, like name, address, and email. Its resume format is divided into sections, which you’ll have to complete one by one.
These sections go from education and experience to personal skills, but you can also add your own selection and include the information you think it’s necessary but doesn’t fit into the other sectors.
Plus, you can customize the color scheme for your resume and pick different fonts, sizes, and bullets. However, even if their professional templates have a simple and effective design, you can’t change the layout and the order of the sections.
One way to speed up the process and create your resume in minutes is by importing information from your LinkedIn profile to auto-complete the resume generator. Of course, you can later modify this information and adapt it to the design of the template you chose.
Once you are ready, you can download your resume as a PDF and send it straight to your hiring manager.
Resume Builder also offers guiding tips with their resume examples. They help you build the perfect resume for the job you are looking for, regardless of the field. Accounting and Finance, Business, Education, Nursing, and many more!
Their directory of resume examples has over 20 categories, each one with a set of downloadable guides and useful tips you can have in mind when creating your resume.
And the same goes if you are looking to create a cover letter! If you want to stand out from the rest but don’t know where to start, pick one of their cover letter examples and find the experience-based guide you were looking for.
Resume Builder Pros and Cons
Pros |
Cons |
|---|---|
|
Fast and easy to use |
Some of its field-specific examples lack style and design |
|
Lets you download it in PDF format |
You can't change the layout of the templates |
|
100% free |
|
|
Over 30 templates |
|
|
Has resumes and cover letters examples specific to many fields |
|
|
You can import your LinkedIn profile |
Canva is a well-known online editor that lets you create all types of visual content. Its resume builder is a great choice, as they have an enormous catalog of creative templates for every type of resume.
You can create a free account and either start a resume from scratch or pick one of their modern templates. And the best thing is that most of their other options are available for all users, with only a few being exclusive for pro users who pay the $13 monthly subscription.
But having a pro account is not necessary at all.
Whether you are looking for a simple example or a colorful template, Canva’s gallery will have the format you are looking for. You can filter your search by styles and theme, meaning you’ll be most likely to find an example that fits your field of work and experiences.
Now, as an online editor, with Canva you’ll have much more control over how your resume looks. Besides picking the font, sizes, and main colors, you can create custom resumes and include your personal touch!
You can rearrange elements as you wish, crop pictures, add photo filters, and pick the color scheme you like the most! You can also choose the background and text layout and make your resume stand out by adding borders and frames.
Of course, if graphic design is not your passion, you might want to stick to their templates, but if you’re going to make specific changes and don’t mind spending more time with it, Canva is the free resume creator you need.
Canva Pros and Cons
Pros |
Cons |
|---|---|
|
Free to use |
Can take more time because it can be harder to use |
|
Many free templates and resume examples, with only a few paid options |
Not the best option for those looking for a basic resume |
|
You have more control over the layout and format |
|
|
Wide catalog that includes cover letter examples |
Resume.com is an online resume builder that stands out from the rest by being the only one that is fully free. They don’t have a paid version, meaning you get access to all their features and templates just by creating an account.
Their data-driven modern templates are based on what employers want to see in candidates and let you build your resume in a way that highlights your strongest asset. Prove your educational background, demonstrate the skills that put you ahead of the rest, show your professional experience in the field, or stand out your personality!
Now, if you are looking for creative templates, you won’t have luck here. While modern, their catalog is full of simple resume templates that will be more helpful for job seekers in formal fields like business, engineering, and finances.
While creating your professional resume, next to the form you have to complete, they share valuable tips and examples to guide you on what you should write.
For example, let’s say you have to don’t know how to describe yourself in the summary. Resume.com first shows you a bunch of great tips explaining what this summary should tell about you. Then, if you need more inspiration, you can type in their search bar the job title you’ll be applying for, and they will share what candidates in that field usually write.
Besides being a professional resume and cover letter builder, they also have a career advice page to teach you how to excel in your career path. They answer job seekers and professionals’ most common questions when creating a resume, having a job interview, or developing their career progression.
Plus, after reading their helpful content and creating an impressive resume, you can start searching for jobs in their job search browser. You can look for job applications by company, location, area, and years of experience required, all in the same place where you created your resume!
Resume.com Pros and Cons
Pros |
Cons |
|---|---|
|
100% free to use |
Not the best option for those looking for creative resume templates |
|
Templates tailored to what you want to stand out |
|
|
Helpful and varied career advice blogs |
|
|
Share tips and examples when creating your resume |
|
|
Has a job search browser |
Resume Build is an online resume creator with customizable, HR-approved resume templates.
Their templates gallery is more about quality than quantity. They have a decent amount of options you can choose from, depending on the design you want to give it. From simple and modern to creative and contemporary, their resume samples are designed to do the heavy lifting and bypass the Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) that recognizes poorly formated resumes.
On their resume samples page, you’ll find tons of different industry-specific examples for free to help you understand what a professional resume in your field should look like.
Their resume maker is pretty easy to use, as you only need to complete your information, and the software will fill it in the template for you. They guide you step-by-step and share expert tips and dozens of industry-specific examples to make your resume stand out.
You can also add your personal touch by changing the font and size, adding headers or sections, and moving the different segments of the resume to design the layout you like the most.
Once you finish, you can download it in MS Word or PDF format.
Now, the main difference with the other resume makers in this list is that with Resume Build you have to pay a subscription. You can pay $1.95 for 14 days, $24.95 for the monthly plan, or $50 for the yearly plan.
If you think their features are handy and would like to use them, we recommend paying the small fee of the 14-day trial and using that time to create a few resume options for you to have prepared under any circumstance.
But if you want a 100% free online resume creator, you can choose any of the other options we mentioned.
Resume Build Pros and Cons
Pros |
Cons |
|---|---|
|
Tips and pre-written examples while creating your resume |
You need a paid subscription |
|
ATS-friendly resume templates |
|
|
You can customize the font and sizes and change the layout of the template |
|
|
Free industry-specific resume samples |
It's Time To Create Your Next Resume!
Creating an eye-catching resume is necessary if you want to stand out from the rest and get the job you need. As you need to do more than just write your experiences and skills on a designless and boring Word page, relying on a resume maker is the best choice.
It doesn’t matter if it is a creative or a simple resume template; search until you find the example that best suits your capacities.
Now you are ready to build your own attractive resume and nail the future job applications you have coming.
But if you are looking for more personalized help, remember you can count on Gradehacker to help you make the resume that you are specifically looking for.
If you want more tips on how to achieve your career goals, check out our related articles:
by the IslandApps.io team.