how much does resume builder cost

How Much Does a Resume Writer Cost? (Average Price and Ranges)

By Biron Clark

Published: November 9, 2023

Data & Studies

Biron Clark

Writer & Career Coach

The opinions and assessments shared on Career Sidekick are our own. We may earn commissions from purchases made after visiting links on our site.

If you’re wondering how much the average resume writer costs, then you’re in the right place.

We researched the prices of 90 resume writers to find the average cost of professional resume writing services in the US.

These are the results…

How Much Does a Professional Resume Writer Cost?

The average cost of a resume writer is $527, based on data from 90 professional resume writers. The cost of resume writing does vary significantly, from below $200 to multiple thousands of dollars. For example, we saw professional resume writing priced at $2,275, $2,450 and $3,000. However, these higher prices are typically reserved for high-end or executive resume writing. 

Deals can be found if you’re at the earlier stages of your career (not an executive, manager, etc.) and looking for budget resume writing services. 

For example, TopResume is a large, reputable resume writing service (and one of the resume writing services we recommend ) with writing services starting at $149.  

What Determines the Cost of a Resume Writing Service?

When we looked at the cost of various resume writing services, we noticed multiple factors that seem to correlate with cost…

1. Location of the Resume Writer

Professional resume writers located in areas with a higher cost of living tend to charge more.

If you’re looking for a good deal on a resume writing service, you may be able to find a very skilled resume writer who simply lives and works in a less expensive city/state, and therefore charges less. For example, the typical resume writer in Milwaukee is going to be charging a lot less than in New York, even with more experience.

However, if you’re applying for finance positions in New York, you’re probably better off with a resume writer who knows that market! So be careful – cheaper isn’t always better. 

2. Writing Experience

The next factor that determines the cost of a professional resume writer is their experience. Resume writers who have been working for more time tend to charge higher rates.

3. Certifications

On average, we saw resume writers charging $100-200 more than their peers if they possessed one or more professional resume writing certifications. 

It may be worth paying extra to get a resume writer who’s certified by a large organization like the Professional Association of Resume Writers .

4. Add-Ons/Packages

For this study, we looked at just the cost of a resume, not LinkedIn profile writing or cover letter writing.

However, add-ons and extras did influence the average cost of resume writing that we found, because some resume writers include a LinkedIn profile or other extras with their “base” service offering for no extra charge. (Or another way of looking at it: You’re paying for it, but it’s already built into the price).

5. Notoriety/”Fame”

Some resume writers have been featured in large publications like Forbes, or have large followings on social media . This often means they’re quite busy and can charge more. More demand for their services leads to higher rates.

Whether these resume writers are the most skilled at delivering a great resume for your job search is a difficult question to answer. Some are among the best, and some aren’t. You should evaluate them the same way you’d assess any resume writer before hiring them (keep reading for tips on how to choose a great resume writer for you.)

The same holds true for lower-cost services. There are many good low-cost resume writing services online. However, some do not deliver a good result.

So here is our top choice for a low-cost professional resume writer online:

Low Cost Resume Writing Service: Our Top Choice

The best low-cost resume writing service we found is TopResume.

Their resume packages start at just $149 , which is a bargain considering how much experience they have in the resume writing industry. 

We don’t recommend going lower than this price point for a resume writer, because you’re running the risk of getting a sub-par result or hiring someone without adequate knowledge/expertise to deliver an effective resume.

Resources for Writing Your Own Resume

One other option you have is to write your own resume. While this can be difficult if you’ve never worked as a recruiter or hiring manager, there are plenty of good resources online.

Now that you know the cost of professional resume writing, I want to leave you with some DIY resources in case you decide the cost is too high and you need to do this yourself.

First, I’d recommend this article on what to put on a resume. It will walk you through each major part of your resume and how to organize it.

Then I’d recommend reading these articles on the most important resume sections (where hiring managers look first):

• Your resume summary paragraph
• Your resume work history
• Resume skills section

Finally, after you’ve written your resume, you want to put some of the same key info onto your LinkedIn. Most hiring managers are looking at LinkedIn even if you applied elsewhere. Here are 5 other reasons you should use LinkedIn , too. 

Here are some of our top articles about LinkedIn to help you transfer your resume info over:

• What to put on your LinkedIn profile
• How to write a great LinkedIn summary/about section
• 10 good LinkedIn headline examples

Is Hiring a Professional Resume Writer Worth It?

Now you know how much a professional resume writer costs, and you have some resources above that will guide you through creating a winning resume yourself if you’d rather not pay.

In the end, the choice is yours. There’s always some risk with hiring a professional. You may hire the wrong person, and get a poor result. However, if you ask some good screening questions, or better yet, ask your network to recommend a resume writer they know and trust, you’re likely to get a great result.

Professional resume writers stay in business for a reason – they’re often VERY skilled at translating your past experience and qualifications into what employers are looking for in your next ideal job.

If you have the budget to pay for the cost of resume writing services, they can be a very good investment for your career.

Every week you’re out of work costs you money (lost potential wages), and if a resume writer helps you land a higher-paying job, the service will essentially pay for itself.

The bottom line is: You just need to be careful in making sure you’re selecting a very good resume writer.

If you want more help deciding, we’ve published a list of our top 6 professional resume writing services here.  

About the Author

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Why do you recommend TopResume?

For the average job seeker (not a manager or executive, not an extremely high-earner) they offer a optimal mix of relatively low cost with relatively good, consistent results. There are certainly other good resume writers out there, though, including in this price range.

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Professional Resume Writing Service Cost in 2024

8 min read · Updated on July 16, 2024

Your resume is arguably one of the most important financial documents you own

Most people don't think about their resume being a financial document. However, without it, you can't land your dream job to pay bills, plan vacations, or save for retirement. Hiring a professional resume writing service is often a great way to invest in your future.

The good news is that you don't have to shell out $1,000 for a resume writer. Of course, you can, but generally, the cost will be much lower than that. So, how much does a professional resume writing service cost in 2024?

Here are the main things you'll want to consider before you decide to hire a professional resume writing service:

The “why” behind hiring a resume writer

Scams, red flags, and poor quality services

The company or writer's reputation

Whether the process, including turnaround time, aligns with your schedule and expectations

How you will be expected to communicate with your resume writer

The professional resume writing service cost - of course!

Why should you hire a professional resume writing service?

It doesn't seem that writing a resume is rocket science. When you think about it, all you're trying to do is summarize your career for a new company to obtain a job. However, with the rampant use of Applicant Tracking Systems, or ATS , and the sheer competitiveness of the job market, hiring a professional resume writer can help you to stand in the sea of sameness.

Take the resume writers at TopResume, as an example. Each one has a wealth of experience, plus insight into how you can write an ATS-optimized resume and impress a hiring manager. On top of that, you can rest easy knowing that you'll get something that's specifically tailored for your career goals, based on your individual history. 

Professional resume writers  are not only great at culling out the appropriate achievements from your career, but they have the right industry knowledge to ensure that your resume is relevant. 

Here are some tips for when you're considering which professional resume writing service to hire:

1. Do some research - discover reputation, red flags, and scams

The first step in finding a great resume writer is research. Whether you end up hiring a company or an individual, perform some due diligence. Read reviews on third party sites like Google, TrustPilot , or SiteJabber. Don't simply rely on customer feedback listed on the company's website.

This research will help you to determine whether the person or company you're hiring produces high-quality resumes. Sadly, there are a lot of bad resume writers out there who simply rewrite the content they're given. 

A bit of research can help shine a light on red flags and help you to identify scams before you fall victim. You're trying to put your best foot forward during your job search, so you want the company or person you hire to do the same. If you see the word “affordable” in pricing, you should probably avoid them.

Also try to find out whether you're going to be working with a specific writer within the company or if they outsource. Sometimes, writers will outsource their projects to freelancers via platforms like Fiverr or Upwork. If that ends up being the case, you could end up with a cookie-cutter resume that doesn't truly reflect your career accomplishments. 

Not only that, when you work with someone who outsources your resume writing project, there's a great chance for communication breakdowns as the person who is actually writing your document has no access to ask you direct questions. 

Make a list of a few companies you find that have good reputations and then make your decision based on the services they offer or guarantees they have.

2. Check out which resume writing services or packages are offered

Since your resume is only one tool in your job search toolbox, check to make sure the resume writing service you hire offers additional services. Most people who are searching for a job need a cover letter and an optimized LinkedIn profile . In fact, your LinkedIn profile is almost as important as your resume.

Does the resume writing service offer these additional services? You don't want to have to bounce from one writer to another just to get what you need. 

3. Understand the resume writing process

Once you've decided on a company or person to write your resume, there are several how-it-works type questions you need to ask. 

What is the turnaround time?

How much does the entry-level resume writing service cost?

How much does the professional resume writing service cost?

How much does the executive resume writing service cost?

Does the writer have any certifications, like accreditation from the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PARWCC)?

What is the resume writing service guarantee? Is there a guarantee at all?

How will I communicate with my writer?

Do I get any revisions on the resume produced?

You'll often find that the turnaround time is about 5 business days. That's because writers spend a lot of time on a single resume - well, the good ones do anyway. It can take approximately 10 hours to produce a new resume, when you consider the time spent analyzing your career history, having a conference with you to learn about achievements, and writing the new document. 

One thing that's critical to understand is that most resume writers perform their services virtually. This means that you'll do everything via email, telephone, or video conference. The key, though, is highly collaborative communication. If there's a breakdown in communication with your writer, that's a huge problem and needs to be addressed right away. 

You should always be allowed to make revisions and have some type of back-and-forth exchange with your writer. Even though resume writing services like TopResume employ writers who have experience writing resumes for a range of industries and professional experience levels, the writer isn't a mind reader. It's up to you to point out things that need to be corrected. 

Communication is also important when it comes to leveraging any guarantees offered by the company. You'll never find a resume writing company guaranteeing that you'll get a job with your new resume, but you should see something in the way of a guarantee. Usually, it's a certain timeframe for landing interviews. 

How much do professional resume writing services cost?

When you feel like you've found a couple of companies you could work with, it's time to dig into how much they'll charge. 

Keep the old adage that you get what you pay for in mind when comparing professional resume writing service costs . You should expect to spend somewhere between $200 and $1,000 - sometimes more, depending on the resume writing service you need. 

There are three basic ranges to consider when looking at professional resume writing service costs:

Entry level: This is for anyone new to the job market or someone who has less than 5 years of experience. You should expect to pay around $200. 

Professional level: If you're approaching 10-15 years of experience, you'll need someone with more experience who can concisely summarize your career with relevant keywords. For this range, your resume writer will likely charge somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 - $400.

Executive level: As you might expect, someone seeking a senior-level management or C-suite position will need a more experienced resume writer. Executive services range from $350 - $700. 

If you need a cover letter, professional biography, thank you or follow-up notes, or a new LinkedIn profile, the rates will be higher as each service is usually priced individually. Though many companies do have bundles, not all bundles will contain all services. 

How do resume writing companies justify their fees?

Professional resume writing service costs are built around more than a person sitting at a computer typing words onto a page. It's about how much time is spent on each resume writing project. The average resume writing project consumes up to 10 cumulative hours. 

When an order is received, someone has to make sure all of the documents, intake questions, and job target links are received.

The writer then goes through everything to compare what was received with the sample job links to formulate a plan of action. Sometimes this period of time also includes a conference call with you, the client. 

Once the writer begins working on your project, they'll perform more research into your background and what prospective companies look for in job seekers. 

After the first draft is delivered, you'll be expected to go through it with a fine-toothed comb to notate any revisions you deem necessary - remembering that your resume isn't a chronicle of everything you've done during your career but a summary of your achievements as they pertain to a particular job. 

Finally, the resume writer reviews your suggested edits and acts as an advisor on whether the changes should be accepted. 

Most resume writing projects take one week from start to finish, although some can take longer depending on how quickly you and your writer collaborate. But, if you want your resume to pass the 6-second test , having a professional resume writing service in your corner can be the difference between winning your job search and losing.

TopResume would love to help you through the next steps of your career journey. We have a large network of professional resume writers ready to work with you. 

Recommended reading: 

5 Signs It's Time to Hire a Professional Resume Writer

Career Quiz: Is Your Resume Ready to Beat the Bots?  

11 Steps to Writing the Perfect Resume

Related Articles:

Do Hiring Managers Actually Read Cover Letters?

How to Create a Resume With No Education

Why You Lose When You Lie on Your Resume: Learning From Mina Chang

See how your resume stacks up.

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Resume Writing Service Costs [Entry, Mid, & Executive]

We reviewed 100+ resume writing services to find their average costs. See how much a professional resume should cost based on data from top resume services.

You might be asking yourself, “How much does it cost to have someone write your resume?”

If so, you have stumbled upon one of the best articles on the internet with the most accurate and thoroughly researched data.

We have reviewed more than 100 professional resume writing services to bring you their average costs.

Below we will break down the average cost for resume writing as it relates to entry-level resumes, professional resumes, and senior-executive resumes.

Average Costs for Resume Writing

As you will see below, resume writing prices can range drastically. Not all resume writers are created equally. Some resume writers work great with entry-level candidates and they charge very low rates. If you are more senior in your career, you can expect to pay a bit more.

Below we have compiled data from 45 different resume writing services who advertise specifically to entry, professional, and executive-level job seekers.

How much do resume services cost?

We found a range of prices for resume services from $99 to $2597. 

The average cost for an entry-level resume is $220; mid-level is $422; executive-level is $1252.

The overall average cost for all professional resume services is $631.

Keep reading for specific data on each of the resume services we researched.

Entry-Level Resume Service Costs

Entry-level resumes are by far going to be the most affordable and low costing resume writers in the market. The fact is, as an entry-level job seeker the resume is just easier to write and can be offered at a lower rate.

We’ve added pricing info from 15 entry-level resume services below:

• Market Connections – $99
• Resumes Planet – $109
• Resumes for You – $128
• Monster – $129
• Action Resume Service – $135
• Career Perfect – $140
• Capstone Resumes – $149
• Resume Prime – $150
• Resumention – $156
• Resume Writing – $169
• Employment Boost – $169
• Career Thinker – $379
• Resume World – $395
• Find My Profession – $395
• Great Resumes Fast – $595

Average Entry-Level Resume Cost: $220

Check out our list of the Best Affordable Resume Writing Services .

Mid-Level Resume Service Costs

Mid-level resume writing services are for anyone with 3+ years of experience but not quite in an executive-level position. This is the point in your career that a professional resume writing service can really help take you to that next level.

We’ve added pricing info from 15 professional resume services below:

• Resumes to You – $229
• Evolution Coaching – $249
• Market Connections – $275
• Resume Target – $300
• Quality Resume Services – $323
• Resume Right – $399
• Resume Spice – $459
• iCareer Solutions – $495
• Knock Em Dead – $589
• Find My Profession – $595
• Scientech Resumes – $695
• Resume World Inc – $695
• Written By A Pro – $695
• Great Resumes Fast – $799
• Exclusive Executive Resumes – $800

Average Professional Resume Cost: $422

Senior-Executive Resume Service Costs

Executive and C-level resumes require the highest level of skill to create. At the executive level, jobs are extremely competitive and your resume is your foot in the door. If you don’t have an executive-level resume, you can guarantee your competition will. For this reason, and because executive resumes require such a higher level of skill to master, the prices are the highest.

We’ve added pricing info from 15 executive resume services below:

• Employment Boost – $429
• About Jobs – $549
• Resume Spice – $569
• iCareer Solutions – $595
• Resume Pilots – $679
• Find My Profession – $795
• Off the Clock Resumes – $799
• Great Resumes Fast – $899
• Executive Resume Writer – $1,200
• Career Steering – $1,695
• An Expert Resume – $1,697
• Get Hired Stay Hired – $1,895
• Exclusive Executive Resumes – $2,000
• The Writing Guru – $2,395
• Mary Elizabeth Bradford – $2,597

Average Executive Resume Cost: $1,252

Check out our list of the Best Executive Resume Writing Services .

Key Takeaways

The most important take away from this article is that resume writing costs can vary drastically.

Decide what fits your budget and find a writer that meets your standards.

No matter what resume service you go with, understand that higher resume writing fees do not always translate into a higher quality writer.

Find My Profession is proud to offer the highest quality resume writing services at very reasonable rates. We welcome you to check us out online and use our tips below when interviewing us.

Here’s what you should focus on when choosing a professional resume writer:

• Read reviews online. Google the company you are interested in and read their reviews.
• Ask to see resume samples from the company you are considering.
• Get on a call with the company before purchasing a service.
• Find out if your writer will have experience working with people in your line of work.

If you focus on these 4 points above, you are going to find an amazing resume writer!

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• Job Search Tips

How Much Do Resume Writing Services Cost in 2024?

If you're considering hiring a resume writing service in 2024, you're likely wondering how much it will cost. The truth is the price can vary widely depending on your level of experience, industry, and the specific services you need. While some writers charge as little as $5 for a basic resume, others may charge upwards of $1,000 for a comprehensive package.

However, the cost isn't the only factor you should consider when choosing a resume writing service. A professionally written resume can make all the difference in landing your dream job, so it's important to choose a service that meets your needs and budget.

In this article, we'll explore the cost of professional resume writing services in 2024 and break down what you can expect to get for your money. We'll also discuss the various factors that can impact pricing and provide tips on choosing the right service for your career goals. Whether you're a recent graduate or a seasoned professional, this guide will help you make an informed decision about your resume writing needs.

Related reading: 10 Best Resume Writing Services US + CA (All Industries)

Cost of resume writing service

Your resume is the first impression you make on potential employers, and investing in a professional resume writer can make all the difference in landing your dream job. Whether you can only spend up to $100 or find yourself able to invest in the $400 and up range, there are resume packages available to fit your needs. 

As you consider your options, remember that a professionally written resume is an investment in your future. A well-crafted resume can open doors to new opportunities, increase your chances of landing an interview, and even boost your starting salary.

So whether you're just starting out in your career or looking to take the next step, finding the right resume writing service is an important step in achieving your professional goals. Let's break down what you can expect in different price ranges, so you can make an informed decision and invest wisely in your future . 

Resumes up to $100

Despite the low price point, you may be surprised by the quality of services you can receive. From basic resume editing to customizable templates, resume packages in this budget-friendly range can deliver what you need. However, you have to be careful. 

Generally speaking, any resume package under $100 is a red flag and should really be avoided. It’s really hard to find someone to write a quality resume for that price. A lot of cheap services on the web also outsource their work to inexperienced or low-quality writers focused on quantity instead of quality. 

If you really don’t have the money to spend on a resume service, you’re better off writing it on your own with help from guides and other trusted resources. There is a ton of information out there to support a DIY approach: head over to the ZipJob blog to get started!

Here are some resources you might like:

USA Resume Format

ATS Resume Test: Free ATS Checker & Formatting Examples  

200+ Resume Examples for Every Job & Industry

Ensure you follow best practices when you write your resume and avoid the common mistakes that could be costing you the interview.

All of that being said, not all services in this price range are created equal. With careful research and consideration, you may be able to find a service that delivers a quality resume without breaking the bank. 

Next, let’s explore the options available for resume packages between $100 and $400, which may offer a better balance of affordability and quality.

Resumes between $100 and $400

In the $100 to $400 price range, you can typically find a resume-writing service that delivers quality results without breaking the bank. With this budget, you can expect a professional resume writer to edit and optimize your existing resume or create a new one from scratch.

It's important to note that prices can vary depending on your level of experience and career goals. Recent graduates or those with little experience may only need a basic resume and can find a quality writer for around $100 to $150. 

However, if you're an experienced professional or looking to make a significant career change, you may need a more comprehensive package that includes additional services such as LinkedIn profile optimization, cover letter writing, or job interview coaching . In this case, you can expect to pay a bit more, ranging from $150 to $400.

When considering a resume writing service within this price range, it's important to do your research and compare services to ensure you're getting the best value for your money. Look for a service that offers personalized consultations, a proven track record, and a satisfaction guarantee. 

You should also consider the credentials of the writers, such as industry experience and certifications, to ensure they have the expertise to effectively market your skills and experience to potential employers. Stay tuned for more tips on choosing a resume writing service. 

Resumes from $400 to $1000

When it comes to resume writing services in the $400 to $1000 range, you can expect a premium level of service and attention to detail. This price range is typically for executives, senior-level managers, and those with specialized experience or in highly competitive industries.

At this level, you can expect more than just a basic resume. Services in this range often include a comprehensive branding package that goes beyond simply writing a resume. This could include a cover letter, LinkedIn profile optimization, networking and interviewing tips, and more.

With a higher price point comes access to experienced, certified, and often highly specialized resume writers who have extensive experience crafting resumes for senior-level executives. These writers have a deep understanding of what hiring managers in your industry are looking for and can craft a resume that highlights your unique skills and experience.

It's important to note that $400 is the average price for a professional resume, and prices can go up from there depending on the level of service and expertise required. For executives, prices may be higher due to the additional time and effort required to brand a senior-level manager and highlight their unique value proposition.

Resumes in the $1000 plus range

While it's understandable to want to invest in your career and find the best possible service, paying over $1000 for a resume is often unnecessary and even downright insane. Prices at this level are often inflated due to factors like celebrity endorsements, aggressive marketing tactics, and overly complicated packages that may not even be relevant to your needs.

It's important to remember that the quality of a resume isn't necessarily tied to its price tag. In fact, some of the best resume writers may charge less than $1000 and still deliver exceptional results. It's always a good idea to research your options and read reviews before committing to a service at any price point.

Top 3 tips for choosing a resume writing service

Now that we've covered the different price ranges for resume writing services, it's important to know how to choose the right service for your needs. After all, you want to make sure you're getting the most bang for your buck. Here are the top three tips for choosing a resume-writing service that will help you stand out in the job market.

We also wrote a more detailed post on how to choose a good resume-writing service .

1. Do your research

Do your research to ensure you go with a reputable company. This is best done using third-party review sites and seeing what other customers had to say. Also, check to see if they have a contact number or live chat available. Not having a way to contact the company or the writer is a good sign that you’re going with a low-quality or outsourced service.

2. Choose how to communicate with your resume writer

How do you want to communicate with your writer?

To collaborate on a high-quality resume, you need to communicate with your writer about your past work experience, skills, qualifications, and the type of position you’re targeting. If the process is simply submitting your resume and the type of job you want, you’ll usually end up with something that doesn’t match your goals.

Different resume-writing services offer different communication channels. Many resume writers work through email or other text-based messages, but some offer phone calls, video calls, or in-person meetings.

Make sure your preference is offered by the service you’re considering before you buy!

3. Be ready to collaborate

Your writer can only work with what you give them. Many people make the mistake of thinking they can submit their outdated resumes and sit back while the writer does all the work.

You need to keep in mind that you need to put in the effort to give the writer everything they need. A good resume writer should be asking you details about what you did and where you’re going, so be prepared to answer any questions.

Investing in a professional resume-writing service can be a game changer in your job search. With the help of a skilled resume writer, you can highlight your strengths and achievements in a way that catches the attention of hiring managers. Remember that when it comes to choosing a resume-writing service, it's important to do your research and read reviews to ensure you're getting the best value for your money.

Whether you're a recent graduate or a seasoned professional, there are resume writing packages available to fit your needs and budget. Don't let a poorly written resume hold you back from landing your dream job. Take the first step towards success by investing in a high-quality resume writing service today.

Ready to take the first step toward your dream job? Let our expert team of resume writers help you land the interviews you deserve. Contact us today to learn more.

Good luck with your job search!

Recommended reading:

Hiring a Resume Writing Service | Is it Worth the Money?

Being Unemployed: How Long is Too Long?

10 Best Resume Writing Services in the USA and Canada

Marsha Hebert, Professional Resume Writer

Marsha is a resume writer with a strong background in marketing and writing. After completing a Business Marketing degree, she discovered that she could combine her passion for writing with a natural talent for marketing. For more than 10 years, Marsha has helped companies and individuals market themselves. Read more advice from Marsha on ZipJob's blog .

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The 5 Best Resume Builders of 2023 | Pros & Cons + Prices

One of the fastest ways to create a resume is by using a free resume builder. These days, the best resume builders are far more advanced than most people realize.

Modern resume builders can:

• Write your bullet points for you (using AI)
• Give you smart recommendations on improvements
• And even check that your resume has the right keywords

If you’re wondering whether you should use a resume builder, consider this:

According to surveys, 47% of people say they struggle with showcasing their best experience on their resume. Even more surprisingly, most people ( 56% ) said they’ve seen very few resumes that really shined.

Like with many job search topics though, the problem isn’t a lack of choice, it’s that there are too many choices.

If you search for the “best free resume builders,” you’ll get dozens of lists and hundreds of choices. The problem is that most of these lists are written by the resume builder companies themselves.

If you look at Zety’s best free resume builders you’ll find that they recommend…Zety.

If you look at Resume Genius’ best free resume builders you’ll find that they recommend…you guessed it, Resume Genius.

As the saying goes, don’t go to a surgeon and ask if you need surgery.

So, which resume builder is actually best? And are they truly free?

At GHYC, we don’t have a resume builder. In fact, I often recommend people build their resume the old fashioned way, with a simple Google Docs template.

But there are times when a resume builder can be helpful and actually help you land your job faster.

In this post, we’ll explain:

• Is it worth paying for a resume builder?
• What should you look for in a resume builder?
• What are the best resume builders currently available?
• Which resume builder is right for your particular situation?

I've also managed to chat with some of the Founders of these resume building tools and secure discounts ( up to 20% off! ) on some of their premium features for our readers.

If you’d like to jump straight to the resume builder reviews, here are our recommendations for the 5 best free resume builders of 2023:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Is It Worth Paying For A Resume Builder?

What to Look For In A Resume Builder

Best All Around | My Perfect Resume

Most User-Friendly | Resume.io

Most Innovative | Teal

Most Guided  | Rezi

Best for DIY | Ideal Resume

(Please Note: We are 100% donation supported. We provide all of our job search materials for free. None of the companies on this list have paid us to include them. One way you can support our efforts, however, is by using the links in this post if you choose to use one of the resume builders. There is no additional cost to you, but it helps us keep our site free to all job seekers).

When you’re job seeking, every dollar counts. I understand this more than most. When I was job seeking, I ended up having $60 left in my bank account and actually became an Uber driver to make ends meet.

What most people don't know, however, is that most of the features on most resume builders are free to use.

Some resume builders do have some premium features that may or may not be worth it, depending on your particular situation.

So, before you go out and spend money on a resume builder, first we need to answer, “is it worth paying for a resume builder at all?”

There are 3 ways to approach job seeking, so let’s break down each one real quick here:

1. Write your resume yourself

The cheapest way to put together your resume is to do it yourself. While this may be a tempting option, it can have its drawbacks. The biggest drawback is that you might spend more time on formatting your resume than actually honing its content.

When I was applying to jobs, I fell for this trap. I literally spent dozens of hours fixing broken formatting. It was a constant distraction and made my job search much longer than it needed to be.

If you are on a super tight budget, however, there are ways to improve this. You can, for example, use ChatGPT to write your resume .

We also offer a 100% free resume course to help guide you . Pair that with these 2 ATS-friendly resume templates and you can most definitely write your resume on your own.

2. Use a resume builder

If you’re in need of a job sooner rather than later, using a resume builder can be a great shortcut. Not only will a resume builder save you hours on formatting, but it will also make sure your resume is compatible with applicant tracking systems .

In addition, most of the resume builders on this list also offer writing suggestions and even done-for-you bullet points using AI (my how times have changed!).

And, best of all, a lot of the free resume builders don’t charge you anything until you actually want to download the resume. The price points are also very reasonable, from just $3 to $9 depending on which option you choose. We’ve also included a resume builder on the list that is 100% free (even to download your resume too!).

3. Hire a professional resume writer

This last option is best if you’re trying to make a bigger career move, such as earning a promotion or making a career pivot. In that case, hiring a professional resume writer may be very worthwhile. We have a list of some of the best resume writers (and their prices) here.

So, is it worth paying for a resume builder?

In most cases, yes.

The three reasons I personally like using a resume builder are:

1. Use a resume builder to give you ideas for your resume. 

Many resume builders now offer AI writing suggestions that are super helpful. You’ll still need to do some work to refine the suggestions, but a resume builder can help accelerate your resume writing process a lot.

2. Use a resume builder to customize your resume quickly.

Instead of sending off one version of your resume and waiting to hear back, a resume builder allows you to try different formats quickly. With the recommended resume makers below, you can literally build 5 different resumes in minutes instead of hours.

3. Use a resume builder to check that your resume is ATS-friendly

If you’re applying to competitive jobs, there's a chance that recruiters are searching within their applicant tracking systems using keywords. To make sure your resume shows up in these searches, you can use a resume builders built-in resume checker. This is a great add-on feature to have as insurance.

What To Look For In A Resume Builder

There are a LOT of factors that go into choosing the right resume builder. In our opinion, some factors are far more important than others.

When we evaluated these top resume builders, we focused on:

Speed & Ease of Use

The entire point of a resume builder is that it makes your life easier. After all, you don’t want to spend weeks tweaking and messing around with your resume. The #1 job of a resume builder, in our opinion, is to remove the headaches of building a resume so that you can concentrate on the actual content of your resume.

Encourage Best Practices

We disqualified a lot of resume builder websites because they offered a lot of templates that didn’t follow resume best practices. Many of these templates encouraged notoriously bad resume mistakes like adding graphics, self-scoring your skills, and other issues that turn off both recruiters and applicant tracking systems.

Price & Value

When you’re in a job search, the last thing you want is to be nickel and dimed constantly. We don’t mind if a resume builder charges a reasonable price, but we disqualified resume builder websites that kept charging you over and over again in sneaky ways. All of the resume builders on this list are completely free to use and only charge a few dollars to export your resume when you’re ready.

If you want to look at resume makers that didn’t make this list, that’s totally fine. We just recommend you stay away from:

• Resume makers that provide thousands of templates. When it comes to templates, the simpler, the better.
• Resume makers that don’t use ATS-friendly resume templates . This includes templates with lots of graphics or strange formatting.
• Resume makers that use templates that will be off putting to recruiters. This includes self-rating systems and resume fonts that aren’t easily readable.

Alright, so now that we’ve covered the criteria for the list, let’s get into the 5 best free resume builders we recommend:

Best All Around Resume Builder | My Perfect Resume

One of the resume builders that surprised us the most was My Perfect Resume. Out of all the free resume builders we tested, this one had the best balance of features.

While My Perfect Resume didn’t score the “best” in any one category, it scored highly pretty much across all categories. It was pretty easy to use, it had excellent templates to choose from, and it’s AI recommendations were top notch.

My Perfect Resume was founded in 2013 and has since helped create over 43 million resumes.

They also have 4.6/5 stars on Trust Pilot with a solid 6,858 reviews .

👉 Price: Free to build. 14-days for $2.95 (then $24/month after that)

👉 Best deal: $71 for the full year (less than $6/month)

What We Love About My Perfect Resume

My Perfect Resume made our best resume builder list because it checks off a lot of boxes really well. Some of the best features of My Perfect Resume were…

Great Onboarding Process

By far my favorite feature when using My Perfect Resume is how the great step-by-step nature of the platform. 

While most resume makers will have you input your data in the same way, My Perfect Resume took this approach to the next level.

A unique step that My Perfect Resume had was that it first asks you how many years of experience you have:

Based on this, it will actively suggest resume templates that will best fit your years of experience. I can’t tell you how many times in our resume workshops, I’m asked, “will this resume template work for me? I have X years of experience.”

I played around with different inputs for the number of years and I have to say they’ve done a great job with this.

The templates My Perfect Resume chose for me were super clean and worked great for what I needed.

As a bonus, the platform also let you preview the color of your template before you chose it. This was really nice in helping me visualize what my resume would end up looking like before I choose a template:

Combinational And Functional Resume Templates

Depending on your job search goals, this feature could be the one that sells you on My Perfect Resume over other resume builders.

My Perfect Resume offers both “Combinational resumes” and “Functional resumes.” For those who aren’t familiar with these, let me explain:

When to Choose a Combinational Resume Template

A combinational resume template is one that creates two distinct focus areas:

• Your skills
• Your experience

A combinational resume will allow a recruiter to focus on both of these areas, since it breaks both of them up into separate sections.

A combinational resume is particularly useful:

• If you’re switching from one career field to another
• If you’re trying to move up in seniority in your current field
• If you’re returning to the job market after a hiatus

The combinational resume helps you with all 3 of these scenarios by focusing on your transferrable skills rather than just your work history.

When to Choose a Functional Resume Templates

A functional resume template is one that focuses solely on your skills and not on your work experience.

A functional resume template is best:

• If you’re a first-time job seeker or don’t have much experience
• If you’re shifting to a new career
• If you have large employment gaps

The functional resume template helps with all 3 of these situations by ignoring the traditional “work experience” section and replacing it with “Qualifications” and “Skills” section.

It should be noted that other resume builders do also offer combinational and functional resume templates. However, My Perfect Resume has a special selection of these templates and explains when you should use them, which is quite helpful.

Very Good AI Recommendations

Beyond the resume templates, I found that My Perfect Resume had really strong AI suggestions. These suggestions weren’t necessarily the best out of all the resume builders, but they were definitely better than most.

As you can see, not only does My Perfect Resume provide well-written AI suggestions, but it also gives you the option to add numbers to each suggestion.

As I was building my resume, the AI suggestions gave me great ideas for numbers I could include, which I never would have thought of on my own.

If you want help figuring out how to write numbers in your resume, Resume Writing Expert, Gillian Kelly, made this great video explaining how to do so:

Resume Best Practices

In addition to writing suggestions, the platform also did a great job of following some resume best practices.

These included:

• Leaving your graduation date off if it’s been more than 10 years
• Keeping your resume brief (we recommend 400–600 words for 1–15 years of experience)
• Using clean, uncomplicated resume templates

A lot of the best practices that we teach in our free job-winning resume course were already incorporated into My Perfect Resume, which put a big smile on our faces.

Resume Scoring

Lastly, one of the best add-ons that My Perfect Resume offers is a resume scoring feature. After you’ve built your resume, the platform will give you a score in your dashboard.

This score is based on how complete your resume is. The platform will show you which sections you’re missing and how you can improve your resume score.

As someone who has directly worked on our own Resume Grader, I have to say that the My Perfect Resume scoring system was very accurate compared to our own results.

Where My Perfect Resume Isn’t Perfect

While My Perfect Resume is very good, it isn’t quite perfect in some aspects. There were two areas where we felt My Perfect Resume was lacking:

One area that could use improvement is the resume editor once you’ve built your resume. While the resume editor allowed you to change your resume template, color, and layout, it was a bit hard to use. 

As you hover your mouse over the templates, you can see a preview of what each one looks like, but it was hard to tell which template is which. 

In addition, some of the templates had an option to change the font, while others didn’t. Some of the templates seemed to make the font way too small and some fonts weren’t easy to read.

As we’ve talked about before, choosing a good resume font is super important because a recruiter will only spend 10–30 seconds looking at your resume. TK

It felt like the editor could lead some job seekers astray by letting them choose templates with fonts that are way too small or difficult to read.

The second area that was disappointing were some of the additional features such as the Cover Letter generator and Job Matcher.

The cover letter tool was very strange to use. It asked you to choose your top 3 job skills, but the options it offered were wildly off from the job title I added.

It also asked you to choose your top 3 qualities:

Funny enough, the cover letter it generated based on this information was exactly the kind of cover letter I recommend you do not use .

Here is the cover letter My Perfect Resume generated for me:

In my testing, this kind of cover letter isn’t useful at all. You can see a side-by-side comparison between a bad cover letter and our proven cover letter template here .

If you decide to go with My Perfect Resume, I don’t recommend using the cover letter feature or the resume summary feature as both use a lot of fluff words throughout.

Pros and Cons of My Perfect Resume

• Excellent resume templates
• Chooses templates based on your experience
• Has combinational and functional templates section
• Great AI writing suggestions
• Follows resume best practices very well
• Accurate resume scoring
• Easy color customization
• Resume editor is a bit difficult to use
• Some templates have difficult to read fonts
• Cover letter generator isn’t very good
• Resume summary generator isn’t very good
• 14-day trial goes up in price

Best User Friendly Resume Builder | Resume.io

One of the most important things to consider when choosing a resume builder is its ease of use. After all, a good resume builder is supposed to save you time over just using a word doc.

Out of the dozens of resume builders we tested, Resume.io by far stood out as the easiest to use. In fact, I was able to recreate my full resume in less than 8 minutes with all the sections I needed.

It’s no surprise that Resume.io is so well thought out either. The company was founded back in 2012. It’s based out of the Netherlands and you can definitely feel that stereotypical Scandinavian thoughtfulness in this great resume builder.

Resume.io also has 4.7/5 stars on trust pilot with an amazing 43,149 reviews .

👉 Price: Free to build. 7-Day Trial for $4.70 ($25/month after that)

👉 Best Deal: $44 for 3 months (less than $7.50/month)

What We Love About Resume.io

Where Resume.io really shines is in how user-friendly every aspect of the product is. Not only is it quick to pick up, but it also lets you build a complete resume faster than most other resume builders out there.

Here are our favorite features about Resume.io:

Free Resume Builder Features

Unlike many other resume builders, Resume.io gives you access to a lot of features for free. 

Some of those free resume builder features include:

• Full access to their resume template library
• It’s free to download a .txt file of the resume you build so you can copy it into your own template if you want
• Free access to their AI suggestions
• Free Cover Letter templates you can download for free
• Free shareable link of your resume

Basically, if you were really on a tight budget, you could use Resume.io completely free and get a lot of value from it.

The only time you’ll need to pay is if you want to download a PDF of your resume straight from the platform. This is highly convenient, but like we mentioned above, you could also just download the .txt file for free and then recreate the resume in either a Word doc or Google doc.

AI Suggestions As You Build

One of my favorite features of Resume.io is how they integrated AI suggestions into the platform. 

For example, as you fill out your work experience, the AI will offer suggestions for bullet points based on the job title you’re writing about.

As you can see, some of these suggestions were a little strange, like how it suggested, “Served as a helpful assistant to all office staff,” for a Content Marketing role.

But, other suggestions were spot on. Such as, “Analyzed past marketing initiatives and revamped the company’s marketing efforts to keep readers engaged.”

Overall, the AI for Resume.io was better than some of the other resume builders on this list, but it still required some finessing.

One of the best AI features of Resume.io, however, was the suggestions it generated for my skills section. As you can see in the video below, when I clicked on skills, it continued to provide more suggestions.

This feature alone makes Resume.io worth it, since this can greatly help you with improving your results with applicant tracking systems (ATS) .

Really Fast Customization

Another feature that makes Resume.io one of the best free resume builders available today is how easy it is to customize.

Beyond the usual work experience and skills sections, Resume.io allows you to add several additional sections to your resume. You can add courses, languages, internships, references, hobbies, and even a custom section to your resume.

The other customization feature that I really liked was how easy it is to change my template even after I’ve entered my info.

With just a couple of clicks, I could go from using the London resume template to the Amsterdam resume template. 

In our resume classes, I’ve seen so many people spend the majority of their time futzing with the design of their resume instead of with the actual content, so this feature is super useful.

Another important thing this feature lets you do is A/B test different resume templates. 

Imagine you’re applying to jobs for 3 months and getting no replies. With the click of a button, you can change your resume template and try out a completely different look.

As often explain in our resume workshops, small things like having the right resume color and good resume fonts can make a big difference when applying to jobs.

Where Resume.io Isn’t Ideal

From what I’ve seen, there are only two real concerns to look out for with Resume.io.

The first thing to look out for are some of the more creative templates available in the platform. I recommend staying away from the “creative” category of templates since they may not be recruiter or ATS-friendly .

This is easily avoidable though, since they have 3 other categories available: simple, professional, and modern.

The other place to look out for is with the pricing model. Resume.io offers great pricing options:

The place where a lot of people get confused though is with the 7-day trial. The trial costs only $4, which is fantastic value. After the 7 days, however, the price goes up to $24 per month.

As long as you’re aware of this change, it’s not a big deal, but good to know before you buy.

If you do decide to try Resume.io, I recommend just springing for the $44 for 6 months option just so you don’t have to worry about your billing changing.

Pros and Cons of Resume.io

• Free cover letter builder
• Free use of their resume templates
• Free AI suggestions
• Free .txt file downloads
• Super useful skills suggestions
• Instantly check keywords
• Instantly change templates
• Flat fee for unlimited use for 6 months or 12 months
• Paid version includes free critique by an HR expert
• 4.7/5 stars on Trust Pilot from 43,140+ reviews
• Over 24 million resumes built by over 15 million users
• AI suggestions can be hit or miss
• Some templates may not be recruiter or ATS-friendly
• 7-Day trial goes up in price steeply

Best Innovative Resume Builder | Teal

As we were testing resume builders, a pattern emerged that was hard to ignore: most resume builders are very isolated from the job search process.

Well, then we discovered Teal.

Teal is a company that is trying to take a wholistic approach to job searching. Instead of just focusing on your standard application documents (resume, cover letter, LinkedIn, etc), Teal wants to be the hub for your entire job search journey.

Not only is Teal a great resume builder, but it also helps you organize your job search, research job openings, and keep you focused during your journey.

Founded in 2019, Teal is very new to the resume builder category. But, because it’s so new, it offers a very fresh approach that is worth considering.

In addition, it should be noted that Teal is the only free resume builder on this list that lets you download your resume for free as well.

👉 Price: Free to build & download your resume ($9/week for premium features)

👉 Best deal: $79 for 3 months of Premium

Teal also has great customer service and some really nice tutorials. Here is a video that the CEO of Teal, David Fano, sent to me to show me the platform:

Even though Teal is a relatively new resume builder, they already have great reviews for their tools.

They have an incredible 5/5 stars on Google reviews with over 412 reviews already!

What We Love About Teal

Where Teal really shines is in all the job search support features it offers in addition to its free resume builder. Here are the features that should make you consider choosing Teal as your resume builder…

Super Useful Job Tracker

I’ll talk about the actual resume maker function of Teal in just a moment. Where Teal really stands out from every other resume builder, however, is in the job search tools it has built right into the platform.

Teal markets itself as your “personal career development platform,” and this idea is carried out throughout the platform incredibly well.

One of the main pain points of searching for a job is the hundreds of micro activities you need to do. I’m sure we’ve all asked questions like:

“How many job applications should I be sending out?”

“What kind of positions should I apply for?”

“Wait… did I already apply to this position?”

Teal solves a lot of these problems through their great job tracker tool.

Right when you jump into the resume maker platform, Teal begins with your end goal in mind. First, it asks you what your career goal is:

After you've established your goal, Teal will have you download their super slick job tracker tool.

The job tracker works through a Google chrome extension you can download for free from Teal’s website.

Once you have the extension downloaded, you can save jobs to your Teal job tracker with just one click:

A feature that I personally loved is that I could also add an “excitement” rating to each job. This is brilliant because it lets me organize which jobs I dedicate my attention to. I can dedicate the most time to the jobs I am most excited about while still having others as backups.

Helpful Process Organizer

The average job search takes anywhere between 3–6 months, depending on the role you’re after. This is why it’s super important to keep track of your job search as you go along.

Not only is this important for being efficient with your job search, but it’s also vital to maintaining your mental health through what can be a difficult journey.

Teal has some really nice job tracker tools that can help you with this.

Not only does Teal let you add jobs to a central database, but it also lets you organize what stage you’re in with each company.

This functions almost like an applicant tracking system , but for job seekers instead of job posters.

I can’t stress enough how helpful this is to maintaining your morale during a long job search. I’ve written about how to manage your job applications in the past, and I wish that I had a tool like Teal when I was on my long job search back then.

Fast, Simple Resume Builder That’s Truly Free

My first “wow” moment with Teal was when I went into the platform to build my resume.

Most resume makers offer an option to import a resume you’ve already written. Where Teal takes this to another level is that (in addition to this feature) it also lets you create a resume directly from your LinkedIn profile.

I personally keep my LinkedIn profile a lot more up to date than my resume, so this was a great way to jump start my resume building.

Once I imported my resume information, Teal automatically populated my resume with my bullet points, which I could toggle on/off super easily. Here’s what it looked like: 

A bonus feature was that it also grabbed my “certifications” and “skills” sections from LinkedIn. This meant that all my LinkedIn Learning courses were now part of my resume, which I had never thought to add before.

One of the most surprising things when I finished my resume was when I clicked “Download PDF.” 

For all the other resume builders on this list, when you try to download your resume you’ll be blocked by a paywall.

Teal is different.

Teal truly lets you build and download your resume 100% free. That makes Teal the only fully free resume builder on this entire list.

Interactive Achievements Assistant

One area where Teal differs from the rest of the resume makers on this list is in its bullet point builder.

While the other resume makers offer fully written bullet points generated by AI, Teal takes a bit of a more hands-on approach.

Instead of generating bullet points for you, Teal involves you in the process by letting you construct your bullet points in a very systematic way.

As you can see, the bullet point creator asks you a series of questions to help you build the best bullet points.

As someone who likes to have more control of their writing process, this feature was actually quite refreshing and it helped me quite a bit.

Resume Optimization

Other features that were particularly helpful were the keyword finder and resume checker.

The keyword finder lets you input a job description into the platform, and then Teal will automatically find the target keywords for you. This lets you quickly add keywords to your resume that are both recruiter and ATS-friendly.

(I used to do this process manually, so it’s great that I can now outsource this task to Teal.)

The other feature that was particularly helpful was the resume checker. I personally worked on our Resume Grader at GHYC, so I was particularly keen to see if the Teal resume checker was accurate.

I found that the resume checker was good at certain tasks, but failed at others.

The area that it was really helpful in was checking if you have all your resume sections following best practices.

Teal will check things like your:

• Resume completeness
• Resume bullet point length
• Resume metrics

I was really impressed that the resume checker could spot if I was missing metrics in my bullet points or that my bullet points were too long, for example. 

Where Teal Wasn’t Ideal

Teal is definitely the most innovative resume platform we tested. But, with this innovation come a few issues.

For example, Teal’s resume checker was accurate for the most part. But, when I tried using the resume matching feature, it scored my resume as a 1% match for my target role.

Keep in mind, this resume was based on a LinkedIn profile that had already landed me several interviews for that very same role.

The other area that was a little lacking were the resume templates. To be clear, Teal has very well optimized resume templates, the problem is that it has very few of them.

There are currently only 4 resume templates in the platform. While each of these templates were well done, it is a little bit limiting to the type of resume you can build.

In particular, it would be nice to have a two column template for those who would like to present their information in a different way.

There were also only 7 accent colors to choose from, so that felt a bit limiting as well.

Pros and Cons of Teal

• Helps you organize your entire job search
• Very useful Google Chrome Extension
• Keeps you on track with weekly goals
• Can import your LinkedIn profile and your resume
• Helpful bullet point builder
• Resume templates are ATS-friendly
• Let’s you download your resume for free
• Resume checker gives good suggestions
• Only has 4 resume templates
• Only has 7 resume colors
• Resume checker was hit or miss sometimes

Best Smart Resume Builder | Rezi

One of the most delightful resume builders we tested was Rezi. What was most surprising about Rezi was that it teaches you the best practices of resume writing while you’re using it.

Rezi is unique in that it has small video explanations embedded directly in the builder with an instructor who shares best practices for each section. In addition, we liked that it was easy to use, had excellent resume templates, and it’s one of the few resume builders that’s truly free.

Rezi was founded in 2015 and is based out of Seoul, South Korea. They have 4.2/5 stars on Trust Pilot out of 78 reviews.

Price: 3 resume downloads for free! ($29/month for Pro features)

Best deal: $19/month if you pay quarterly

What We Love About Rezi

Rezi made our best resume builder list because it not only streamlines your resume building, but actually shows you best practices in the process. Some of the best features of Rezi were…

Easy Resume Building + Resume Examples

By far my favorite feature when using Rezi was how the platform guides you through the building of your resume.

The process starts with Rezi’s great library of templates. This saved me SO much time.

I simply searched for a “Sr. Content Marketing Manager” template (my target role). This is a pretty specific job title to begin with, but Rezi had a fully written resume example to start with.

I also liked that Rezi had a lot of other options with how you could start. If you already have a resume you’re working from, you can import it into the platform instead. Or, you could even start with just your LinkedIn profile.

Great Resume Targeting

The other feature that was really impressive was how detailed you can get with your targeting. As I’ve written about before , having a targeted resume will dramatically increase your interview rate.

Rezi stood out in that regard because it lets you target by both role AND seniority .

This is particularly helpful if you’re trying to make a jump to a higher level role or if you're trying to figure out how to make a career pivot .

They even have a “Target your resume” toggle that lets you input the exact job description or company you’re trying to go after.

If you’ve watched my free resume course , you’ll remember that I’m a big proponent of having a multi-resume strategy (using a different resume for every job you apply to).

Back when I was applying to jobs, I created different resumes for every job I applied to manually 🤦‍♂️

After seeing Rezi (and some of the other resume builders on this list) now I’m kicking myself for the hours I wasted doing this manually.

Video Tutorials & Best Practices

One of the biggest reasons we didn’t choose some resume builders for this list is because they encouraged bad practices.

For example, some of the AI resume builders we tested would create long-winded summaries, “responsible for” bullet points, and even include spelling mistakes!

This is where Rezi stood out from the rest.

As you move through each section of the builder, Rezi includes a video in the top corner with someone explaining the best way to write that particular section.

I wanted to be critical of this feature, after all, our resume course is all about sharing these best practices. But to my surprise the tips they shared were actually spot on.

For example, in the bullet point module they teach you the “What, Why, How” method for writing bullet points, which is super useful!

If you’ve been applying to jobs for awhile now and you’re not sure why you’re not getting interviews, I highly recommend just going through the Rezi videos because they’re very helpful.

( Shameless plug alert: you can also get our free resume course which will teach you even more job-winning optimizations).

Smart Optimizations

Speaking of optimizations, during my testing Rezi did a very good job of making suggestions for ways to improve my resume. 

For example, has this really great audit tool to help you quickly spot your mistakes.

What I really like about this tool, however, is that it also shows you what you’re doing well, which makes you feel accomplished as you’re building your resume.

In terms of the skills section, Rezi was unique in that it had multiple categories of skills you can add. This feature can be pretty useful to figure out your resume keywords .

The builder also included a “Projects” section by default. This can be particularly useful if you have an eclectic work experience because it lets you highlight your best experience all in one section.

Rezi Has Great Analytics

While pretty much all resume builders these days have an analytics feature, Rezi stood out with how well organized theirs is.

Not only does the platform give you a score on your resume, but it also breaks down that score across multiple factors so you know exactly what you need to improve.

In addition, I really appreciated that I could click on each improvement and it would take me directly to that section so I could fix whatever was wrong.

Rezi Is Truly Free

A couple of freebies and extras worth mentioning about Rezi it’s one of the few truly free resume builders.

While most resume builders let you build for free, they usually charge you once you want to download your resume.

Rezi doesn’t bait and switch you like that.

With Rezi’s free plan you can actually download your resume up to 3 times at no cost.

Another nice extra is that they have a resume review service where a real person can review your resume to make sure everything is as it should be.

If you’re on the Pro plan (which I recommend) a resume review is included free of charge. I f you’re on the free plan, the resume review only costs $8.

Where Rezi Wasn’t Ideal

Overall Rezi was a very solid resume builder, but there were certain features I recommend skipping.

The first is the aforementioned skills tool. Most of the skills it suggested were very helpful, BUT, there were some skills suggestions that were not on target.

For example, the platform suggested “Trafficking” as a keyword for a Content Marketing role 😆

This isn’t a huge deal, but definitely be careful when you’re adding skills to make sure they are indeed what you want to add.

Another place where Rezi falls short is with its Cover Letter Generator. The cover letter template that Rezi uses is exactly the type of cover letter that we don’t recommend.

If you are going to use a cover letter, I recommend grabbing our more modern cover letter template which looks like this:

You can get this template for free (along with video instructions on how to fill it out) in our 15-Minute Cover Letter Course.

Lastly, Rezi has an option to add a profile picture, which I don’t recommend using. Some companies may disqualify you if you have a profile picture (because they’re afraid of being sued for discrimination), so it’s best to not use this feature.

Pros and Cons of Rezi

• Video tutorials with best practices
• Multiple ways to start a resume
• Can target by role and seniority
• Very easy to build & good UI
• Great analytics & suggestions
• Includes excellent resume examples
• Includes projects section
• Improvements are easy to understand
• Can get feedback from a resume expert
• Includes 3 resume downloads for free
• 4.2/5 stars on Trust Pilot
• Skills suggestions can be hit or miss
• Cover letter generator isn’t very useful
• Job matching feature didn’t work for us

Price: Includes 3 resume downloads for free! ($29/month if you need more)

Best DIY Resume Builder | Ideal Resume

One of the newest resume builders on the market is Ideal Resume. Ideal Resume was founded in 2021, which means it has a very different approach to building a resume.

Instead of forcing you into building your resume directly on their website, the team at Ideal Resume give you the tools to build your resume on your own.

You won’t find any fancy templates on their site, just a few very well thought out tools to help you write your best resume.

👉 Price: Free to build. 7-day Free Trial ($39/month after that)

👉 Best deal: 3 months for $59 (less than $20/month)

👉 Special deal: Get 20% off a monthly or quarterly plan with code GHYR20OFF

Another thing that we loved about Ideal Resume is the level of customer care they provide. When I reached out to Ideal Resume, their CEO, Wesley Brach , personally replied to my message within 20 minutes with this great 4-minute walkthrough video:

What We Love About Ideal Resume

Ideal Resume has 3 resume building tools, 2 resume scanning tools, and bunch of extras that can help you with everything from your cover letter to your interview skills.

Let’s break down the resume generator tools first:

Resume Bullet Point Generator

The first tool Ideal Resume offers is an AI bullet point generator. What I love about this generator is how simple it is to use. To use it, you simply:

• Select bullet point generator
• Select to input either a “job title” or “job title + skills”
• Select the role you’d like it to focus on

Ideal Resume will then generate 3 versions of bullet points that you can choose from. As you can see, it gives you a good amount of variety from full sentences to simple skills lists.

You can choose which ones you like the most and then simply copy and paste them into your resume whether that be in a Word doc or Google Docs.

Even though I’ve written hundreds of resumes at this point, I found this tool to be super helpful in generating ideas for the accomplishments I could focus on.

They also have a resume accomplishments generator. This works very similarly to the bullet point generator, except it includes metrics too.

Resume Summary Generator

As we’ve discussed before, a great resume summary can really make your resume stand out from other candidates. Resume summaries are, however, notoriously difficult to write.

Ideal Resume generates a resume summary through the exact same process with just 3 simple inputs from you.

Now, don’t expect that these resume summaries will be perfect, but it’s nice to have something to work with as a starting point.

To learn how to modify these resume summaries, I recommend reading our full resume summary guide here.

As a resume builder, Ideal Resume has pretty good results (although not the best). Where Ideal Resume really shines though, is that it includes several other tools at no additional cost. 

In addition to being a great resume builder, Ideal Resume also offers:

Resume Scanner with Courses

All of the best resume builders we've recommened above have a resume scanning tool of some kind. What makes Ideal Resume unique, is that it also offers a unique way of fixing the gaps in your resume: skills courses.

When you use the resume scanner, it will ask you for both your resume and the target role you're applying for. When I uploaded my resume to the platform, here's what my results looked like:

As you can see, the scanner has highlighted that my resume is pretty strong. But, there are places where my resume could use some improvement, particularly in my skills section.

When you click on the skills button, Ideal Resume will show you which skills you're missing from your resume that the job description calls for:

What's really unique about Ideal Resume compared to other the other best free resume builders is that it gives you suggested online courses to fill in your skills gaps. 

When you click on a skill, Ideal Resume will send you to Udemy where you can take courses to improve your skills. As someone who is an avid fan of online learning, this was a great feature to see!

LinkedIn Summary Builder

One of the most common questions I get asked on LinkedIn is, “how do I write a great LinkedIn summary like yours?” 

According to studies, a whopping 87% of recruiters find LinkedIn to be the most useful for vetting candidates.

The trouble is that writing a great LinkedIn summary can be super difficult (especially if you’re not a natural writer). Well, Ideal Resume has you covered in this respect too with an AI LinkedIn summary builder:

The LinkedIn summary builder is included at no additional cost. The results aren’t 100% done-for-you, but they will get you started quite well. I recommend generating 5–6 LinkedIn summaries with it and then taking the best parts from each one that you like.

Cover Letter Generator

Ideal Resume also has an AI cover letter generator that’s quite good actually. This generator can use the actual job description of the position you’re applying for.

I plugged in a job description for a Content Specialist at Tesla, and here’s what it generated as my cover letter:

As you can see, you’ll need to do some light editing to the cover letter. Instead of, “I have 1–3 years experience,” you would need to say, “I have 3 years experience,” for example. 

The AI won’t build a ready-to-send cover letter for you, but it does help you get started. If you want to know how to write a great cover letter that will increase your interview rate by up to 30%, you can also try our free 15-Minute Cover Letter Course.

Other Free Job Search Tools

As though that weren’t enough help, Ideal Resume also just added several tools to help you with your interview process too. You can now use their AI generator to get practice interview questions, create an elevator pitch, and even write a thank you note.

Where Ideal Resume Isn’t Ideal

As you can see, Ideal Resume checks off a lot of boxes. It offers some great ideas for your resume bullet points, accomplishments, and resume summary. Not to mention all of the extra features it offers for no additional cost.

The area where Ideal Resume lacks some finesse is in the quality of the generated text. It's nice that it gives you 3 options each time it generates ideas, but you will still need to fine tune the suggestions it gives you.

Nonetheless, we’re sure that with time that this promising company will improve their AI resume builder to take these kinds of things into account.

Pros and Cons of Ideal Resume

• Let’s you build your resume in Word or Google Docs
• Has multiple resume generator tools
• Has LinkedIn generator tools (included at no additional charge)
• Has Interview practice tools (included at no additional charge)
• Let’s you test your resume for ATS compatibility
• Has great customer service
• Super easy to use
• Pay as you go model TK
• Bullet point generator doesn’t use strong verbs
• AI generation tools need your help to fine tune language
• No templates included

Overall if you’re looking to have maximum control of your resume, but you want a little writing help, Ideal Resume is a great choice.

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Bogdan Zlatkov is the Founder of GHYC and author of "The Ultimate Guide to Job Hunting", ranked #1 on Google. He has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, HR Dive, and more. At GHYC, Bogdan creates job search courses & tools by working with award-winning career coaches, best-selling authors, and Forbes-Council members. Prior to GHYC, Bogdan led the content programs at LinkedIn Learning.

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Yes, you can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel your plan at anytime from the app. If you need help changing your account, reach out to us using the link below.

Yes. We offer a good ol’ fashioned, no questions asked, 7‑day money back guarantee. If you purchase a plan and decide within 7 days that you didn’t get your money’s worth, we’ll give you a refund.

Yes! The trial has 100% access to all of resume tools, templates, cover letters, and download formats.

If you upgrade to a premium trial you’ll have access to the premium plan for 7 days. After 7 days if you don’t cancel you are automatically subscribed to the premium monthly membership.

What's Free & What's

• Unlimited Resumes
• Unlimited Resumes Templates
• Unlimited Job Tracking
• Top 5 Keywords
• 1 Email Template Per job stage
• Limited AI Usage for Resume Achievements (5), Professional Summaries (2) and Cover Letter (1)
• Basic analysis in the resume builder
• Basic Resume Keyword Matching
• Everything in Teal Free
• Unlimited Advanced Resume Analysis
• Unlimited Resume Keyword Matching
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• Unlimited keywords (hard and soft skills) listed in the job tracker
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The tools you need to level up your job search.

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Resume Job Description Match

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LinkedIn Summary Generator

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LinkedIn Resume Builder

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Frequently asked questions, is there a return or refund policy, are there any hidden fees or charges, do you have any deals or discounts going on.

How To Use Resume Builder for Free

Resume Builder Features

Free cover letter generator: build a better cover letter in minutes.

The Resume Builder app offers free resume building with guidance for writing each section of your resume, suggested edits, and text downloads. You can also access free resources , resume examples , and guides on the Resume Builder website.

With a $2.95 14-day trial, you can unlock every feature the application offers. This offer includes custom templates and resume downloads in PDF and DOCX formats. Below, you’ll find a list of unique features and benefits in the Resume Builder app to help accelerate your job search and career advancement.

Using a free Resume Builder plan allows you to:

• Build a custom resume from the ground up using artificial intelligence (AI) suggested phrases and guidance on recommended sections
• Review our collection of resume examples, cover letter examples , job-hunting guides, and resources to craft your own unique resume
• Save and edit your resume online by signing up for a free account
• Download your completed resume as a text (TXT)-only file

Step 1: Select your template

Select your template on the Resume Builder app. The application has various templates you can tailor to your unique professional needs and goals.

Step 2: Select create a new resume or import your current resume

Once you’ve chosen your template, you can create a new resume from scratch or import information from a resume document.

To use the upload feature, choose an existing resume from your computer and upload it to the Resume Builder app. Or you can upload a document from Google Drive or Dropbox.

To write your resume in the app, follow the prompts to build each section. You can use the AI suggestions and tips to get help writing.

Step 3: Create your free Resume Builder account

After building your custom resume using Resume Builder’s state-of-the-art tools, create your free account to continue the process. No credit card or billing information is required unless you sign up for a paid account to download your resume as a PDF or DOCX.

Step 4: Return to the dashboard and download your text resume

After saving your resume, return to the dashboard and select the file you wish to download.

You can save your resume as a plain text file.

Resume Builder offers cutting-edge features to help you translate your career experience into a winning resume. We offer 25+ customizable resume template designs, expert writing support, and resume examples crafted by certified resume writers.

Advanced resume writing support tools

The Resume Builder app provides expert guidance to help you craft every section of your resume with clarity and depth. You can use suggested work history phrases written by professional resume writers and AI-powered support.

Suggested bullet point phrases

Writing a resume from scratch can be daunting, but you can get help from our database of suggested phrases written by certified resume writers. You can instantly generate Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)-friendly content according to your job title.

Unlimited customization

With a premium subscription, the Resume Builder app offers unlimited ways for you to customize your resume according to your individual career needs. Resume Builder includes 25+ resume design templates you can explore and alter to align with your professional brand.

We also provide options for custom resume sections to help you capture the nuances of your career experience.

Don’t stop at a professional resume. Land that job with the whole package by creating a cover letter quickly and easily. In three easy steps, complete your application in minutes with our cover letter generator. Write a streamlined, personalized, professional, stylish cover letter in seconds. With our cover letter builder, you can stop agonizing over the right thing to say and let our generator format everything for you. Just like resumes on the Resume Builder app, you can download text cover letters for free, or get PDF downloads with a paid subscription.

Frank Hackett

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)

Frank Hackett is a professional resume writer and career consultant with over eight years of experience. As the lead editor at a boutique career consulting firm, Frank developed an innovative approach to resume writing that empowers job seekers to tell their professional stories. His approach involves creating accomplishment-driven documents that balance keyword optimization with personal branding. Frank is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PAWRCC).

Build a Resume to Enhance Your Career

• How to Build a Resume Learn More
• Basic Resume Examples and Templates Learn More
• How Many Jobs Should You List on a Resume? Learn More
• How to Include Personal and Academic Projects on Your Resume Learn More

Essential Guides for Your Job Search

• How to Land Your Dream Job Learn More
• How to Organize Your Job Search Learn More
• How to Include References in Your Job Search Learn More
• The Best Questions to Ask in a Job Interview Learn More