A resume builder is a useful tool for job seekers wanting a convenient way to create polished-looking resumes. To help job seekers find the best resume builder for their situation, we’re publishing a series of reviews. Today, we’re featuring Resume Genius.
Resume Genius claims that 92 percent of users land an interview within 30 days of using the resume builder. In addition to the resume builder, Resume Genius has several career resources, such as a list of common job interview questions. Perhaps most useful is this list of more than 100 educational websites where visitors can learn new skills or brush up on existing ones.
Getting started
You can get started right away with Resume Genius—no need to sign up for an account first. To begin the process of building your resume, you’re prompted to choose from one of eight resume templates. (If you want to change your mind later, you can.) Most of the templates are laid out similarly; half use color and half don’t. If you opt for a template that uses color, keep in mind that the so-called “striking green” used on two of the templates isn’t necessarily easy on the eyes.
Once you’ve chosen a template, the resume builder has you manually enter your contact information, work history, education history, and skills. This might feel a bit tedious, but it’s a better alternative than having to hunt through a resume draft to make sure the tool didn’t parse any information incorrectly.
If you feel at all overwhelmed by the process of writing a resume (a common situation—it can be tough to distill what you spend most of your time doing into just a few bullet points), you’ll find the Resume Genius resume builder immensely helpful. After you enter your job title, you can either add your own job-related information, or choose from suggestions provided by Resume Genius. Below, see a screenshot of just a few suggestions for the role of operations manager.
Even if you don’t use the specific wording they offer (there are more than 50,000 entries covering almost countless roles and industries), it’s an unbeatable brainstorming tool. It’s worth browsing related job titles and taking notes for future resume writing.
Editing
The contents of each template can be adjusted to suit your individual needs. You can enable, disable, rename, or add sections as you choose. (Despite the fact that one is pictured in each sample resume template, you don’t have to use a resume objective). If you want to add a section, there are nine existing offerings, plus the option to create a custom section. One particularly great feature is that, for your work experience section, you can choose whether you want to use a traditional resume format or a functional resume format. This is perfect for people considering a career change.
Unfortunately, there is one big drawback to the editing process: You can’t control the details of the template itself. As the screenshot below shows, the resume builder abbreviated “June” in the education section, but not in the work experience section. There are a number of roles where attention to detail is so highly valued that this inconsistency would get your resume instantly rejected.
Pricing
For $1.95, you can create and download unlimited resumes and cover letters for 14 days. After that trial period, you’ll automatically be charged $39.95 per month for a subscription. Alternatively, you can pay in full for a year-long subscription that works out to $7.95 per month. The annual subscription also automatically renews. In both cases, the onus is on you to cancel your membership.
If you are interested in using a resume builder and want help brainstorming ideas for your resume’s contents, Resume Genius is definitely worth your time.
