Review of Resume
Builders... For the do-it-yourselfers out there, we
review the most popular online resume builders. These can be valuable tools to
help you craft your own
resume.
Web Site... |
Overview... |
Pricing... |
Pongo Resume
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Everything you want in a resume builder--including a FREE trial. The program is
feature-packed, intuitive, and a breeze to master. Includes cover letters, emailing, faxing and
your own webpage. A subscription-based business model keep it extremely affordable...
(read full REVIEW)
|
$14.95 for a
monthly subscription, cancel at anytime.
Free
Trial
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Easy Job
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One of the better resume builders - downloaded over 500,000 times. Part of the popularity is a
catalog of 25,000 resume templates. Special features include thumbnail displays of all
your resumes, and submission tracking capabilities....
(read full REVIEW)
|
$49.99
$29.99 limited time 40% discount over regular
price.
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Amazing Resume Creator
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A good product that suffers from an exasperating web site feature. Be forewarned:
an animated character begins talking once the site loads. But there's no fluff where it counts. The
program, and the free ebooks, are packed with spot-on advice...
( read full REVIEW)
|
$49.95
$39.95 limited time
special, plus 3 valuable bonuses with order.
|
Clever Resume
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A good step-by-step resume builder with fully customizable templates and a list of pre written
phrases and power words. Easy-to-use for sure, but don't expect the vast array of features found on
more premium sites...
( read full REVIEW)
|
$29.99
$9.99
discounted price, includes Clever Cover Letter.
|
The Resume Builder
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A clean and simple service that is user friendly and delivers relatively professional
results, but lacks many key features and suffers at times from...
( read full REVIEW)
|
$18.95 for 1
year unlimited
access, including hosting of your resume on the Web. |
About Our Ratings...
In developing this site, we evaluated dozens of online resume
builders -- also known as a resume maker, resume developer, resume creator, or just plain resume
software.
We found some gems, and learned a few lessons along the way. For example, if the resume
builder (i.e. resume maker, resume developer, resume software) is...
- free, it's usually worth exactly that.
- pricey, you'll spend a lot of time wondering why
you didn't just throw the project to a Professional Resume Writer
and be done with it.
- a supplemental part of a larger service, guess what you're
gonna be bombarded with day and night? That's right--email marketing pitches designed to upsell the
premium services.
That said, here's what we looked for in a resume builder.
We looked for a stand-alone product.
We wanted the company behind the product to be fully dedicated to just one thing--the program
they were selling and the customers who were buying.
We looked for access to real live human beings.
You know, just in case one needed a bit of technical support. Or needed to insure that the
company makes good on a guarantee. Speaking of guarantees...
We looked for guarantees.
Of course, I'm not saying we found a bunch. In fact, sadly, we only found two --
Amazing Resume Creator for those looking for an instant download of the product so they can begin work
immediately, and Winway Resume Deluxe 12 Mini for those who don't mind waiting a few days for a shipment
from Amazon. Read our indepth Review of Amazing Resume Creator, and Review of WinWay Resume.
We looked for value.
Fifty bucks is about as high as we would want to go. Much more than that, and a full-service
professional resume writer begins to look like the better deal.
We looked for relevant bells and whistles.
The key word is relevant. Help with phrasing is relevant. Spell check is relevant. A
list of action verbs is relevant. The ability to work up a companion cover letter is relevant. A good choice
in the 'relevant bells and whistles' category is EasyJob.net. This company's program displays thumbnails of all the resumes you've created, organized by
modification date. And it keeps track of companies you've submitted to, and which resume
version each received. Read our Review of EasyJob.net.
We looked for proper resume formatting.
MS Word is the standard. But we gave extra points to the online resume builder (i.e. resume
maker, resume developer, resume software) that also offered or facilitated formatting in PDF, ASCII
text, HTML, and RTF.
We looked for ease of use.
Everything's a hassle. Ever notice that? And just when you really, really need things to go
right--like when you're out of work or can't take another day under the oppressive thumb of Genghis Khan, the
night shift supervisor at Pubescent Poultry Products--well, forget it. Hence, we put a good deal of stock in
the online resume builder (i.e. resume maker, resume developer, resume software) whose website navigated
smoothly. Where information was readily available. Where pricing was up front and clear. In short, we valued
the online resume builder who was easy to work with.
You can do this.
Listen, If you're a halfway decent writer, you can do this. You have it within yourself to
craft a resume that is competitive with those employing professional writing services. That said, you will
need to know how to organize career information and produce an effective template. You will need to know
how to phrase your job responsibilities and career accomplishments in a manner that opens doors. The
beauty of a quality resume builder is that the software can help immensely with the organization, the
templates, and the phrasing.
Look over our reviews. Consider our ratings and how we got to those ratings. And finally,
choose a resume builder that feels comfortable, and get on with the task at hand--crafting a resume that will
land the job that will set the stage for career happiness.
We wish you the best.
-- David Alan Carter
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