The Best Online CV Builder?
Technology has both blessed and cursed the job search. Complicating certain aspects, while drastically creating efficiencies within it simultaneously. The curriculum vitae (CV) is a representation of ourselves within the usual A4 chronological, black & white paper representation that we have become so comfortable in seeing and using. In the past year or so there have been websites popping up all over the internet catering to CV design, editing and any other extra elements that you might need when going through the overall job search. The list below consists of five different websites that allow you to create a CV on their website. We attempted to use each one and then evaluated it from a practical, cost efficient and overall package point of view. Below are the results…
(Click on the title of each website to get redirected to their home page)
CV Maker:
… And we were being generous
We can start by saying immediately that this was the worst website by far. The website content itself is lacking, and the initial impression is that it was created as a university project. The templates offered to create your own creative CV are dismal and very minimal. We honestly wouldn’t click on this link twice. One star was us being generous.
Vizualize.me:
· The Infographics section should be saved as a source for a later date ·
The Vizualize website bothered our team from the onset. For your first visit, the website has limited information and persuades you to sign up prior to any other information being provided. The concept of providing all your information to a source prior to even confirming them as your service of choice seems like a bit of cheat. For the purpose of this little experiment, we did sign up. The only plus for this was the fact that you could log in using your LinkedIn. The quality wasn’t bad, to our surprise, however, it seemed more adapt for the purpose of creating company or event based infographics. We decided to keep the web page on hand for any other company based projects, but for a personal online tool to create a CV, we gave it a 2-star rating!
Kickresume:
· The editing option would be amazing if offered with a better design platform ·
The Kickresume website distinguishes itself as the most powerful resume builder. However, for someone who has some experience in Word or PowerPoint, the free templates offered are doable within 15 minutes flat. If however the more creative ones seem interesting, it will cost you a monthly subscription fee. Their services also provide Cover Letter help, which gives them an overall differentiating factor. They state that they will help you in spell-checks and overall editing for both CV and Cover Letters you have on-hand, using their team of ‘experts’. The login options for this are with Google+, LinkedIn or even Facebook. There is no overall ‘wow’ factor, however, there isn’t anything wrong with the site either, and for that, a fair 3-stars were given.
Visual CV:
· The differentiating factor is something of interest but may be implemented too soon in the greater scheme of things ·
TheVisual CV website is the most innovative; using technology and the ever-increasing online presence of candidates. You can pick among a multitude of different professional templates which are categorized by industry. You can then either save or print your CV as a PDF, or have the option to publish it online as a static web page. This option is the most interesting, as it allows you to track your resume when you send it out to employers. The tracking system might interest a lot of candidates, especially when initiating their first job searches. However, there are limitations due to the fact that most companies and recruitment agencies have a predefined format for uploading your CV, and many don’t accept website links as an option. If you do however choose to use this method it’s important to know that they will brand your CV with their logo at the end. The service is $4 a month, and $19 for editing each piece of work, with a turnaround rate of only a day (24 hours). The CV templates are also very nice, but the cover letter options are limited, with only around 7 onhand. The other benefit from this site is the fact that you have a lot of extra resources provided for you, from blogs to guides, examples, and career resources, creating an overall company based community. Therefore, fo all these reasons we gave it a good 4-star rating!
Canva:
· Value for Money ·
Canva is our favourite, and in the most unbiased way possible we have given it a full five stars and made it the winner overall. It’s free, with a payment option that personally sits well with us. They charge you $1 for every extra item you use within their database of pictures, icons, and tools. However, in all our time using Canva both personally and professionally, no one in our team has had to pay for a single thing. The free account doesn’t limit you in any step of the process. There are no hidden surprises at the end, support is quick and efficient and the overall website is user-friendly. Bravo Canva – you are now #BabelApproved and have a 5-star rating!
Looking for work is no one’s cup of tea, and people create the rules as they go. However, what Babel wanted to show you was that you are, and can be very much in control of the job search game, what’s important is having the right tools and knowledge.
