We’ve all been there. You’re looking for a job but are struggling to create a resume that will catch the eye of potential employers. You’re asking questions like how do I make my resume visually appealing? How can I make myself sound professional? What about formatting?
Finding a job is stressful enough, let alone worrying about resumes. Not all of us are designers or word masters who can craft the perfect resume from scratch. And in a sea of applicants, standing out is crucial!
Luckily, there’s a solution: VisualCV. VisualCV uses AI to create resumes in minutes, enabling you to create customizable, visually appealing resumes that highlight your skills and experiences efficiently. It claims to be the #1 resume and CV builder, but is this true?
In this VisualCV review, I’ll explain what VisualCV is, who it’s best for, and what its features are so you know what it’s capable of. From there, I’ll show you how I created a professional, customizable resume tailored to my job title in minutes!
I’ll finish the article by sharing the best VisualCV alternatives I’ve tried. My goal is that by the end, you’ll know if VisualCV truly deserves its title as the #1 AI online resume and CV builder and if it’s right for you!
Verdict
VisualCV is one of the best AI-powered resume builders, offering customizable templates and industry-specific examples to streamline and eliminate resume creation stress. Features like advanced resume tracking and multiple privacy options ensure your data’s security while providing a user-friendly experience across desktop and mobile platforms.
Despite minor drawbacks like a watermark on the resume with the free version and the absence of a built-in spell checker, VisualCV’s robust features, responsive support, and 30-day money-back guarantee make it a great option for quickly crafting professional resumes.
Pros
- Instantly generate professional resumes, cover letters, and websites online in minutes using AI.
- Easily personalize multiple resume applications for different opportunities.
- 30+ customizable resume templates to choose from.
- Hundreds of resume examples for different industries.
- A knowledge base with plenty of helpful resources and professional services for resume building.
- Resume tracking to know when an employer views or downloads your resume.
- Instantly create a shareable link or download it as a PDF.
- 3 CV privacy options to ensure your data is entirely private and protected.
- A built-in career journal to track work achievements.
- Accessible for mobile on the Google Play and Apple App Store.
- Excellent and responsive support team and customer support.
- Available in nine different languages.
- 30-day money-back guarantee.
Cons
- The free version has some limitations.
- A VisualCV watermark will appear on your resume on the free account.
- Lack of a built-in spell checker.
What is VisualCV?
Based in Vancouver, Canada, VisualCV was founded in 2014 by James Clift and Thomas Zhou to simplify creating resumes and land jobs and interviews. Since its inception, Visual CV has garnered users from over 100 countries and is in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, CNN Money, CBC, CNET, and more.
Trusted by millions of jobseekers, VisualCV is an AI-powered online resume maker that creates professional resumes in minutes. It takes the stress of formatting, designing, and writing the content for your resume so you can focus more on getting your name out there and landing your dream job!
With VisualCV, it takes minutes to create a free resume online. After creating a free account, select from 30+ customizable templates tailored to different industries and job roles, import an existing resume, or create a new resume from scratch. From there, you can use example content specific to your industry so you don’t have to deal with writer’s block.
You’ll then be able to fully customize your resume, including formatting, colors, fonts, and improving the content with AI. You can customize multiple versions of your resume for quick and easy personalization for each application to increase your chances of getting hired.
Once you’re happy with it, you can download it as a PDF or create a shareable link! Track your results to know when an employer views or downloads your CV to optimize its effectiveness. You can even get a free review of your resume from VisualCV!
With its intuitive interface and powerful features, VisualCV is the best option for job seekers looking to make a strong impression in today’s competitive job market.
Who is VisualCV Best For?
VisualCV is an excellent tool for quickly and effortlessly creating professional resumes optimized for job applications. However, there are certain types of people VisualCV is best for:
- Job Seekers: VisualCV revolutionizes resume creation for job seekers across various industries. With a user-friendly interface, customizable templates, industry-specific content suggestions, AI-powered enhancements, and tracking analytics, VisualCV helps you stand out in the competitive job market. Industries include tech, engineering, management, marketing, creative arts, and more.
- Students: VisualCV is a valuable tool for students looking to kickstart their careers. Not only is creating a resume free and straightforward, but they can also use the CV builder made specifically for students!
- LinkedIn Users: LinkedIn users can use VisualCV to convert their LinkedIn profiles into job-landing resumes instantly. It’s as easy as downloading your LinkedIn Profile as a PDF and uploading it to VisualCV!
VisualCV Features
Here are VisualCV’s features so you know what it’s capable of:
- AI Resume Builder
- Resume & CV Templates
- Resume & CV Samples
- Resume Skills
- Resources & Pro Services
1. AI Resume Builder
VisualCV’s AI resume builder is a powerful tool that uses ChatGPT to create professional resumes. The AI technology analyzes your information and generates a visually appealing resume tailored to your industry and job role. You can create resumes in minutes without manually tweaking them for every application!
VisualCV gives you different options for creating your resume: start from scratch or update your current one! The AI resume builder will create engaging copy for your resume summary and work experience.
Here’s a breakdown of how it works:
- Add your resume information, which can be as simple as your current work role, and a brief overview of your experience.
- The AI resume writer will get to work using machine learning to create your resume. It will analyze thousands of resumes with similar positions and the best practices in resume writing to make one that stands out from the competition. It ensures your resume is optimized for success and effectively showcases your skills and experience.
- Review the resume content and make edits manually or with AI. Everything is fully customizable!
With the AI resume builder, you can create a visually appealing resume in minutes that looks like it took hours!
2. Resume & CV Templates
VisualCV offers 30+ professionally designed resume/CV templates with perfect formatting to help you stand out. There are also resume and CV builders with templates specifically for students and LinkedIn users!
There’s a wide range of templates for different industries and job roles, whether you’re looking for something professional, colorful, or modern. These fully customizable templates come in PDF formats, perfect for printing and applying online.
3. Resume & CV Samples
VisualCV offers 500+ resume samples to serve as inspiration for creating your professional resume. These samples cover all kinds of industries and job roles, so you’re sure to find something that aligns with your job title or field!
The resume samples provided by VisualCV showcase the best practices in resume writing, formatting, and design. They will help you understand the structure and content of a professional resume and guide you in effectively showcasing your skills and experience.
Using the resume samples provided by VisualCV will help you create a standout resume that effectively highlights your skills and experience!
4. Resume Skills
It can be challenging to think of skills to add to your resume. That’s why VisualCV offers a collection of 200+ skills to include on your resume and help you land your next job! They will also tell you how to list this skill on your resume to get the attention you want from hiring managers and recruiters.
You’ll find skills for all types of jobs and industries, so whether you’re in tech, finance, healthcare, or any other field, VisualCV will have something for you. These skills will help your resume shine and demonstrate your qualifications effectively.
Incorporating these skills strategically into your resume will help you make a strong impression on potential employers.
5. Resources & Pro Services
VisualCV offers resources and professional services to assist you throughout the resume-building process!
Here are the resources provided by VisualCV:
- International CV Guide: CV specifications in different countries. Perfect for learning about the CV specifications in your native country or when looking for work in a foreign country!
- Cover Letter Examples: Find the perfect customizable cover letter example to pair with your resume.
- Resume Guide: A resume guide on how to write a resume, job search tips, and resume examples.
- CV Photo: Advice and tips on what to add and avoid in your CV headshot.
- Knowledge Center: Everything you need to get the most out of VisualCV and career advice.
- Blog: Helpful articles on resume advice, growing your career, writing cover letters, and more.
Here are the professional services offered by VisualCV:
- Professional Resume Writing: Get a professional resume expert to write your resume within three business days. Thousands of job seekers have landed interviews and get hired faster!
- Professional Resume Reviews: Get a professional resume expert or career coach to give you actionable feedback on improving your resume with a ten-minute video.
Take advantage of these resources and services for the highest chances of landing your dream job with the most optimized resume and cover letter.
How to Use VisualCV to Make a Resume
Here’s how I used VisualCV to make a job-ready resume in minutes and how you can, too:
- Create an Account
- Select a Template
- Add Pre-Written Content
- Choose a Resume Example
- Customize Your Resume
- Download & Share
Step 1: Create an Account
I started by going to the VisualCV homepage and signing up. You can sign up using your Google account, LinkedIn, or email. I signed up with my Google account!
Step 2: Select a Template
Next, VisualCV asked me to choose a template. I had 28 templates to choose from.
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself when selecting a template, as each is customizable. You can update the profile picture, fonts, and colors and add or remove sections.
I chose the one that stood out most and hit “Select” to continue!
Step 3: Add Pre-Written Content
From there, VisualCV asked me how I wanted to create my new resume. I had three choices:
- Use an existing resume: Upload and customize the content and design of my current resume.
- Use example content: Begin with a pre-existing sample to kickstart your CV.
- Start from scratch: Begin with a blank canvas and create a new resume from scratch.
I went with the second option: use example content. Choose the option that works best for you!
Step 4: Choose a Resume Example
Next, I had to choose a resume example from the 24 options.
The search bar allowed me to search for an example based on my job title to speed up the process. I could also preview any examples I was curious about by hovering over them and selecting “Preview”!
I found a resume example that suited my occupation most accurately and hit “Select” to continue.
Step 5: Customize Your Resume
Once I selected my resume example, VisualCV took me to the editor, where I could customize my resume how I wanted!
I was impressed with how user-friendly the resume editor was. All my tools were laid out at the top, allowing me to quickly change my resume’s layout, font, and colors with just a few clicks. I could also easily add and edit sections such as work experience, education, skills, and references and rearrange them to create a logical and cohesive flow.
The example text gave me a great starting point for filling out my resume. I hovered over my resume’s sections to delete, rearrange, and edit the text. As someone who deals with writer’s block frequently, my favorite tool was the option to improve the text using AI!
Step 6: Download & Share
On the top right, I toggled on the “Preview Mode” to see how my resume looked without any editing tools. Once I was happy with everything, I could hit “Share” to create a shareable link for social media or select “Download” to download it as a PDF or Word document.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience generating a job-ready resume in minutes using VisualCV. The entire process is straightforward, and VisualCV walks you through it step by step. From creating an account to generating and customizing a job-ready resume took minutes for me to complete.
VisualCV gave me plenty of templates to make my resume visually appealing. I loved not worrying about formatting; everything on the resume was automatically perfectly laid out.
From there, VisualCV gave me resume samples ideally suited to my job role. By the end, I had a perfectly formatted and attractive resume that I could easily customize to match my personality!
If you’re someone who struggles when it comes to making a well-formatted, visually appealing resume with engaging copy, VisualCV is the perfect solution! It only takes minutes to create a customizable resume capable of landing your dream job.
Why not try VisualCV for yourself? You can sign up for free and create a customizable resume in minutes. VisualCV handles all the formatting, designing, and writing so you can focus on getting your name out there.
Advantages of VisualCV to Traditional Resume Building
VisualCV offers several advantages over traditional resume-building methods:
- Easily input your information and customize the design and layout of your resume in a matter of minutes.
- Automatic formatting and design for a more polished and professional final product.
- Features and tools like customizable templates and resume analytics to enhance the quality of your resume.
- Prevent writer’s block and sound more professional by generating resume skills and descriptions using AI.
Top 3 VisualCV Alternatives
While VisualCV is a popular online resume builder, there are several others you should be aware of to make the most informed decision. Here are the best VisualCV alternatives I’ve tried!
Teal
Teal is an excellent AI resume builder you can use to create effective resumes to land your next job quickly. The process is similar to VisualCV: Sign up for free and import your resume or LinkedIn profile. Teal will instantly generate a resume that you can export as a PDF!
When initially creating a resume with Teal, you won’t be able to choose a template or example content to place within your resume. However, once you’ve made your resume, you can change the formatting and choose a template. Teal also has 1,500+ resume examples across various jobs, and you can generate cover letters.
Where Teal shines is organizing and managing your job search. You can track all your job opportunities in one place and use Teal’s Chrome extension to bookmark jobs from job boards. The Teal Chrome Extension keeps everything organized and on track, so you never miss an opportunity!
Teal and VisualCV are excellent free AI resume builders that generate job-ready resumes in seconds. They both follow a similar process, but if you also want to organize and manage your job searches, choose Teal! Choose VisualCV for a more user-friendly experience and to know precisely when an employer views and downloads your resume.
JobScan – AI Resume
When applying for jobs through job boards, most hiring managers use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to filter job candidates using specific keywords, skills, etc. Knowing this, you must optimize your resume keywords so hiring managers find you!
Luckily, JobScan is here to help you optimize your resume to attract hiring managers’ attention. All you have to do is drag and drop or copy and paste your resume into their system, along with a description of the job you’re applying to.
The system will scan the information, giving you a Match Report with tailored advice on optimizing your resume. From there, you can use JobScan’s free AI resume builder featuring ATS-friendly templates to generate a resume in seconds!
If you’re worried about your resume not having the right keywords or information to get past ATS software to be seen by hiring managers, JobScan is your best bet. For more visually appealing AI-generated resumes specific to your industry, choose VisualCV!
Resume.io
Resume.io is an online AI resume builder offering professional, field-tested templates optimized for what employers are looking for. It’s straightforward, and your resume will be ready in minutes!
Resume.io and VisualCV have a lot of similarities, such as clean interfaces, templates, cover letter generation, and data protection. They also have a similar user-friendly process that guides you step-by-step.
However, Resume.io has an automatic spell-checker, which VisualCV does not. I also found Resume.io’s templates slightly more visually appealing than VisualCV’s templates.
Resume.io and VisualCV are excellent AI resume builders that generate professional resumes in minutes. However, if you’re looking for the cleanest interface with slightly more appealing templates and a spell-checker, choose Resume.io. For more flexible and robust customization features, choose VisualCV!
VisualCV Review: The #1 AI Online Resume & CV Builder?
After trying VisualCV for myself, I can confidently say it is one of the best online AI resume builders on the market! Generating a free resume took minutes, and it had a user-friendly interface and a step-by-step process. There was a wide range of templates, and the hundreds of pre-written examples tailored to my job role eliminated any writer’s block I had!
My favorite part of the process was the numerous customization options. Changing the resume color, font, and order of my content was extremely easy, and I loved that I could improve my resume copy with a single click using AI!
I also loved the other valuable features that came with VisualCV. VisualCV makes for an all-in-one solution for job applications with its AI resume builder, cover letter builder, website builder, and career journal.
Thanks for reading my VisualCV review! I hope you found it helpful. Overall, VisualCV took all the stress out of creating a resume. Within minutes, I made a resume I felt confident about submitting to job applications.
VisualCV has a free plan where you can generate, customize, and download a resume for free. You have nothing to lose, so why not try VisualCV for yourself?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Visual CV free or paid?
VisualCV offers a free plan that allows you to create your first resume for free. You’ll get access to its templates, hundreds of industry-specific examples, and full customization. You’ll even get access to the Career Journal to track your work achievements! Once you’re happy with your resume, you can download it as a PDF.
However, since this plan is free, there are some limitations on some features. For example, you’ll only be able to generate one resume, and that resume will have a watermark that can negatively affect your professionalism.
For full access to everything VisualCV offers, like unlimited resumes and PDF downloads without the watermark, consider upgrading to the VisualCV Pro plan! VisualCV offers affordable monthly and quarterly plans even if you’re on a budget.
How do I download a Visual CV?
To download a Visual CV resume, click the download button in the top right corner of the VisualCV editor and select “Download PDF.”
With VisualCV, you can access and download your resume on any device, including smartphones and tablets. This flexibility allows you to easily share your resume with potential employers or print it for job interviews.
Which CV builder is free?
Many CV builders offer free plans like VisualCV, Teal, JobScan, and Resume.io. However, there may be limitations, such as only creating and downloading one resume with watermarks.
While the free options may be sufficient for some job seekers, the paid options with additional features and customization options are worth considering. Check the pricing plans and consider your needs before selecting your CV builder!
Is it safe to use online resume templates?
Online resume templates are generally safe if you choose a reputable platform and take precautions to protect your personal information.
Platforms like VisualCV have three privacy options to ensure your data is protected. They have strict privacy policies and take measures to secure your information.
Before using online resume templates, read and understand the platform’s privacy policy to ensure data protection. It’s also important to avoid including sensitive personal information such as social security or bank account numbers. Stick to relevant professional information such as your work experience, education, and skills.
Following these guidelines and using reputable platforms, you can safely use online resume templates to create professional-looking resumes.
What is the best free CV maker?
Several free CV makers are available, each with unique features and benefits. Some of the best free CV makers include VisualCV, Teal, JobScan, and Resume.io.
Ultimately, the best free CV maker will depend on your specific needs and preferences. Consider the available templates, customization options, and ease of use when choosing a free CV maker.
Are visual resumes good?
Yes, visual resumes are good for job seekers in various industries. Visual resumes are highly effective in multiple industries and job roles, especially for job seekers in creative fields like design, marketing, and advertising who want to showcase their skills and creativity through their job applications. They can help candidates stand out and make a memorable impression on potential employers.
However, it’s essential to consider the industry and job role when deciding whether to use a visual resume. A traditional resume format may be more appropriate in some industries, such as finance or law.
Ultimately, the effectiveness of a visual resume will depend on the specific circumstances and the employer’s preferences. Research the company and industry before deciding whether to use a visual resume is necessary.
