Starting a new job hunt? There are seemingly endless career resources available online to help you do everything from making a resume to finding the perfect job in your industry.
But with so many different websites, it can be hard to decide which ones are best for your needs.
To help narrow your search, we reviewed the top career resources online, including:
- The best resume builder websites
- The top resume writing services
- The most useful cover letter generator apps
- The best professional cover letter writing services
- The most essential job search websites
The 5 best resume builder apps
The easiest way to make a great resume quickly is by using one of the many resume builder apps available online.
Below is a snapshot of the best resume builders available in 2023:
1. Resume Genius
We know, we know – of course a website with a resume builder is going to say they have the best resume builder.
But we wouldn’t be one of the top career resource websites in the world if our software wasn’t easy to use and effective.
The Resume Genius builder features 15 unique templates, all approved by our in-house team of Certified Professional Resume Writers (CPRW). Additionally, our builder uses AI to fill in your resume with information specific to your career path, making the process of creating your resume fast and easy.
If you’re interested in learning more, read a full review of the Resume Genius resume builder, where we go into more detail about what makes our software stand out.
2. Zety
Based out of Poland, Zety is one of the biggest resume and cover letter resources online today.
Their resume builder features numerous modern-looking templates and an extensive library of pre-written bullet points to help fill in your work experience section.
The Zety resume builder costs $2.70 for a 14-day trial period, and is worth testing out if you’re looking to compare its finished product to others in the industry (like ours).
3. Indeed
One of the biggest job boards in the world, Indeed has been helping people find work for decades.
They also provide an effective resume builder, with eight different templates and a user-friendly interface.
While the Indeed resume builder lacks some of the features available in a paid resume builder, it’s easy to use and is free from beginning to end.
4. MyPerfectResume
MyPerfectResume has been helping job seekers perfect their resumes, cover letters, and CVs since 2013.
While MyPerfectResume’s resume builder has some nice features, such as a library of pre-written content, their templates are a bit old-fashioned looking compared to the competition.
MyPerfectResume costs $2.95 for a 14-day trial.
5. Novoresume
Started in Denmark, Novoresume provides an intuitive resume builder that has some solid free options.
However, Novoresume’s builder encourages you to add a picture to your resume, which we don’t recommend if you’re applying for jobs in North America because it can cause employment discrimination issues.
Novoresume’s resume builder is free to use, but if you want to use their premium templates you’ll need to pay $16 per month.
The top 5 resume writing services
Not convinced a resume builder is the right choice for you? Looking for a more tailored experience?
Then you should try using a professional resume writing service.
To help you narrow down your search, we reviewed the top resume writing services available online this year:
1. Resume Writer Direct
Resume Writer Direct offers professional resume and cover letter writing services targeted to people in a variety of situations and careers. With a 4.7 rating on Sitejabber, the majority of Resume Writer Direct’s customers walk away very satisfied with the end product.
Resume Writer Direct charges $199 for an executive resume and cover letter, or $138 if you’re an entry-level job seeker. This makes their services highly affordable for the quality.
2. Let’s Eat, Grandma
The humorously named Let’s Eat, Grandma provides free career advice and a very high quality resume writing service.
With a 4.8 rating on TrustPilot from 226 reviews, Let’s Eat, Grandma is one of the most respectable professional resume writing services online.
However, that reputation comes at a price. Let’s Eat, Grandma’s most basic resume writing package starts at $439, and more premium services are as much as $1,899. This makes their resume writing service significantly more costly than some of the competition.
3. The Muse
While mostly known for its career advice blog, The Muse also provides an excellent resume writing service that comes with a helpful consultation.
The most basic resume package from The Muse costs $119, making it a strong value for money.
4. Resumeble
With a team of six full-time resume writers, Resumeble offers a high quality resume writing service that’s also affordable.
Resumeble has a 4.7 star rating on Trustpilot from 140 reviews, meaning the majority of their customers walked away happy with the results and also their overall customer service.
Starting at $159 for a professionally written resume and cover letter, Resumeble’s package is fairly priced for what you get.
5. Indeed
One of the largest career websites in the world, Indeed provides a decent professional resume writing service that’s affordable.
Their resume writing service includes a review of your resume, plus a live 20 minute consultation with your writer.
Ordering a resume from Indeed costs $155, which is affordable. However, upon review there seem to be better options at this price point.
The 5 best cover letter generators of 2023
Writing a cover letter is the most time-consuming part of any job hunt – but it doesn’t have to be.
Using a cover letter generator can speed up the job application process by helping you create customized cover letters in a matter of minutes.
Below, we review some of the best cover letter generators available online:
1. Resume Genius
The Resume Genius cover letter builder uses AI to help you create a cover letter tailored according to your qualifications quickly and easily.
Additionally, it’s bundled with a resume builder, so if you have a subscription you can use either builder as much as you want.
This, paired with its bullet-point generator and easy-to-use interface, makes the Resume Genius cover letter generator one of the best on the internet.
2. Kickresume
Featuring a variety of unique templates, the Kickresume cover letter generator is easy to use and impressive.
The best feature of Kickresume’s cover letter builder is that it uses AI to generate text, which you can then adjust or add to yourself.
Kickresume charges $48 for a yearly plan or $24 for a monthly plan to build your cover letter, making them a bit expensive if you just need a cover letter for one job.
3. Zety
In addition to its resume builder, Zety also offers an easy-to-use cover letter generator to help you put together a polished job application quickly.
The nicest feature of Zety’s cover letter builder is its ability to scan your resume for information and automatically work key details into your cover letter.
4. Resume.io
One of the newer websites on this list, Resume.io offers a sleek, helpful cover letter builder.
Their software helps you format your cover letter on a variety of modern looking templates. However, it doesn’t generate all the content for you so it’s not as convenient as some of the other options on this list.
For $4.70, you can use Resume.io’s cover letter generator for a seven-day trial period, after which they charge $24.95 per month.
5. LiveCareer
LiveCareer has been helping job seekers for over 15 years, and they’ve put that experience to use developing a great, simple cover letter generator.
To use LiveCareer’s builder, just answer a few questions about your professional background. Then, their software will write a strong cover letter in just a few seconds.
The top 5 professional cover letter writing services
If you’d rather leave writing to the professionals, hiring a cover letter writer is one way to get your hands on your very own customized cover letter.
But cover letter writing services can be pricey, so it’s important to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth.
To help you make a decision, here are the top cover letter writing services that we tested:
1. LiveCareer
In addition to their cover letter builder, LiveCareer also provides the option to have your cover letter hand-written by one of their professional cover letter writers.
For $60, you’ll receive a one-on-one consultation with a writer, who’ll help you write a tailored cover letter based on your background and qualifications.
Overall, LiveCareer’s cover letter service is affordable and the results are just as good, if not better, than more expensive cover letter writing services.
2. Upwork
Upwork is a freelance platform where you can hire writers from around the world quickly and easily.
While Upwork isn’t a cover letter writing service, they have tons of professional cover letter writers on their site. If you just need a cover letter written for you and can’t spend hundreds of dollars, Upwork is a great place to search directly for an expert who’s within your budget.
The biggest downside of using Upwork is that you need to find and vet the writer yourself, which can take more time than simply hiring a professional cover letter writer from a career website.
3. Monster
One of the biggest job boards in the world, Monster also offers a cover letter writing service that’s coupled with its resume writing service.
All of Monster’s writers are Certified Resume Writers, and their plan comes with a satisfaction guarantee.
For $189, you can purchase a resume and cover letter. However, you can’t buy just the cover letter, so this makes Monster a poor choice if you’re only looking for cover letter help.
4. The Muse
In addition to its career advice, The Muse also provides a great cover letter writing service.
What makes The Muse stand out is that you can pick the exact writer you want to work with from a pool. This helps guarantee that you work with a professional cover letter writer who understands your industry or is priced within your budget.
The Muse’s cover letter writing service costs between $99 and $279, depending on the writer you choose.
5. ResumeGo
Run by a team of career coaches, recruiters, and HR professionals, ResumeGo offers a great cover letter writing service with fast turnaround.
Simply answer a questionnaire and you’ll be paired with a writer who’ll get your cover letter to you in three days.
ResumeGo’s cover letter writing service costs $100, which makes it one of the more affordable options on this list.
Best job search sites
Having a great resume and cover letter won’t do you any good if you can’t find jobs that fit your background and experience level.
That’s why using the right job search sites is essential to any successful job hunt.
We reviewed the best job boards for finding work in 2023, and explain what makes them so useful:
1. Indeed
Arguably the the biggest job board in the world, just about any position hiring near you is likely to be on Indeed.
To make your job search easier, Indeed’s search function also includes a variety of filters to help you sort by location, industry, and more. This makes Indeed both comprehensive and easy to use.
2. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is mostly known as a social network, but its job board is a great place to start looking for a new position.
What makes LinkedIn particularly helpful is that you can use its social network features to your advantage. For example, by listing yourself as #opentowork, you encourage recruiters to reach out to you, saving you the effort of reading through pages of listings.
Additionally, your professional network can help you find new positions and back up your expertise in certain areas, making it easier to communicate what makes you a good hire to potential employers.
3. Google Jobs
Google is one of the most underrated job search boards on the web.
As a search engine, Google aggregates all the public job listings it can find near you. All you need to do is search for the type of position you want plus the word “jobs.”
Google will give you of the top listings near you in the search results. If you want to see more, just click “more jobs” at the bottom, and you’ll receive a full list of relevant positions, which you can then filter according to your interests or needs.
Other resume builder reviews
Looking for a review that we don’t cover above? Here are some of our reviews of other resume builder websites you might come across during your job search:
