TL;DR
Resume Genius is an online resume builder that makes generating your own resume quick and easy. Reviewers say they like how the resumes look but raise concerns about hidden charges and fine print. Teal’s AI Resume Builder offers a compelling alternative with a free application tracker and job board in addition to its popular AI resume creator and cover letter generator.
Since 2008, Resume Genius has been a trusted choice for job seekers looking to create a professional resume. It’s a popular option in a crowded resume builder market. It offers three user-friendly tools: a resume builder, a cover letter generator, and a CV maker tool. Recently, it introduced an AI resume writing assistant. Like the best AI resume builders, this cutting-edge technology enables users to create polished resumes quickly.
Resume Genius’s key features:
- Intuitive resume builder with bright colors and helpful advice
- 20+ resume templates
- AI assistance for writing resumes and cover letters
Owned and operated by Sonaga Tech Limited in Luzern, Switzerland, Resume Genius continues to support job seekers globally with practical resources for today’s job seeker.
Resume Genius reviews
Like other online resume builders, Resume Genius has attention-grabbing templates and many positive reviews. It’s one of many options that can show you how to make a resume. Overall, people seem happy with the free resume builder, but there are some common challenges.
Resume Genius reviews on Trustpilot
4.5 / 5 ⭐️
Resume Genius has more than 30,000 reviews on Trustpilot from reviewers worldwide. People like how simple it is to build a resume. Recent positive reviews on Trustpilot mention the website's professional formats and helpful advice. Job seekers with a deadline mentioned that Resume Genius is a good option because it automatically formats professional resumes and has new AI features to help write bullet points and resume summaries.
One drawback mentioned alongside one-star reviews was that people's credit cards were charged unexpectedly. Some unhappy users said they felt “tricked” into the subscription payments and failed to get a refund. There were also a few mentions of technical difficulties and some desire for additional features within the resume builder. The Resume Genius customer support team quickly responds to each review, positive or negative.
Resume Genius reviews on SiteJabber
4.5 / 5 ⭐️
SiteJabber is a more popular review site for Resume Genius, with nearly 200,000 reviews. The Resume Genius high rating qualifies it as the #1 ranking resume site on SiteJabber. SiteJabber also shows that 88.9 percent of reviews within the past 12 months have been positive.
Reviews on SiteJabber echo the themes from Trustpilot. Both sites have thousands of reviews, so it makes sense that they have similar things to say. Recent SiteJabber reviews skew more negative, but the star ratings don’t reflect that difference. People weren’t happy about the hidden paywall but most agreed they got their money's worth.
Resume Genius reviews by social media platform
Resume Genius users have rated the resume builder across several social media and forum sites, including Reddit, Quora, and Instagram. Here's what they had to say about the AI resume tool:
Resume Genius reviews on Reddit
Reddit users notoriously use the platform's anonymity to share unfiltered thoughts. One user expressed that Resume Genius's refund policy was overly strict. Another user sung the tool's praises, though, crediting Resume Genius with helping them land a high-paying dream job.
Resume Genius reviews on Quora
Quora uses a Q&A format, so the reviews are phrased as advice. Amid all the interest in resume builders, a vocal few warned against Resume Genius’s subscription pricing, calling it “shady” and “bad.”
Resume Genius reviews on Instagram
Resume Genius has an active Instagram presence to offer advice. People commented about the helpful content, with a few attempts to reach customer service sprinkled in. Resume Genius’s social team quickly replies with a comment and private message.
Resume Genius resume builder reviews
Overall, users are happy with the Resume Genius resume builder. They like the simple interface and helpful tips. There are 20+ resume template options with names like “Modern,” “2024,” and “Majestic” to meet everyone’s needs. Some basic customization options exist, such as a limited color selection, but things like font and margin width are fixed. Most people are happy with the simplicity of the website, while others wish there were more functionality, such as bold, italic, or font customization.
The negative reviews centered around claims of false advertising. People found the hidden paywall to download their resumes sneaky but often agreed it was a fair price—they just wished they knew about it before spending half an hour or more building a resume.
Many reviewers mentioned needing a resume quickly and for a low price. Multiple reviews were left by students or parents who helped students write their first professional resumes. Overall, Resume Genius is a practical tool for students or early career professionals because of its simplicity.
Resume Genius cover letter
The cover letter generator helps create a professional cover letter quickly and effectively. However, the letter generated doesn’t have the same editing and customization abilities as the resume builder tool; you must download the document to change the color or information. Overall, it seems like a valuable template to create your own great cover letter with some guidance.
Resume Genius cover letter review
The cover letter writing feature seems to be a less popular service than the resume builder with a fraction of the reviews. A few reviews mentioned an additional monthly price to access the cover letter tool.
Resume Genius pricing
Like many resume builders, Resume Genius's pricing operates on a subscription model. The monthly fee is $7.95, although it is billed as an annual subscription at $95.40 for a year of use.
Resume Genius is a cheaper Zety alternative. However, users across multiple platforms have expressed confusion and even anger at the hidden cost until after creating a resume and seeing a prompt to pay to download. There is further frustration about canceling the subscription once downloading the resume, indicating they didn't have the best customer service experience.
The confusion is understandable. Resume Genius advertises a "Free Online Resume Builder" on its homepage. There is no indication of an associated cost on the homepage, the menu, or the builder software. Only once you’ve perfected your resume are you prompted to sign in to download, and once you’ve made your account, you're prompted to pay.
Resume Genius pros
- Easy to use with step-by-step directions and a good user interface
- Extensive database of pre-written resume bullet points
- Excellent selection of professional resume templates
- Time-efficient
- Low price
Resume Genius cons
- Not transparent about paywall or subscription model pricing
- Not as many custom options, especially for cover letters
- Software may have bugs or technical issues
Resume Genius is best for student job seekers
Multiple reviews mentioned that users could quickly create a resume for school assignments thanks to the easy-to-understand directions and many examples available. Resume Genius advertises that it can generate a resume in minutes, which may appeal to young professionals or recent graduates with less professional work experience.
Why job seekers prefer Teal
When comparing Resume Genius to Teal, there are many similarities and some big differences.
Teal is another alternative for an AI resume maker that can assist you in creating an eye-catching resume quickly. There are free and paid options for both services. Resume Genius and Teal both offer a user-friendly interface to build resumes and cover letters.
Although the services seem similar, Teal wins out in a side-by-side comparison.
Teal also includes:
- Free Chrome extension to collect job applications from anywhere on the web, autofill application information, and track progress throughout the application process
- Job Matching feature to score how well your resume aligns with a job description
- Resume Analysis to review your resume in the resume builder
Teal offers more than other resume builders
Teal is more than a resume builder; it’s an end-to-end job search tool suite. In addition to the top-notch resume builder and cover letter tools, Teal has a Job Search Tracker and corresponding Chrome extension, templates for thank you emails and outreach, and AI tools to help tailor your resume to a specific job description for a standout resume.
Users benefit from a user-friendly resume builder and can quickly compose cover letters and manage activities in one centralized hub. In Ashleigh Bergh’s Teal story, she says:
“As I started to play around with it more and really spent time digging through the resume builder and leveraging it, I just fell in love with everything being all in one place and not having to search through a thousand different apps to keep track of my job search.”
For a seasoned professional, Teal is the better choice for an updated professional resume.
Free to design, customize, and download your resume
90 percent of Teal’s features are free to all, including downloading your resume as a PDF. You can create an unlimited number of resumes that look exactly how you want. Start with one of Teal’s modern resume templates and use Teal’s design mode to change any element of your resume. Switch up the color, the font, the line height, text alignment, and more.
Teal’s resume builder makes it easy to spin out highly tailored versions of a resume to respond to the dynamic responses required in a strategic job hunt. Oshen Davidson’s Teal story describes how Teal’s builder makes it easy to write and store a comprehensive list of accomplishments: “I liked having 50 different achievements for one role, and I could just click which one I wanted to use based on what I was applying for."
Transparent pricing
Job seekers love Teal’s free resume offers and flexible pricing options.
For $9 per week Teal+ members access Advanced Resume Analysis reports and unlimited Keyword Matching. A Teal+ subscription is a one-time payment that doesn’t auto-enroll you in a subscription plan. You can cancel anytime on the website or by contacting support staff by email or phone.
Compared to a similar Teal review, people like to have more transparency and flexibility when it comes to paid services. Sign up for Teal for free to build your best resume yet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Resume Genius free?
No. Technically, Resume Genius is free to build a resume, and you can download your resume as a text document. Unfortunately, a plain text document removes all the formatting, color, and customization. It is not an accepted format when submitting a resume. Therefore, Resume Genius is not completely free. You have to pay to download your resume with its format.
There is a work around: you can download a template for free from Resume Genius and use it in Google Docs or Word. You could use the builder to write your resume's content and copy it into the template with some manual formatting effort.
The better work around? Use Teal’s AI resume builder to build and download your resume for free. It has the same offers as Resume Genius—beautiful templates, automatic formatting, and AI assistance for resumes and cover letters—but offers more for free.
Is Resume Genius hard to cancel?
Possibly. Reviews were mixed as to what made the subscription hard to cancel. Some people forgot they signed up for the trial. Other people thought they canceled the subscription immediately and were surprised to be charged several days later. Several reviewers said they struggled to reach Resume Genius’s customer service team by phone to end the subscription service.
Is Resume Genius legit?
Yes, it's legit. Resume Genius is a legitimate website you can use to create a resume and cover letter. However, it does not make it clear that certain features, like downloading a resume as PDF, are paid, which has caused some disgruntled users to claim it’s a scam.
Is Resume Genius worth it?
It depends. If you're looking for a quick, simple resume for a low cost, the price tag is probably worth it. The builder is straightforward with step by step directions. There are valuable pieces of advice for every step. The AI generator for writing a resume summary and bullet points is intuitive. The templates are well organized and often full of color.
You should expect the price going in, however, and be sure to cancel your subscription once you're done with the Resume Genius service. If you're looking for an option that is truly free, however, check out other resume builders.
Is Resume Genius safe?
Resume Genius is a safe and trustworthy source of information, since it employs certified professional resume writers to write resume examples and advise.
The resume builder may or may not be trustworthy, depending on your point of view about misleading advertising. While it’s not free to download the free resume you build in Resume Genius, no reviews mentioned anything about Resume Genius misusing their personal information. Some people were surprised about debit card charges, but did admit they didn't read the fine print when signing up for an account.
