5 of the Best CV Building Websites for Creating a Stunning CV

Regardless of what your career path is, you want to stand out from other people on paper. Your CV is the perfect opportunity to shine. So why not jazz it up visually, and make it as eye-catching as possible?

We’ve scoured the internet for the best CV building websites that offer a range of design templates from modern to quirky! Test them out to see which one works best for you during your job hunt.

And if you’re still working on the content of your CV, don’t forget to check out our ultimate CV guide for our top tips.

Canva

Canva started off as a visual creative tool for everything from social media to ads and website graphics. It has since grown into one of the best CV building websites (amongst other things!).

You can choose from a number of free templates or design your own from scratch. Canva has created a straightforward way of sharing and downloading anything that you’ve created.

PROS: Canva is incredibly diverse and doesn’t restrict free users in the way that other websites do. You have access to a lot of fonts, colours and elements without ever needing to pay.

CONS: There’s no way to automatically pull information from a previous CV onto Canva. So, you’ll have to enter all of your information manually. The templates are also based on American-style resumes, which are one page long. Some of the templates might not look as good if you’re creating a two-page CV. You’ll have to pay £12.99 a month (or £100 for a year’s subscription) if you want to choose the premium templates.

CVGenius

CVGenius is a fast and simple CV creator which offers a variety of different templates and features, including AI assistance. You have the option to upload a document or start from scratch when creating your CV.

PROS: Refreshingly, you can use all the available features to create your CV from the start, without having to subscribe. It’s a UK-based website so the layout matches the style of CV most commonly seen here. It also includes a voluntary work section which is invaluable for a charity CV.

CONS: You do have to pay if you want to download your CV, though it’s not as expensive as other sites. You pay £2.90 for 14 days, which should be plenty of time for you to create your CV.

CV Wizard

CV Wizard is a very simple, easy-to-use CV builder. You can choose from a range of templates and input all your information to see what your final CV will look like without having to pay. However, to download your CV you’ll have to pay $0.99 to use it for 14 days. After that, it’s $14.99 a month.

PROS: You can import PDFs and Word documents of your old CV and it’ll input the information into whichever template you choose. It’s also possible to create a customized URL and share it with potential employers.

CONS: CV Wizard isn’t as colourful and creative as some of the other CV builders that we’ve looked at so far. Although it has a very simple interface, if you want a CV that’s full of colour and energy, this tool may not be right for you.

Kickresume

Kickresume has a smooth interface and plenty of customisation options so you can really make your CV exactly how you want it. They integrate AI to help you with the design and content of your CV. The templates are divided by profession so you can find something suitable pretty quickly. Kickresume also have cover letter templates which may help you keep a consistent style.

PROS: Kickresume is incredibly easy to use and the website navigation is simple, which is why it’s one of the best CV building websites. Adding and editing information is a straightforward process that takes the headache out of creating a CV from scratch.

CONS: Kickresume has a lot of neat features but most of them are reserved for Premium members. Many of the key features you might need on your CV, such as a volunteering or education section, are reserved for premium members, so only very basic CVs can be built for free. Premium costs you €19 a month or €72 for a year.

VisualCV

VisualCV really takes the difficulty out of creating a fresh CV. You can either upload a current version of your CV from PDF or Word, or use one of their ready-made templates. They have a pretty comprehensive selection based on seniority and industry so you won’t be short on choice. But, if you do want 100% creative freedom, then you can become a Pro member for $15 a month.

PROS: You can publish your CV online, share the link with potential employers and get analytics about how often it’s been viewed or downloaded. As a Pro member, you also have the option of creating more than one CV.

CONS: When using the free version, you can’t download your CV without a watermark across the front (which makes it a little difficult to use for applications). This means you have to buy the Pro version if you really want to take advantage of the templates and features, and not just use it for inspiration.

So, which of these is the best CV building website?

That all depends on your personal needs. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to creating a CV―you’ll need to use a tool that can produce what you’re looking for. These are definitely great places to start!

Are you ready to catch a recruiter’s eye and grab your dream job? Take a look at all of the latest jobs available on CharityJob today.

This post was originally published in 2016. We’ve updated it to ensure relevance and to reflect the current job seeker experience.