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Thinking of using a CV builder to make your next job application? CV Genius has already helped thousands of job seekers get more interviews and land the jobs they deserve.

CV Genius builder review

Here’s everything you need to know about the CV Genius builder’s features and templates.

Builder features

Intuitive and easy to use, the CV Genius builder boasts several features that streamline the CV writing process and make it easy to create an eye-catching professional CV, even if you’ve never written a job application before.

Automatic formatting

Professional CV formatting is essential if you want to make a good first impression on employers. Mistakes can undermine an otherwise great application, so there’s not really much room for error.

Thankfully, the CV Genius builder handles the fiddly stuff for you. Margins, indentation, headers, and fonts are all set automatically, ensuring that your CV format looks professional and is easy to scan for key details.

Moreover, the builder will reformat your CV for you if you decide to switch templates, ensuring your work still looks clean and consistent.

Auto-generated descriptions for your work experience section

Figuring out what to write for your work experience section is often one of the most time-consuming parts of the CV writing process.

To speed things up, the CV Genius builder suggests common achievements and responsibilities whenever you add a job to your CV.

A screenshot of the CV Genius builder showing a text box containing four work experience bullet points for a retail assistant.
The CV Genius builder gives helpful content suggestions to help you sell your work experience.

You can then edit the bullet points, adding personal information and key details to make the content specific to your work history.

Your CV should be concise, so keep each work experience entry to about six bullet points.

Tailored personal statements

The CV Genuis builder can help you quickly write a personal statement summarising your skills and experience at the top of your CV.

Once you’ve filled out your other CV sections, the builder uses the information you provided to generate several short introductions that you can edit or combine to outline your top traits.

Writing in a succinct, professional voice, this fantastic feature gives employers a snapshot of your expertise and skills, encouraging them to read the rest of your application closely.

A screenshot from the CV Genius builder showing how users can build their personal statement using generated content.
Writing an effective personal statement is easy with the right guidance.

Helpful writing tips

To help you avoid common mistakes, the CV Genius builder provides writing tips throughout the process.

These tips include advice on formatting your entries, organising your education section, and what information to leave off your work history.

Free feedback on your CV

A bit of feedback from an actual CV expert can make a world of difference to your job application — and it’s also a perk that many online builders don’t offer.

When you’ve finished work on your draft, CV Genius offers access to an exclusive Ask an Expert service, where you can get feedback and CV writing tips from a certified professional that’ll help you fine-tune your application to really make the right impression on the employer.

Builder templates

Having a variety of templates lets you put personality into your job application and adapt your application to meet different employer’s expectations. The CV Genius builder features a diverse offering of designs and colour schemes that will help you create something purposeful and unique.

15 versatile designs

With over a dozen templates, the CV Genius builder offers plenty of choice in layout, alignment, and white space, allowing you to build a CV that’s right for your specific background.

Though you choose your template at the beginning of the builder workflow, it’s possible to go back anytime and swap designs without messing up your content or formatting. This feature means you can play around and easily find a formatting style that complements your skills and work history.

For highly technical roles (e.g., software engineer or developer) choose a template that displays your skills section near the top of the first page so the employer immediately notices the technical skills that qualify you for the job.

Designs for creative and traditional industries

Different industries and job roles often call for different formatting standards, so it’s important to make your CV with the employer in mind. The CV Genius builder makes this easy with a selection of both creative and traditional CV designs suitable for a wide range of purposes.

Single-column, black-and-white designs are the safest choice if you’re applying for a job in a more traditional industry.

Easy to customise

One of CV Genius’s most appealing features, the builder templates update in real-time as you enter your information, so there’s no need to format your CV.

That said, if you do want to make manual changes to your CV’s layout, you can also download your finished document as a Microsoft Word doc and edit it in your word processor.

Additional CV Genius resources

In addition to an online CV builder, CV Genius also offers several other tools that can help you get the most out of your next job application.

Cover letter builder

CV Genius’s cover letter builder is designed to get employers interested in your specific skills and expertise.

After asking you a few simple questions about your background, the software quickly builds a unique letter tailored to the specific job opportunity, which you can then download and edit or send off to the employer immediately.

Download-to-desktop templates

If you want to write a CV from scratch, CV Genius also offers 200+ free CV templates you can fill out and personalise in your word processor.

Each template comes with a font pack and instructions on installation, so you can ensure that your CV displays correctly in Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

If you need additional help filling out your template, CV Genius also has a free step-by-step guide on writing a CV, as well as a library of industry-specific CV examples you can follow to create the perfect application for your specific niche.

Reviews of other CV builders

Wondering how CV Genius compares to other online CV builders? Here’s what we have to say about other CV builders and career resources:

Frequently asked questions about CV Genius

Here are some additional questions about CV Genius that you might still have:

1. Is CV Genius legit?

Yes, CV Genius is a trusted service offering CV help, cover letter help, and career advice to millions of users across the UK and abroad.

All content on the CV Genius website is written by a team of career experts and reviewed by editors with Certified Professional Resume Writers (CPRW) credentials to ensure accuracy and helpfulness for jobseekers in 2024.

2. Can I use CV Genius to write a cover letter?

Yes, CV Genius also has a cover letter builder that you can use to generate a personalised cover letter by answering a few simple questions about your skills and professional background.

Access to the CV Genius cover letter builder is included when you sign up for the CV builder.

3. How much does CV Genius cost?

Combined access to the CV Genius CV builder and cover letter builder costs £2.90 for the first fortnight.

4. How do I cancel my subscription?

You can cancel your CV Genius subscription from your account settings in the CV and cover letter builders:

  • Select ‘My account’ from the drop-down menu at the top right of the screen
  • Click ‘Plan details’
  • Scroll down, click ‘Cancel Subscription’, and confirm
Seb Morgan
Written by

Seb Morgan

Seb Morgan is a Career Counsellor for CV Genius, where he helps job seekers and professionals get more out of their careers. With over 7 years of experience in business and lifestyle journalism, he's written for a stack of careers-focused publications, including Oxbridge Home Learning, Study International, theHRDirector, and Employee Benefit News, and his expertise includes skill development, interview preparation, and CV and cover letter writing. West Midlands born and raised, Seb has since lived, worked, and studied in 4 countries across 2 continents. He speaks 4 languages and has survived job interviews in 3 of them. He currently also freelances as a travel and culture writer. Reach him at [sebastian] @ [cvgenius.com] or via LinkedIn.