I knew almost immediately after I started using FlowCV that it’d earn a spot on this list. It’s everything you want out of a résumé builder. It has excellent templates, plenty of customization, tools for tracking and modifying existing CVs, and a web application that doesn’t chug or sputter out when you’re working on a design. And, unlike a lot of résumé builders, FlowCV lets you design, download, and print a résumé and cover letter for free.
You can start from scratch or upload an existing résumé (either PDF or raw text), and from there, FlowCV will walk you through each section of your CV. These sections are customizable, and they don’t lock you into a particular template. Some résumé may want a section for languages, while others want you to list awards. You can add or remove sections as needed, and you won’t break the formatting on the template (it happens more often than you think).
Managing everything from sections makes customizing your résumé much easier. Instead of sliding around disparate text boxes and trying to line everything up perfectly, FlowCV will automatically update the layout as you change sections. For instance, I was using a two-column template for my résumé, but there was way too much information in the right column, causing my résumé to sprawl out across two pages. I was able to drag some sections over to the left column to balance the layout, and FlowCV automatically ensured everything was lined up and spaced properly.
It’s this high-level customization that makes FlowCV so great. You can easily make broad changes without getting into specific text boxes or design elements. For example, there’s an option to automatically flip your job title and employer based on what you want to list first.
FlowCV is my favorite résumé builder, but customizing a CV is only scratching the surface of what it can do. There are also templates for cover letters, email signatures, and online résumé websites. My favorite addition is a Kanban board. It’s like Trello, but built directly into FlowCV, and it allows you to track jobs and their status as you move through the process.
You get one résumé and one cover letter for free, no strings attached. However, I recommend the Basic plan for most people, which includes three résumé, 20 cover letters, along with the online résumé feature and Kanban board. FlowCV doesn’t focus on AI writing as much as other résumé builders, but if that’s something you’re after, you can unlock AI features with the Pro+ plan, which also includes unlimited résumé and cover letters.
