CakeResume has far fewer features than other resume building software, but the site’s tagline, “Making your resume a piece of cake,” holds true. Its drag-and-drop options help you create the different sections of your resume, and it was by far the easiest builder we tested. This online program has a clean interface that’s easy to navigate, and its features are easy to understand. Also, it has the least expensive monthly subscription of the resume builders we reviewed, not counting free programs like LiveCareer.
As we browsed through the program, it was quickly apparent that CakeResume caters to an international audience. The site supports a smattering of Asian languages, including Japanese and Korean. While we like programs that have easy-to-use resume building features, CakeResume’s inclusion of templates written in Asian characters presents something of a challenge. It isn’t a piece of cake to translate them or use them as a base if you’re monolingual.
In addition, rather than include helpful examples of what to write in each section like ResumeMaker does, CakeResume uses lorem ipsum, a placeholder text. As such, you need to generate appropriate content for your document on your own.
After you decide on a template, you can make simple edits to the text. The program has all the traditional tools you find in a word processor and about 75 fonts. You can also select size and color to customize your document. Like most of the programs we tested, CakeResume lets you add bullets and numbering.
CakeResume has built-in sharing options and tools, including direct links to LinkedIn and Facebook. The site also generates a URL for you resume, and you can share the link with potential employers. In addition, you can download your resume, though not as an editable Word or plain text document.
The builder’s lack of export options seems to be the result of the company’s ideas about the future of resume creation. In the editing toolbar, you can choose between a paper or web resume, and you can also link your profile to a portfolio of images or graphics to visually show your skills. When you publish your resume and create a URL, you select an access level. For example, you can set the privacy to public or link only. Employers can also use the site to search for talent, and you can choose to give them access as well.
CakeResume’s free program allows you to download a single, basic resume. We tested the Advanced version, which costs $6.95 a month. It lets you create as many resumes as you want, and you can remove the CakeResume branding. If you want to track responses to your resume, you can upgrade to Pro – this plan gives you Google Analytics information and a custom domain name for potential employers to link to. It also includes a free eBook with information about designing resumes.
You can only contact the company’s customer service by email. As such, you can’t get instant help with problems you encounter.
CakeResume makes a type of resume that may be used more often in the future, and it certainly already supports a global market. However, it would be nice to have more direct support to help you through the resume creation process such as a helpful wizard to guide you or suggestions for wording. Still, its drag-and-drop features make the design suite very usable, and there are enough customization features to create a simple resume. As such, it is our best value pick.
