Sheets AI Resume Builder: Is It Worth It? [A Recruiter’s Test & Honest Review]
- Ana
- Oct 15
- 12 min read
Updated: Oct 18
If you’ve wasted hours trying to write your resume and now you're googling "best AI resume builder" to cut the guesswork, this review is for you.
I’m Ana, ex-recruiter and founder of ByRecruiters. I keep a running list of job search tools that actually help (and the ones to skip). Sheets AI Resume Builder caught my eye recently, so I tested it to see if it’s worth your time and money.
My top question: Can it turn a messy document into a clear, high-impact, ATS-friendly resume, improve the writing without fluff or awkward verbs, and avoid making things up like many AI resume builders do?
This Sheets AI Resume Builder review covers my process, results, and verdict so you can decide if it fits your needs. Here’s how I tested it and how it scored.
What Is Sheets AI Resume Builder?
Sheets AI Resume Builder is exactly what its name suggests: an AI-powered resume builder that helps you create a clean, high-quality, ATS-friendly resume, fast.
It was built by Colin McIntosh, an ex-recruiter whose free resume template has been used by 1M+ job seekers. (Wild!)
He took that proven format and paired it with AI, so you’re never stuck on what to say on your resume, what to cut, which sections to include, or how to format it. Instead of 1,000 tiny choices, you just follow the prompts and keep moving.
While most AI resume tools push flashy templates and corporate buzzwords, Sheets AI Resume Builder prioritizes substance that reads well for humans and parses cleanly in applicant tracking systems (ATS). Content comes before fancy design. And that’s its biggest edge.
Sheets AI Resume Builder homepage. Credit: Sheets Resume.
Now, let me show you how I tested it and what you can expect.
Methodology: How I Tested Sheets AI Resume Builder (Real Data, Results & Recruiter POV)
If you need a new resume, Sheets AI Resume Builder gives you three easy ways to get started: a) upload your current resume, b) import your LinkedIn profile, or c) start from scratch.
Getting started in Sheets AI Resume Builder: choose to upload your resume, pull data from LinkedIn, or start fresh. Credit: Sheets Resume.
I tested its performance with a four-page master resume. Think unordered bullets, half-finished sentences, zero formatting. Basically a raw info dump of everything I’ve ever done—the same kind of file people hand over to resume writers and say, “Can you fix this?” (In my opinion, these are the toughest resumes to tame, so I threw that exact challenge at the tool to see how it handled it.)
Test difficulty: high.
Why: If a resume builder can turn content chaos into a solid resume fast, it’s a tool worth using.
Step-by-Step Testing Workflow: From a Messy Document to Polished Draft
Here’s exactly how I ran the test:
Pasted the chaotic document into Sheets AI Resume Builder with no cleanup.
Generated the first draft and got a structured, resume-shaped version in seconds.
Refined section by section using:
AI Suggestions to tighten language and get new bullet point ideas.
AI Chat to surface scope, tools, and outcomes for stronger bullets.
Exported to Google Docs for a quick micro-polish and a final ATS check.
Metrics and Results
To keep this review objective, I tracked key performance metrics throughout the test: speed, bullet quality, clarity, ATS safety, and overall usability. Here’s how it performed.
Test Metric | What It Measures | Result |
Time to first draft | Time to generate a structured, resume-shaped draft | ~9 seconds |
Full edit time | From raw dump to A+ version using AI Suggestions + AI Chat | ~17 minutes |
Tailoring speed | Time to align content to a real job post | ~ 28 seconds |
Bullet quality uplift | Task-based → impact-based bullets | High (most significant improvement after 1–2 AI Chat passes) |
Clarity gain | Page count reduction without losing meaning | From 4 pages to 1 page in less than 10 seconds (noticeable tightening, less fluff) |
Design decisions | Number of layout choices required | Zero (one proven format with 6 fonts available) |
ATS optimization | Structure, fonts, export integrity | Clean single column, passed ATS check |
Scorecard Criteria: Specificity, ATS, Speed, Value
To give you a clear picture of how this tool stacks up, I rated Sheets AI Resume Builder across five key categories: speed, AI content quality, customization, design, and user experience. These scores are based on my hands-on testing, real inputs, and recruiter experience.
Category | Score (0–5) | My Comment |
Speed | 5+ | Incredibly fast! It generated a structured resume in seconds, instantly reflected all changes, and stayed smooth through edits. |
AI Content Quality | 5 | Clear, specific, and outcome-focused bullets without fluff or awkward phrasing. |
Customization | 5 | Easy to refine and tailor. Edits and refinements were intuitive and flexible. |
Resume Design | 4.5 | A single, ATS-friendly layout keeps choices simple. It’s clean and professional. (I docked half a point only because I do like a subtle pop of color on headings.) |
User Experience | 5+ | Beginner-proof and intuitive. No confusing settings, pop-ups, glitches, or unnecessary functionalities. |
With that context, let's dive into what you actually get inside Sheets AI and how it’s priced.
Sheets AI Resume Builder Overview: Features, Pricing, Design
If you’re skimming for the gist and the price-to-value, this section is your quick tour. We’ll cover what you get, pricing, user experience, support, design, credibility, and more.
Features: AI Chat, AI Suggestions, Tailoring, Bonus Job Search Tools
Sheets AI starts you in a clean, single-column layout that’s ATS-friendly by default, so you’re not stuck making 1,739 design decisions.
To work on your resume, you can pick one of three options: upload your current resume, upload your LinkedIn profile, or start from scratch.
Writing help comes in two flavors: AI Quick Suggestions for quick rewrites that tighten your wording, and AI Chat for deeper coaching that pulls out scope, tools, baselines, constraints, and outcomes, then turns that into credible, impact-driven bullets.
You also get sensible controls for Work Experience, Skills, Education, Projects, and Certifications, plus lightweight tailoring tools that let you align your keywords to a live job post without rebuilding your entire resume. When you’re done, export it in the format you need—Google Docs, Word, PDF, or OpenDocument.
The resume builder comes with a couple of bonus tools that round out your application:
Cover Letter Generator: drafts a tailored letter based on your resume and a target job post, so you’re not starting from scratch.
AI Interview Practice: generates likely interview questions from your resume and the role, and helps you sharpen concise, evidence-based answers.
AI Job Search: scans live postings and matches them to your resume, making it easier to spot roles that actually fit.
Pricing & Upsells: One-Time Payment, Lifetime Access (No Tricks)
My biggest pet peeve with AI resume tools? Forced upsells and messy subscriptions.
Quiet renewals. $10 “extra AI credits” mid-edit. $49/month “basic” plans that hide essentials. $297 “expert reviews” you feel guilted into buying because you want the best shot at landing a job.
Sheets AI does the opposite. It’s a one-time $99 payment for lifetime access. No subscriptions.
You can try it free, see exactly what it creates, and only pay when you want to download/export. No tiers to decode, no ticking clock, no “oops, I forgot to cancel,” and no surprise charges. Just try → pay once → done. 10/10 for simplicity and transparency.
User Experience: Intuitive, User-Friendly, Easy to Navigate
Sheets AI Resume Builder is one of those tools you can open and just…use. The flow is straightforward, the prompts are in plain English, and there’s zero scavenger hunt for basic actions. You paste your experience, follow clear cues, and watch it turn into an application-ready resume without wrestling with formatting.
Labels are clear, the steps are linear, and you’re never more than a click away from editing or exporting. It feels designed for momentum.
Streamlined resume creation process inside Sheets AI. Credit: Sheets Resume.
What you’ll want to know about the user experience:
Will I be able to use it if it’s my first time with a resume builder? Yes. There’s a simple, step-by-step flow that guides you from upload/paste to polished draft.
Not very tech-savvy. Will I get stuck? Unlikely. The interface uses plain language and keeps choices minimal so you can focus on content.
Is it cluttered with pop-ups or upsells while I’m writing? No. The flow is distraction-free: write → refine → export. (And there are no upsells.)
Will I need a tutorial before I start? I don't think so. The first screen explains the whole flow.
Is there a clear “next step” at every stage? Yes. Primary buttons and progress cues make it obvious where to click and what to do next.
Customer Support: Public Reddit Track Record & Fast Replies
The team’s support presence is refreshingly public.
Colin (the founder) has been active on Reddit since 2018 (long before this AI resume builder existed), helping thousands of job seekers after his original resume post went viral. He’s still there, answering resume questions in public and replying to user reviews.
I didn’t need support (the tool was intuitive and ran smoothly), but seeing daily, public replies gives me confidence that if you do hit a snag, you’ll get a fast, human response.
They even encourage questions in their subreddit, which signals real confidence and invites transparent feedback. Bonus: you can browse other users’ threads, learn from their Q&As, and help shape future updates.
Design & ATS Formatting: Single-Column, Clean Fonts
Many AI resume builders load up on flashy, graphic-heavy templates that look cool but don’t actually help you get hired.
Sheets AI Resume Builder gives you ONE proven layout.
Default Sheets AI Resume Builder single-column resume template. Credit: Sheets Resume.
No decision fatigue. No “should I go with one or two columns?” spiral. The layout puts the words center stage, so the focus stays on what you say, not how it looks.
Why Sheets Resume uses one proven. Credit: Sheets Resume.
On top of that, you get six font options. In testing, the default font was Garamond (classic, readable). If you want a different feel, you can switch to a small set of ATS-safe options: Garamond, Times New Roman, Arial, Verdana, Georgia, and Courier New.
(Side note: I’m cautious about Courier New on resumes. The typewriter look can feel dated and harder to read. I’d pick one of the other five.)
If you like to tinker, export to Word or Google Docs and make your final formatting tweaks there.
Bottom line: clean structure, standardized headings, and safe fonts add up to a resume that looks professional to humans and parses correctly in most ATS.
Background and Credibility: Built by an Ex-Recruiter
A lot of AI resume builders are slick on the surface and thin underneath. Big promises, little hiring insight, and lots of questionable pricing tricks. (Peek behind the curtain and you’ll see many “different” tools owned by the same parent group. No wonder they all feel identical.)
Not Sheets AI Resume Builder.
Colin, the creator, is an ex-recruiter who’s reviewed thousands of resumes and shared a free template used by over a million job seekers.
You can feel that hiring background: the default layout reads like it was built for recruiters (because it was), and the prompts sound like a resume expert on your shoulder—not a thesaurus stuffing in fancy words or making things up.
The ethos matches the product, too. Colin and his co-founder, Nate, listen, ship improvements based on real feedback. They’re transparent and genuinely helpful to job seekers—a rare combo in this space, and a big reason this tool stands out.
User Reviews: Ratings, Common Themes, Results
As of October 2025, Sheets AI Resume Builder has 200+ public reviews averaging 4.85/5. Users consistently praise its speed, simplicity, and one-time pricing.
After moving their resume into Sheets AI, many people shared that they saw a bump in interviews and offers. (That’s the kind of proof that matters.)
More than a few say it’s even a fun tool to use. “Fun” and “resume” rarely go together, but I agree: this resume builder is interactive and educational. If you try their AI Chat, you'll notice that it's unexpectedly insightful and even entertaining.
Sheets AI Resume Builder user reviews. Credit: Sheets Resume.
Sustainability & Ethics: Climate-Positive by Default
If you care about how AI tools are built and what they cost the planet, you’ll appreciate what the Sheets Resume team has done. They’ve taken a refreshingly transparent stance here, tackling the energy question with actual math (not vague promises).
The short version: a single AI-generated resume uses about 0.001 kWh of electricity, which is roughly the same as keeping a 10W LED bulb on for six seconds. To more than cancel that out, Sheets AI automatically contributes 0.5% of all membership fees (e.g., $0.49 from a $99 lifetime plan) to decarbonization projects.
If the ethics of AI keep you up at night, here’s the practical takeaway: using Sheets AI for your resume is climate-positive by default. You get a stronger job application and your purchase helps fund real decarbonization.
Bullet Point Quality: Why Sheets Resume Beats Other AI Resume Builders
Bullet points are the backbone of your resume. Done right, they sell your expertise. Done poorly, they bury it. (Surprisingly, this is where most AI resume builders fall flat.)
Too many tools spit out a corporate word salad: wordy lines that say nothing, padded with achievements that actually cannot be measured, or random, inflated numbers. Not ideal.
Good news: this is where Sheets AI Resume Builder does a great job.
When you open any work experience entry, you see your bullets plus two ways to level them up: AI Quick Suggestions and AI Chat.
AI Quick Suggestions tightens what you’ve already written and surfaces specific angles you might have missed. Great when your starting point is decent and you want it cleaner, faster.
AI Chat is the deep work. It acts like a top-tier resume writer, asking targeted follow-ups to pull out context, scope, technical depth, and outcomes. It doesn’t just swap words. It upgrades the thinking behind them.
AI Chat will probe until it has the full story, asking about:
Scale: team size, budget, markets, volume.
Tools & ownership: what you led vs. where you collaborated.
Baseline → change: what it looked like before you, and what’s different now.
Constraints: timeline, headcount, compliance, legacy systems.
Measured outcomes: time saved, errors reduced, revenue protected, satisfaction improved.
That approach matches my philosophy: great resumes aren’t about fancy phrasing. They’re about clear thinking made visible on the page.
Now, is AI Chat slower than a one-click rewrite? Yes, a little. Is it worth it? Absolutely. It jogs your memory, surfaces proof you’d forget, and forces the specificity that recruiters hire on.
Bonus: you’re gathering the exact stories and metrics you’ll use in interviews. So, the way I see it, it doubles as interview prep.
Now, let me show you this in action.
Before & After: Sheets AI Resume Builder Bullet Rewrite (Real Example)
To show you how the tool tightens language and surfaces impact, I ran one of my original bullets through both features.
Before: Implemented the company's first ATS (SAP e-Recruiting).
After – AI Quick Suggestions: Collaborated with IT to integrate SAP e-Recruiting with existing payroll systems for seamless data transfer.
After – AI Chat: Implemented the company's first ATS (SAP e-Recruiting), automating communication with candidates and hiring managers and reducing time-to-hire by 27% in 6 months.
Why this matters and how the “after” got there:
What was decent already: clear action (“implemented”) and an industry-relevant keyword (SAP e-Recruiting).
What was missing: the “So what?" i.e., measurable outcome/impact tied to the work.
What AI Quick Suggestions gave: Adds a new angle (cross-functional + systems view), so the bullet signals scope, complexity, and context, not just a task.
What AI Chat unlocked: the impact (“reduced time-to-hire by 27% in 6 months”) and the mechanism (“automating communication with candidates and hiring managers”), turning a task into a business result.
That leap from task to impact is exactly what recruiters scan for and what gets you from “just another applicant” to their top candidate.
Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Use Sheets AI Resume Builder
Here’s a quick guide to who’ll get the most from Sheets AI Resume Builder. If you’re hunting for the best AI resume builder to create a clear, ATS-friendly resume fast, use this to check the fit before you dive in.
Best for:
Mid, senior, and executive professionals (especially in corporate or traditional industries, such as finance, banking, legal, and healthcare) who need clean, impact-focused resumes that translate complex responsibilities into clear, results-driven bullets.
Job seekers targeting big companies with common ATS systems (Workday, Greenhouse, Ashby, Lever), where a single-column format parses reliably.
Career advancers on the same career path (e.g., Senior PM → Lead PM) who don’t need creative repositioning or big pivots—just facts, scope, and impact. Expect strong content and ATS-friendly resume structure in minutes.
Consider alternatives if you:
Are in a highly creative role (UX, brand, motion, design). You can still use Sheets AI to generate a clean, ATS-safe resume for online applications. But for roles where the resume is part of your portfolio, layer on a second version: a creative, portfolio-first layout that showcases your creativity or design skills. (Do both: plain for ATS, showcase for humans.)
Need industry- or region-specific formats outside US norms. Think Germany’s Lebenslauf, academia’s CVs with publications/teaching/grants, or other strict conventions. In 99% of cases, Sheets AI will still serve you well. Just adapt the sections. But if your field has rigid expectations, follow those first and use Sheets AI as the writing partner in the background.
Have a non-linear career path (pivots, entrepreneurship, or freelance mixes). Your path may not be linear, but your story should be. Align your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn, and online portfolio into a single, memorable narrative so hiring teams understand your background fast. Use the Job Application Suite to keep everything consistent wherever employers check you out.
Review Verdict: Is Sheets AI Resume Builder Worth It?
Short answer: Yes! Sheets AI Resume Builder packages proven resume best practices into a simple, effective flow. You get a straightforward layout, smart prompts that nudge you toward specific, credible content, and none of the sneaky subscriptions that make so many tools feel off.
What I liked most: The “recruiter in your corner” vibe. The educational nudges + AI Chat don’t just rewrite your content. They ask smart follow-ups to pull out scope, constraints, and outcomes, so your bullets read like impact, not chores. It’s fast (seconds to a structured draft) and, dare I say, kind of fun.
Trade-offs to know: Design choices are intentionally limited. If you want to add more personality and flair to your design, you'll need to export to Word or Google Docs and make final tweaks yourself.
Bottom line: If you want a clean, reliable, ATS-friendly resume without getting stuck in a monthly subscription, Sheets AI Resume Builder is a smart career investment. Try it out now.
Sheets AI Resume Builder FAQs (Pricing, ATS, Speed)
Subtle prediction: It’s not the loudest brand yet, but given the user feedback and product focus, I wouldn’t be surprised if Sheets AI Resume Builder becomes one of the more trusted AI resume tools in 2026. I'm excited to see how the tool will continue to evolve.
Ready to try Sheets AI Resume Builder? Start now for free.