The provided source material focuses on guidance for creating a business analyst resume. It offers examples, templates, and expert advice on structuring and tailoring a resume to appeal to employers. The information is derived from career advice websites that provide resume templates and writing tips. The guidance is aimed at individuals seeking to apply for business analyst positions, including those at various career stages, from entry-level to senior roles.
The sources highlight the importance of a well-structured resume that clearly communicates a candidate's skills, experience, and achievements. A key recommendation is to use a combination format, which includes an introduction with a summary and skills list, followed by a detailed overview of work experience and education. The resume should be concise, ideally one page for entry to mid-level professionals, while senior-level candidates may use more pages if every line adds value.
To align a resume with a specific job posting, the advice suggests reviewing the job description and modifying the skills section to include relevant keywords and terms. This helps the resume pass through applicant tracking systems (ATS) and demonstrates a direct fit for the role. The use of strong, action-oriented verbs such as "analysed," "optimised," "led," and "developed" is encouraged to describe accomplishments.
Design is another critical aspect, with the recommendation to keep the format simple and polished, avoiding visual distractions. The sources emphasise focusing on quantifiable achievements, such as specific metrics or outcomes, to showcase the impact of previous work. For those without extensive professional experience, the guidance suggests undertaking personal projects to demonstrate analytical skills, such as gathering and analysing data to answer a specific question.
Key Sections of a Business Analyst Resume
Resume Summary
The resume summary is described as a brief paragraph that captures the most relevant achievements and experiences. It should be tailored to the target job and provide an overview of the candidate's value to the employer. A strong summary is specific and concise, often written last to ensure it accurately reflects the content of the resume.
An example provided for a business analyst summary is: "Strategic business analyst with six years of experience translating data into actionable insights in the health care and financial services sectors." Another example for a senior role is: "Detail-oriented principal business analyst with 10+ years of experience driving process improvements and delivering data-backed insights for Fortune 500 clients. Spearheaded a CRM optimization project that cut customer churn by 18%. Skilled in SQL, Tableau, and Agile methodologies. Passionate about leveraging analytics to shape future-ready business strategies."
Skills Section
The skills section should be carefully curated to match the requirements of the job being applied for. The process involves deleting skills not mentioned in the job post and adding any missing skills that the candidate possesses. This ensures the resume presents a complete picture of the candidate's capabilities. The sources list common action verbs for business analyst resumes, including advised, analysed, assessed, automated, built, clarified, collaborated, compiled, created, designed, developed, documented, drove, enhanced, established, evaluated, facilitated, forecasted, guided, improved, increased, integrated, interpreted, introduced, launched, led, modelled, optimized, presented, prevented, prioritized, recommended, reduced, restructured, revitalized, streamlined, transformed, and won.
Work Experience
The work experience section should detail key changes made to organisations, with results quantified where possible. The focus should be on demonstrating how the candidate has applied business analytics to solve problems. Using verbs like "led," "analyzed," "optimized," and "solved" helps reflect a forward-thinking approach. The examples show that a strong resume effectively shows strategic oversight and measurable outcomes in each role.
Design and Formatting
The design of a business analyst resume should be simple and polished. The principle of "less is more" is emphasised, where minimal visual information draws more attention to relevant skills and achievements. Visual flourishes like elaborate borders, colourful logos, or unusual bullet symbols are discouraged as they can distract the hiring manager. The combination format is recommended, which integrates a summary and skills list with the experience overview.
Resume Examples for Different Specialisations
The sources provide examples for various business analyst roles, each with specific focuses.
- Business Intelligence Analyst Resume: This type of resume should show a clear career trajectory, demonstrating growth and improvement over time. It is important to research the job market to identify which specific technologies and skills are in demand, such as Looker, Tableau, and SQL.
- Business Systems Analyst Resume: Similar to the intelligence analyst role, this resume should highlight expertise in relevant technologies. Researching the job market is crucial to understand the specific skills required for this specialised role.
- Senior Business Analyst Resume: A senior-level resume should emphasise strategic oversight and measurable outcomes. It is acceptable for senior professionals to have a resume longer than one page, provided every line adds value and demonstrates significant accomplishments.
For Candidates Without Extensive Experience
The guidance notes that a business analyst does not necessarily need prior work experience to demonstrate the required skills. The core function of a business analyst—asking a question, gathering data, and analysing it to provide an answer—can be demonstrated through personal projects. Candidates are encouraged to get creative and undertake a project based on a question they have wondered about. For instance, one suggested project is to analyse whether a sports team has had bad injury luck by gathering data on player value and games missed, then comparing it to other teams. Another suggestion is to investigate whether entry-level business analyst jobs are truly entry-level by analysing job descriptions on popular job boards. These projects can be included on a resume to showcase initiative and analytical ability.