HOW TO BECOME A BUSINESS ANALYST (2024 Guide)

Business Analyst Resume Examples

BrainStation’s Business Analyst career guide can help you take the first steps toward a lucrative career in analysis. Read on to learn how to write a great resume for Business Analyst jobs.

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What Is a Business Analyst Resume?

Business Analyst resumes outline your business analysis skills, experiences, and achievements. They are brief but essential documents used alongside cover letters to apply for roles ranging from an Entry-Level Business Analyst to a Senior Business Analyst, early in the hiring process. Typical Business Analyst resume examples will showcase your expertise in key areas like evaluating processes and procedures, identifying problems, and developing business solutions. Together with the cover letter, your resume should convince Hiring Managers that you are an ideal candidate for a Business Analyst position.

Writing Business Analyst Resumes – a Step-by-Step Guide

Before you begin writing your Business Analyst resume, start with some important preparation.

  • Review the job description. Job descriptions contain the key skills and qualifications that the company is looking for. Those are the items you will want to emphasize on your resume, so you may find it useful to read through and circle them. Some companies use resume scanners for initial screenings, so make sure you include keywords from the job posting.
  • Understand the company. Learn more about the company and identify their pain points and business requirements. In your resume, show that you have the right hard skills to help tackle their problems and challenges.
  • Create a list of your accomplishments. Put together a comprehensive list of all your business analysis experiences and successes. This document, also known as a master resume, will help you throughout the job application process. When you begin writing your resume, refer to the list and select the items that are most relevant to the role.
  • Find a clean template. Opt for a simple layout. Choose one or two fonts and use color sparingly. Remember to include plenty of white space so your resume is easy to read.

As you write your resume for Business Analyst jobs, follow these best practices.

  • Customize for each company. Every company will be looking for slightly different Business Analyst skills and expertise. For each job you are applying to, create a unique resume that addresses the company’s particular needs.
  • Keep it to a page. Focus on your most relevant experiences and skills.
  • Structure your content: Clear headings and bullet points make your resume easier to scan.
  • Use action verbs: When describing your responsibilities and successes, start off with impactful action verbs such as launched, expanded, facilitated, reduced and spearheaded.
  • Focus on accomplishments: Your resume isn’t a list of your past job duties—it’s an overview of your successes. Use accomplishment statements that follow this formula: action verb + task + result. For example, “Led in-depth analysis of business operations, reducing overhead expenses by 15%.”
  • Quantify your achievements: Stats and numbers show evidence of your performance and technical expertise. Companies are looking for Business Analysts who can achieve results, so quantify your impact where possible.
  • Edit and refine: Ask a trusted friend or colleague to review your resume. Before submitting, remember to run a spelling/grammar check and review for any additional typos.

Getting Started – What is the Purpose of the Business Analyst resume?

The Business Analyst resume objective is to convince employers that you would be a valuable asset to their team. Your resume should tell a story—show how your skills, training, and experiences come together to make you the perfect candidate. With a stellar resume, employees will be eager to invite you for a job interview.

How to Create an Outline for a Business Analyst Resume

You can follow this sample resume outline as you begin writing to create a strong Business Analyst resume:

  • Start with a heading listing your contact information for the Hiring Manager.
  • Write a captivating profile/summary that explains why you’re the best candidate.
  • List your work experiences and successes.
  • Add in your education.
  • List relevant business analysis skills that match the job description.
  • Add extra sections that showcase other activities.

What to Include in Your Business Analyst Resume?

Your Business Analyst resume format should include a heading, profile/summary, work experience, education, and skills. Use this Business Analyst Resume summary to help you as you write:

  • Heading: At the top of your resume, include your name, email, phone number and LinkedIn. Match this with the heading of your cover letter.
  • Profile/Summary: Write a two to four sentence introduction that engages the Hiring Manager right away. Include a key achievement and an overview of your top skills.
  • Work experience: List your most relevant experiences in reverse chronological order. Include the role title, company and dates. In a few bullet points, describe the tangible outcomes of your work. Don’t list job duties—for example, “Responsible for overseeing business operations” doesn’t tell the employer much about your work. Instead, you could frame it as, “Collaborated with departmental managers on to improve business performance, saving the company more than $50,000 per year.”
  • Education: Include your university/college degrees, as well as any certifications or diplomas. List the degree/certificate, institution name and dates attended. If you recently graduated, you can also add in relevant coursework and academic distinctions.
  • Skills: Refer back to the job description to identify key business analyst skills required. Include skills that are listed on the job description that match your own skill set.
  • Other: Add additional sections to highlight your other achievements and activities. You can include projects, awards, volunteer work, languages or interests. Include activities that help you stand out among other Business Analysts.

What Skills Should You Put on a Business Analyst Resume?

The easiest way to determine what skills to include in your resume is to refer back to the Business Analyst job description. As a Business Analyst, you likely have a range of skills and expertise. However, you should prioritize the skills listed on the job posting. Focus on technical skills in your skills section. While you can certainly mention soft skills, it’s better to show rather than tell. Include achievements that demonstrate your soft skills in the work experience section of the Business Analyst resume.

A few examples of relevant skills that employers are looking for in Business Analysts are:

  • Predictive analysis
  • Risk analysis and management
  • Financial analysis and modeling
  • Agile development
  • Automated testing
  • Business process improvement
  • Benchmarking
  • Eclipse
  • Data integrity testing
  • Functional testing
  • JavaScript
  • Joint application development
  • Lucidchart
  • Logic modeling
  • Market research
  • PHP
  • Oracle
  • SCRUM
  • SQL or MySQL
  • UML
  • To-be/Future state assessment
  • Businesses process re-engineering
  • Gap analysis
  • Wireframing, prototyping, and user stories
  • SWOT analysis
  • As-Is analysis

Business Analyst Resume Template

Use this Business Analyst resume sample as a guide as you apply to a Business Analyst role.

[NAME] [Phone Number] [Email] [LinkedIn]

PROFILE

Motivated Business Analyst skilled at [areas of expertise]. Previously [major achievement]. Ready to bring my experience to [how you could help the company].

EXPERIENCE

[Job title, Company] [Month, Year – Month, Year]

  • [Action word] [skill/task] [result/impact]
  • [Action word] [skill/task] [result/impact]
  • [Action word] [skill/task] [result/impact]

[Job title, Company] [Month, Year – Month, Year]

  • [Action word] [skill/task] [result/impact]
  • [Action word] [skill/task] [result/impact]
  • [Action word] [skill/task] [result/impact]

EDUCATION

[Degree or certificate earned, School name] [Graduation date]

  • [Relevant courses]
  • [Academic achievements]

SKILLS

  • [Technical skills]

AWARDS AND ACTIVITIES

  • [Award]
  • [Volunteer work]