Business analysts are highly valued within any organization on account of how much value they can provide through their expertise. Typically, business analysts analyze a company or business group and document the various processes or systems being used by that business. 

By recording and assessing the business model in question, business analysts can help to guide companies in new and exciting directions, in addition to improving the existing processes and systems as much as possible.

In the following guide, we’ll be walking you through how to write the perfect business analyst resume, designed to catch the recruiter’s eye and jump-start you to the top of the pile. If you’re planning on applying to a business analyst position and you’d like a bit of advice about how best to structure your resume, this is the article for you.

Multiple Template Examples

How to Write the Perfect Business Analyst Resume

How to Format It 

There are several different formats you can opt for when writing a business analyst’s resume, including the reverse chronological layout, the functional format, and the combination format, which blends the best elements from the two other choices. The ideal format for you will depend, essentially, on how much experience you have.

If you don’t have any experience working as a business analyst, it’s best to go for the reverse chronological format. By focusing on your most recent professional position (as well as your degree) you’ll be able to distract from the fact that you haven’t worked as a business analyst before.

On the other hand, if you have plenty of experience working as a business analyst, the combination format is the best layout, because it offers an easy way to combine your skills and experience in one easy section.

What Recruiters Will Look For

When recruiters are going through a stack of resumes for business analyst candidates, they’re going to be keeping an eye out for a few things in particular. It’s no wonder, either, considering the sheer amount of responsibility every business analyst has in their organization of choice.

It’s not an easy job, and there are no two ways about it — sooner or later, you’re going to need to prove your worth by providing top-notch analysis and an objective or calculated summary of the current processes your employers are using. The goal of your resume should be to show whoever’s hiring you that you’re up to the task. Keeping that in mind, here are some of the things that will impress recruiters the most when they’re reading your business analyst resume:

1. A Broad Understanding of the Business World

Owing to the highly technical and analytical nature of your work as a business analyst, you’ll need to prove to the recruiter that you’re already fully grounded in the business world. It’s not good enough to know a thing or two about how businesses are run; you need to have a rock-solid grasp of all the ins and outs. 

Business analysts who understand the corporate landscape and what’s required are a much more exciting proposition than ones who need a little help or training in understanding the finer points of the area. Prove that you know the business world inside and out, and you’ll catch the recruiter’s eye right away.

2. The Ability to Make Complicated Ideas Seem Simple

This one is every bit as important as understanding the business world itself, since a large part of your job will involve presenting the results of your work to people who won’t necessarily be experts in the field. There’s no point in conducting a top-notch analysis of your employer’s business if you’re not able to then condense the more technical points into a straightforward, layman-friendly format.

As well as its direct applications to the position, being able to make complicated things seem simple is an attractive trait across the board. It indicates intelligence, as well as a deep understanding of what you’re talking about in the first place, and it facilitates the kind of interdepartmental collaboration that is so crucial to the way modern businesses are run.

Which Hard & Soft Skills to Include and How to Do It Correctly

Knowing the difference between hard and soft skills is vital for any job you might want to apply for, but in the case of business analyst’s role - it’s a little less straightforward. You may not even know what the hard and soft skills are exactly, since it’s not as obvious as in some other jobs.

Luckily, however, there’s a way around the problem. Business analysts, just like other professions, have clearly defined hard and soft skills that you should be able to differentiate and list without much difficulty. Here’s a comprehensive list of what you should be keeping in mind as you set about creating this aspect of your resume:

Hard Skills

The hard skills that business analysts use in their day-to-day work mostly involve the actual analytic work they do. For this reason, you need to focus on as many specific, technical details as you can, across as many different platforms and disciplines as possible. Here are some of the hard analytic skills you should consider including:

• The ability to create a Process Flow Diagram (visual)
• Familiarity with Business Process Models (textual)
• Proficiency with MS Office programs like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as a visual modelling tool such as Microsoft Visio
• The ability to use requirements management tools, like DOORS or Caliber

Soft Skills (H4)

If you can tick the analytical boxes mentioned above, you’ll already be presenting yourself as a strong candidate for the business analyst position you’re applying for. To take your resume to the next level, though, make sure to nail the soft skills portion of your resume, since they’re every bit as important as the purely technical aspects of the job. Here are the main soft skills to include:

• The ability to manage projects by yourself, or at least with minimal guidance
• Excellent interpersonal skills, particularly with regards to building relationships
• Problem-solving acumen
• Comfort receiving constructive criticism and incorporating it into your work to improve the end product

• Communication skills

• The ability to delegate well

• Confidence with regards to coordinating work across a range of different departments

What Achievements to Mention and How to Do It Correctly

Achievements are always impressive, no matter what kind of job you’re applying for, but in the case of a resume for a business analyst position, your achievements section gives you a great chance to really show you know what they’re looking for.

Because the job itself is so diverse by nature, if you can show yourself to be a well-rounded individual you’ll impress the recruiter. Compare this, for example, with a much more specific position like an IT specialist. While achievements made in non-IT areas might seem like a distraction in that case, when it comes to being a business analyst they can make all the difference.

Don’t shy away from mentioning achievements that aren’t strictly related to business. Any leadership experience you have will make a good impression, be that in volunteering positions or even a project you undertook at university. Similarly, proof of critical thinking excellence is highly valued — the perfect example for this is a prize you won for an essay at some point.

What to Avoid Mentioning

Just as there are things which are good to mention, there are also points that you’d be better off avoiding entirely. For example, mentioning that you already have an all-inclusive understanding of the business world would be a big mistake, given that it’s impossible to know everything. A large part of the business analyst role is being able to adapt on the job to new information and to be committed to continually improving your own knowledge, and understanding.

Generally speaking, anything that makes the role seem straightforward or simple will be a big red flag to any recruiter going through your resume. Don’t shy away from the complexity of the job by claiming you already understand it inside and out. Rather, embrace the fact that it’s a complicated position, and focus instead on showing that you understand the role thoroughly.

How to Write Resume Objectives and Examples of These

Your resume objective is a great opportunity to make a couple things abundantly clear to the recruiter. Firstly, you’ll be able to show that you’ve gone through the listing in great depth: you can demonstrate this by using specific, targeted language that plays off of some key details mentioned in the description. A well-written objective will also help focus the recruiter’s attention on the most impressive and relevant skills you possess. Take a look at these two examples for inspiration when you go to write your own business analyst’s resume objective:

1. Looking to contribute 6 years of experience working as a business analyst to that position at ABC Corp, utilizing a bachelor’s degree in addition to strong problem-solving skills and the ability to present results in a straightforward, jargon-free manner.

2. Ambitious, focused individual seeking mid-level Business Analyst role at XYZ Inc, leveraging exceptional interpersonal communication skills, extensive experience with business process modelling, and strong problem-solving acumen to carry out client business analysis. 

How to Write a Resume Summary and Examples of This

A resume summary focuses on how much you’ll be able to improve the company you’re applying to, if they were to hire you. Instead of the dry, impartial voice required in writing a resume objective, you should aim for a more active, persuasive style of writing for your summary. Pay particular attention to the below examples, as they’ll show you how you can train the spotlight on your past achievements and successes without seeming over the top. 

1. Experienced business analyst keen to bring problem-solving skills and in-depth knowledge of processes to the same role in XYZ LLC. I love diving into business models and using my analytical ability to come up with clear, emphatic improvements that could be made. I’m passionate about making business models as elegant and effective as possible, and I’m always ready to learn more about the business world.

2. Professional business analyst interested in taking on a new challenge at ABC Corp. and furthering my ability to provide expert analysis and in-depth advice on existing business models. In most recent professional experience as a business analyst I was able to present my findings in clear, down-to-earth language which facilitated interdepartmental collaboration. I’d welcome the opportunity to bring my skills to bear in a new challenge at your organization.

How to List Any Additional Details, like Certifications, Volunteering Experience, Etc.

Because being a business analyst is a complex, wide-ranging role by nature, listing additional details such as certifications you’ve received and volunteering experience can help give you an edge over your competition. It’s important that you come across as a well-rounded, highly capable individual, and the additional details section is also a great chance to display some secondary characteristics such as leadership abilities and interpersonal skills. Here are the best ways to include extra information in your business analyst resume.

1. Certifications

Whether they were earned online or from a regular brick-and-mortar institution, additional certifications you’ve gained over the years are always a good thing to mention. Not only does it help to portray you as a self-starter, it also makes it clear that you have reserves of inner grit that help you see a task through to its completion, which is a particularly attractive trait for business analysts, given the challenging nature of their work.

When you talk about your certifications - less is more, so keep the information short and to the point. All you really need is a line or two that details what the certification actually is, where and how you earned it, and what drove you to pursue that qualification in the first place.

2. Personal Projects

Personal projects you’ve completed in your own free time tell the recruiter a few important things about you. For example, if you’re into woodworking, talking about a few of your most recent constructions will show that you’re a creative person who naturally seeks out new challenges in addition to their standard routine. Moreover, you’ll be helping to present yourself as somebody who isn’t tied down to any one area, which will be very attractive to recruiters hiring for a business analyst position.

Most personal projects will tie into your hobbies and interests, so when you’re considering what to write in this section, make sure you keep your focus on how these achievements are likely to be perceived by the person reading your resume.

How to Write a Business Analyst Resume When You Have Limited or No Experience

Sitting down to write a full resume for a position you have little to no prior experience with can often seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be. Although you’ll be at a natural disadvantage compared to other candidates who might have extensive experience working as business analysts, there are a few steps you can take to help paint your application in the best possible light.

The most important thing to get right is your education section, since that’ll be one of the first places your future employers will be looking to get a more well-rounded idea of who you are as a person. A degree is important, of course, but don’t be afraid to talk about further achievements you managed to pull off throughout your years in education, as this will help offset your lack of experience by bringing other aspects of your personality into the equation.

Another great tip we can give you is to spend as much time as possible on your resume objective or resume summary, depending on which is required. Don’t spare any effort in researching what a great business analyst’s resume objective should look like, and be sure to make several drafts of your own as a means of ensuring it’s as strong as it possibly can be. Because a resume objective doesn’t focus as much on past experience as a resume summary, it’s an excellent way to talk about the value you can bring to your new job without being distracted by a lack of relevant work history.

How to Target Your Resume for a Specific Application

No matter how impressive your resume is in other respects, if you can’t target it to the specific position you’re applying for, you’ll be letting yourself down. Given the fact that you’ll be competing against several other candidates, you need to stand out in as many ways as possible. When a recruiter sees a resume that has clearly been written to take into account the job’s specific requirements, it makes an immediate impression.

The best way to target your resume to the specific job you’re trying to win is to read the job listing itself as closely as you can. Be on the lookout for a few specific terms, which might indicate more exactly what the recruiters are looking for. Once you’ve figured out what they want to hear, all you need to do is talk about how you can meet those needs by mentioning the relevant skills and experience you have.

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See below for the most important business analyst skills that employers are likely to be looking for in the resumes they go through:

1. Technical Competence

A business analyst without much analytical ability isn’t going to be a lot of use to any organization. On the other hand, a business analyst that can talk about exactly which programs and processes they’re experienced with could jump to the front of the queue. 

If there’s a lot of talk in job posting about the technical and analytical side of the position, make sure to focus as much as possible on the exact ways you can handle the demands of the job, such as analysis processes you’re familiar with and software packages you’ve used before.

2. Interpersonal Excellence

In addition to the technical work you’ll be doing as a business analyst, you’ll no doubt have to do a lot of interdepartmental work with your colleagues. This can be challenging for a lot of professionals, as it requires emotional intelligence and leadership skills on top of the analytical work that business analyst roles require.

Words like team, communication, and people skills are a good sign that the recruiters will be particularly interested in a candidate with strong interpersonal abilities. If you come across those terms, don’t be afraid to talk in depth about how you’ve been able to leverage your interpersonal skills in past roles to great effect.

How to Make Your Resume Stand Out

Making your resume stand out among a huge stack of others is easier said than done, but there are a few simple tips you can follow to make sure you’re giving yourself the best chance. The most important thing is to keep your focus on what exactly is required of a business analyst throughout the course of their day-to-day work.

Because your routine will vary based on the demands of the position, you’ll need to sell yourself as a versatile, dynamic character that can adapt to change and thrive even in difficult situations. Too often, people assume that business analyst positions are solely technical, leading them to neglect the interpersonal side of the job. If you can switch the focus towards your soft skills, you’ll be making an impression from the very off, as most of your competition will be focusing on the analytical abilities they can offer.

You’ll also need to prove that you can work with minimal guidance. Business analyst roles typically come with a large degree of responsibility, particularly for some of the bigger projects they’ll be asked to take on. An ideal candidate is one who works well in a team, but can also function autonomously, with little or no oversight from higher management.

If you can make it clear that you’re used to working well on your own, you stand a great chance of separating yourself from the herd. An employee who doesn’t need to be micromanaged is an incredibly attractive proposition to organizations across the board, particularly if the rest of the candidates neglect to focus on that aspect of what they can offer.

How Resumebuild can Help You to Write an Outstanding Business Analyst Resume

With so much to consider, creating a business analyst resume can seem like a challenging task. Fortunately, however, there’s a ready-made solution to the problem that can make your life a whole lot easier: Resumebuild’s resume building tool.

Offering hundreds of professionally pre-built templates packaged in a slick, easy-to-use interface, this resume building tool makes creating your dream business analyst resume straightforward. All you need to do to create the ideal document is select the template that you like the most and fill in your own details. Once that’s done, simply click download and you’ll be ready to get out there and start applying to jobs.