Business Analyst Resume Summary
Companies receive a lot of resumes from people that are trying to fill available business analyst positions. We can assume that hiring managers don't read every resume thoroughly. According to a new study, recruiters only spend 6 seconds on every resume.
A good way of presenting yourself quickly and efficiently to the reader is by writing an opening paragraph, also known as a summary.
This section goes on top of your resume and can only be a couple of sentences long. You have to present your skills and accomplishments while showcasing the value you can bring to the company. Imagine that you're making a sales pitch.
A summary section is crucial to your business analyst resume, as it can have a strong positive effect on the recruiters' interest and decision on hiring you.
Effective Summary Example
CORRECTSummary
Business Analyst with five years experience in the banking and financial sector. Most notable achievements include increasing annual credit card campaign revenue by 15% by optimizing SQL client databases. Have a Data Analytics B.A., want to implement my analytics skills to improve business at People’s Bank.
This is a solid professional summary. It presents your past achievements and metrics that show how you benefited the company you worked for previously. Additionally, it briefly touches on your education and objective for applying to the bank. The more comprehensive and short your opening paragraph will be, the more effective it will come across.
Writing a professional summary can be tricky, be sure not to make it too short or ambiguous.
Weak Summary Example
INCORRECTSummary
Business Analyst with years of experience in analyzing business execution of company and developing strategies to save money on assets.
This is an example of a weak summary. There is no substance or valuable information found here. A hiring manager would not be able to comprehend where you work or what were the specifics of your role. The summary doesn't say much, and it's too ambiguous.
Always make sure that your professional summary makes sense and creates an insightful, comprehensive image of you as a business analyst.
Work Experience Section in the Business Analyst Resume
Now that you're done with the professional summary, it's time to start handling the most critical part of your resume - the experience section. This is where you describe your past relevant work experiences and achievements in a detailed and understandable manner.
The experience section is where a hiring manager can find out more about you and your eligibility for the position. Even an entry-level business analyst resume needs a clear and poignant experience section.
If you're starting as a business analyst and never filled that role, don't worry; you can include past work experiences from different jobs. You can show how the skills you learned and utilized from previous jobs are related to the job you're applying for.
For example, if you worked as an accountant before, you can talk about using cross-over skills that are needed in both lines of work. Both jobs required you to be analytical and use data organizational knowledge.
Check out our business analyst resume templates, to better understand the necessary formatting.
Luckily, we're here to help you write and format the best experience section by following these tips:
Find the balance between laymens' terms and industry jargon
It's challenging to write a resume that perfectly describes your work experiences. However, getting your point across is crucial when it comes to this section of your application.
You need to be able to use common words alongside business terminology successfully. A straightforward yet comprehensive blend of different business-related keywords can catch a recruiter's eye right away. But don't go overboard with the slang.
It is recommended to research the business analyst field as well as the companies you're applying to before writing out the experience section. Understanding the jargon and business-specific keywords can set you apart from the competition.
Some companies use word scanning programs for keywords; other HR departments might be reading through applications every day. Be sure that your experiences are coherent and easy to read while including industry-specific terms along the way.
Show your versatility and skills
The work of a business analyst or consultant involves a wide range of responsibilities. Business analyst work duties are different at each company and work sector.
A financial business consultant will have a different set of responsibilities than one that works in the healthcare sector. This shouldn't stop you from attempting to branch out into different industries.
As a business analyst, the skills you acquire at one position can still be useful at another company that runs a different type of business. IT business analysts have considerable cross-over skills that can be used in the retail sector.
You need to present skills and knowledge that can be translated into different business analyst roles. Here are some skills that any viable company will notice:
- Statistical and predictive analysis
- Creating detailed reports outlining the company's current performance, goals, resources, and performance gaps
- Analyzing market trends and uncovering opportunities for growth
- Building statistical data visualizations through company data
Demonstrate value
When it comes to the role of a business analyst, describing your role within a few sentences can be challenging. That's why you need to be focused on showing your achievements in your experience section, verbally and numerically.
The company is looking for a candidate that will benefit them and have a positive effect on the business finances and efficiency. You can build value for yourself by showing results.
Here are a few examples of previous results that you can show the recruiter:
- Increase net sales for holiday credit card marketing campaigns by 15%
- Decrease in customer store refunds by 10%
- Optimized the client database through SQL scripts
- Increased team output efficiency through implementing optimization strategy
Effective Business Analyst Resume Experience Example
As we know, the experience section is the most crucial part of the resume. It needs to relay your experiences and accomplishments from previous employment successfully.
An excellent way to write a successful experience section is by using keywords with a little bit of business jargon, showcasing your skills and achievements, as well as demonstrating your value as an employee.
Here is an example of an effective business analyst work experience:
CORRECT
EXPERIENCE
Business Analyst
People’s Bank
06/2015 - 11/2018
New York, New York
- Enhanced data collection process for companies’ SQL database, increasing analytics team efficiency by 15% and decreasing cataloging errors.
- Improved Internet Banking customer portal – increasing new users amount by 12%.
- Conducted an Excel database organizational project for the marketing department. Increased projected visa credit card activation rate by 7% for marketing campaign.
Weak Business Analyst resume experience example
When you're righting the experience section for an application, it's completely possible to give out too little information. You have to make sure that your writing is straightforward and explains your past work in a marketable way.
Here's an example of how not to write about your previous job experience:
INCORRECT
EXPERIENCE
Business Analyst
People’s Bank
06/2015 - 11/2018
New York, New York
- Improved company database data gathering process.
- Enhanced Internet Banking portal.
- Increased credit card usage through company marketing campaign.
How to Write the Education Section in a Business Analyst Resume
An education section is an effective way to raise your qualifications in the recruiter's eyes. On top of the experience section, describing your job-related education and classes may increase a hiring manager's interest in your resume.
If you're in a senior position and already have a couple of years of experience, keep your education section very brief. If you're an entry-level business analyst, then include relevant classes you took in school that make you qualified for the role.
Education Section Examples
This is an example of how an entry-level applicant's education section should look.
CORRECT
Education
B.A. in Economics
St. Olaf’s University
2015 - 2019
- Relevant Courses: Accounting and Finance Fundamentals, Analysing and Managing Information, Econometrics, Empirical Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics/Game Theory, International and Development Economics
- GPA: 3.78
It is important to note that experienced business analyst applicants don't need to include relevant coursework. Give the name of your school, the degree you earned, and your major.
Put Your Best Skills on a Business Analyst Resume
Generally, while the range of responsibilities may vary across different companies, a business analyst's skill set remains similar. As an analyst, you need to know how to work with large data sets and organize them through data wrangling programs.
The tools that a business analyst needs today are well known. Programs like SQL, Excel, and Power BI, should be a part of your skill arsenal because this knowledge is required across the board in the profession.
On top of your knowledge of related programs, you should also include knowledge of statistical analysis.
Here's a list of skills that you should include on a business analyst resume:
- SQL (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, SQL Server)
- Microsoft Excel
- Powerpoint, Google Slides
- Tableau, Power BI
- R, Python
- Linear regression analysis, A/B testing
