How to Write a Business Analyst Resume in 2023 [w/ Examples & Tips] (2023)

Before you start searching for the role of a business analyst, you need to find the best way to convince potential employers that you’re able to make their business grow. To achieve this, you need to create a first-class professional business analyst resume.

Now, chances are you don’t know much about building a resume. Or, you have a general idea but need a couple of guidelines to help you tie it all together. If that’s the case, don't worry—we've put together a complete, easy-to-follow guide that you can use to make a business analyst resume from scratch.

Without further ado, let’s dive in!

What is the Right Format to Use for a Business Analyst Resume?

Creating an outstanding resume entails more than just including relevant information; it also entails proper organization and presentation.

If your business analyst resume is cluttered and hard to read, it won't help much even if you list all your impressive accomplishments and valuable skills. For this reason, you should start the resume-building process by choosing a proper format.

The most common and usually the best format for a business analyst resume is the reverse-chronological one. It focuses on the most recent job positions you held and lists the rest backward from there. This format is clean and organized, which is why recruiters around the world consider it the best option all-around.

If you’re new to the industry or you have employment gaps, you might want to focus more on your skills. In that case, consider a functional resume format, as this one helps you showcase your abilities even if you don’t have relevant work experience in the field.

On the other hand, seasoned veterans can take full advantage of a combination resume format. It’s a hybrid between the reverse-chronological and functional formats that helps candidates present their skills and illustrate them with some prominent professional achievements.

Resume Layout

With the format out of the way, it’s time to adjust the resume layout. To make your resume look clean and convey information in an optimal way, consider the following guidelines:

What Sections Should a Business Analyst Resume Contain?

Simply following these lists will ensure your resume has everything recruiters want to see.

However, if you don’t want to start from square one and keep tabs on everything, you can rely on our resume-building tool. It comes with pre-built templates that you can adjust and fill in with your information. Once you do it, you will have a professional business analyst resume within minutes!

Business Analyst Resume Template

Here’s a professional business analyst resume sample to show you what you can expect to find when using our resume builder.

It’s best to use a professional job title and avoid experimenting with witty, sensational ones. Your job title acts as a keyword for the ATS, so you want it to match the one in the job description. Otherwise, your resume might get rejected by the software, which means it may never reach recruiters.

Now let’s put what we’ve learned into practice and see it in an example:

Business Analyst Resume Objective or Summary

You can’t rely on recruiters thoroughly examining your business analyst resume to see whether you’re a perfect candidate. They typically spend less than 10 seconds skimming through resumes due to a lack of time, which is why you need to start yours with a short elevator pitch in the form of a resume objective or summary.

A resume objective should be positioned at the top of the document and consist of several short sentences that present you as an ideal candidate for the position you’re applying for. You should use it to state your future professional goals and explain how you can benefit the company. It’s typically used by applicants who have little to no work experience.

On the other hand, a resume summary has the same purpose as a resume objective and looks similar, but it’s reserved for people who have some professional experience under their belt. It should feature some of the career achievements you’re most proud of and show hiring managers what you can offer to the company.

Entry-Level Business Analyst Resume Objective

If you’re an entry-level candidate for the business analyst job position, you should strive to show your potential since you don’t have an extensive work history. You’ll have recruiters’ attention if you describe your professional goals and show that you’re willing to learn and improve.

Check out this good example:

For comparison, let’s take a look at a bad example:

Being eager to grow is always a good trait, but you need to show that you already bring something to the table. Employers are always willing to invest time and resources in candidates with potential, which is what you need to display.

Business Analyst Resume Objective

Another reason to write a business analyst resume objective is a career change. Talk about where you are at the moment and where you’re going, and show what your future employers can expect from you.

Check out a good example:

Now here’s a bad example:

With no concrete information about the candidate’s skills and competence, the recruiters can only guess what they are capable of.

Business Analyst Summary

A resume summary differs from the objective, as it aims to highlight the candidate’s most prominent professional achievements. Its goal is to summarize the resume and grab hiring managers’ attention with a short preview of the most impactful bits.

Here’s a good example:

And now, a bad example:

This sounds more like a resume objective of a candidate who doesn’t have much professional experience.

Business Analyst Resume Work Experience

Recruiters often check out your work experience section first and spend the most time reading that part. It gives them direct insight into your proficiency, which is why this section is usually the fundamental part of your resume.

Business Analyst With No Experience

We talked in great detail about how work history is one of the most important parts of your business analyst resume. So, what happens when you have little to no professional experience to showcase? The answer is—you can include other similar activities in your resume to make up for it, including college projects, freelance and volunteer work, internships, etc.

Let’s see that in an example:

Experienced Business Analyst

As a veteran in the field, you want to put your best foot forward and highlight your most impressive professional accomplishments. Show impactful results through 3–5 bullet points per job, but don’t clutter the section and list every achievement that comes to mind. That could weaken the overall effect this part of your resume has on your future employers.

For the same reason, don’t include irrelevant or outdated jobs. You can include more than one previous employment in reverse-chronological order, but make sure they are highly related to the position you’re applying for.

Here’s an example:

Business Analyst Resume Education Section

Adding education history to your business analyst resume is usually as simple as it gets. All you need to do is disclose the following details for each degree you want to add:

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

If you have a long and comprehensive work history, make your education section brief. But if you’re new in the industry, you should put more emphasis on academic achievements and even list multiple degrees in reverse-chronological order. If you have a BA or a higher degree, you don’t need to mention your high school education.

Business Analyst Resume Skills

Anyone can create a list of skills for a business analyst resume, but it takes a bit of nuance to add them to your document properly.

For starters, you want to analyze the job description before writing a business analyst resume to figure out exactly which skills recruiters are looking for the most. Then, create a separate section after the education one on your resume and list soft skills and hard skills separately because they are vastly different.

Hard skills are specific to your line of work. They are usually obtained through formal education, and you’ll have various degrees and certifications to prove them. Recruiters will be most interested in these skills, as they allow you to do the job in the first place.

Once you include them in your resume, you should add a select number of the most sought-after soft skills to it as well. Soft skills are personal attributes and qualities that enable you to effectively interact with others. They are more general than hard skills, can be used in different jobs, and are usually learned through real-world experience.

While soft skills are incredibly valuable, they are much harder to prove and should be used to supplement your hard skills.

Business Analyst Resume Optional Sections

If you want to leave a lasting impression on hiring managers, you should consider adding some optional sections to your business analyst resume. As long as there’s room left after you’ve included all of the mandatory ones, they will help you show that you are ready to go above and beyond for business.

Certifications & Awards

Certifications show specialized knowledge and add credibility to your skills and education. On the other hand, awards are recognition for outstanding performance and commitment to business. Both of these deserve a spot on your resume. Add them after the mandatory sections, like in the following example:

Languages

Proficiency in foreign languages is always a welcome addition to your resume. You likely won’t be required to use another language in a workplace, though a job posting might make this section a requirement in certain cases.

Keep this section brief and rank languages by proficiency, using one of the following levels for each language listed:

Hobbies & Interests

This section has nothing to do with the work of business analysis, but it can end up being the one that sets you apart from the other candidates. It shows who you are as a person and paints a picture of an interesting individual with drive and passion.

Place this section at the bottom of your resume, keep it brief, and don’t be afraid to include something completely unrelated to work as long as you’re truly enthusiastic about it. Lastly, be prepared to talk about your hobbies and interests once you have an interview.

Closing Thoughts

And that’s it! Create a resume by following this guide, and you’ll be preparing for an interview in no time. Also, remember that you can speed things up by using our resume builder. No matter which option you go with, you’ll be well on your way to landing your dream job. We wish you the best of luck on that journey!