Business Analyst Resume: Important Tips and Tricks
Introduction
On average, a recruiter will not spend more than seven seconds looking at a resume. This leaves the job applicant hardly any time to impress the resume viewer. The business analyst resume should be able to make a killer impression in this little time. And if you thought that the recruiter may overlook simple typo errors or miss out on points then you are wrong.
As a business analyst, you should be careful of formatting your resume in the best way possible to make it readable and to convince the viewer. Here we lay down the guidelines on how to optimize your business analyst resume.
There are many ways in which a business analyst can write his resume. The business analyst comes with varied expertise and positions in handling a plethora of responsibilities. It is important to tailor-make your resume as per the job that you are applying for. So go through these tips to know how to write the business analyst resume.
1. BA Resume Tips
If you wish to create a stunning business analyst resume then read ahead to understand how to divide various sections of your resume so that it is readable and lets the recruiter form an opinion about you in no time.
A) Summaries About Yourself
The first part of your business analyst skills resume should be to summarise a bit about you. Ensure that you keep the summary short and sweet. The business analyst resume summary should be able to introduce yourself properly to the reader. They should be able to get an idea about what they will be seeing in the rest of the resume.
You do not want to be too detailed here. Instead, keep the details concise. There is also no need to summarise every section.
You want to introduce yourself and include what you think is the most important section of your resume. You may want to put in some highlights that you want the recruiter to look at. You need to be specific in this section. If you instead write a general summary then it is most likely that the employer will ignore it. Just mention some of the attractive things about your resume like your job qualification and your career goals in a concise way that is readable.
In a nutshell, you want the recruiter to make a quick image of yourself in your summary. You need to focus on what your striking assets are. This could be your work experience or your education from a renowned university. It could also be some skillset that you think would give you an edge over your competitors.
If you are applying to a huge corporation then your resume will be screened by an algorithm before real people get to see it. This is where you need to make sure that you hit on the right keywords that the company or the job profile would be looking for.
If you are applying to a small company then the resume should be able to generate interest in no time to compel the recruiter to read further.
The key is to keep your resume scannable and readable. Also, make sure that you stick to the same tense throughout.
B) Highlight Your Skills
The next section will include details about your business analyst skills. You need to mention your technical skills, ability to act in a liaison, analytical skills, problem-solving skills as well as communication skills here. Time management and interpersonal skills to are essential to be a good business analyst and this is something that should find mention in your resume.
Remember to include the skills in your resume because it is what gives your resume the required attention. This is the place where you should brag about your technical expertise. The hiring manager would want to know about your skills in handling the latest and complex technology. So make sure that you show the different applications and programs that you have used.
The business analysts are expected to know project management software and database systems which should be put in here.
C) Include Your Work Experience
In this section, you need to include details about your prior experience as a business analyst. However, you may also want to include your other positions here that can show your analytical and interpersonal skills. Employers who are recruiting for a business analyst post may not necessarily look at candidates who have no prior experience in the field. However, if it is an entry-level business analyst resume position and you have some analytical experience then it does give you an edge.
Whatever may be your work experience, even if it is a little irrelevant to the job that you are applying for, it can still make you an attractive candidate. So go for it and give it a short
Under the work experience section, mention the company that you have worked for, your designation in the company, and the primary responsibilities that you held here. You could also include details about the duration for which you worked in the former companies and list down your responsibilities in each firm in bullet points.
D) Mentions Details About Your Education
In this section, you need to mention everything about your educational qualifications starting from the latest. So mention your degree in the reverse order with the most recent education showing first. You do not need to include your high school grades here unless you have still not graduated from college. Most of the business analysts would have a bachelor’s degree and must have some certifications. This is where you need to list them all.
If you have done several courses then make sure to mention details about the certifying body or the school, the year you attended the training, and your GPA. You need to make a separate entry for each of the institutions.
Conclusion
If the company accepts resumes through an online application then you may not have a lot of control over the format as well as on its appearance. However, if you can submit the resume as a document, then it pays to work on its look to make it impressive.
It is important to keep the font size readable and not distracting. You should be consistent with the usage of font. You can also use different font colors to highlight some specific information. Try to not overuse the colors.
You should go through various business analyst resume sample to understand what the recruiter would expect out of a business analyst resume. However, make sure to understand that someone who has been in the workforce for over 10 years would have a lengthy resume which is not the case for someone who is just starting in this field. The idea is to include all the details in short so that you do not sacrifice the readability but at the same time include everything that you wish the recruiter to know about you.
If you are interested in making it big in the world of data and evolve as a Future Leader, you may consider our Business Analyst Training, a 10-month online program, in collaboration with IIM Indore!
