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How to construct an effective business analyst CV

Published on: 20 Aug 2024

Writing an effective business analyst CV is a crucial part of securing your next role and alerting recruiters and hiring managers to the fact that you’re open to a new job. As well as outlining your skills and experience, it should refer back to the job description to ensure you’re hitting the right notes.

This, along with your cover letter, is what will secure you a business analyst interview, so it’s important that you get it right. If it’s been a while since you last wrote a CV or this is your first time applying for business analyst jobs, here’s how to go about it.

Business analyst CV structure

How you structure your business analyst CV is crucial to ensuring it’s easy to read and shows you as a worthy and competent candidate. Start at the top with your personal information, followed by your opening statement. This should be concise, but contain the most important points you want to get across to a prospective employer.

When writing your CV, you should then detail your work history in reverse chronological order, outlining your key responsibilities in each role. Afterwards, add your education summary and the most important section of all, your skills and certifications, which will be particularly pertinent to the job.

Be sure to include any security clearances you have, as this will set you apart from other candidates. It may also mean you can apply for roles with higher business analyst salaries in sectors that handle sensitive or confidential information.

If you’re still wondering where to start, try looking at a business analyst CV example as a template. Once you have the basic structure nailed down, with your own personal information, years of experience and skills filled in, you can look at extras to set yourself apart from the crowd.

Which skills and qualifications will a business analyst employer be looking for?

Hiring managers will be scanning CVs to ensure applicants have all the important technical and soft skills required for the data analyst job. These include:

  • Problem solving
  • Data analysis
  • Negotiation
  • Project management
  • Business process management
  • Communication skills

Under the skills section, it’s worth highlighting any professional certifications you’ve achieved. These additional courses are a good way to ensure continued professional development and that your business analysis techniques and methodologies are in line with the latest best practices. 

Consider the Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) certification or a qualification from the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA). There are different levels you can complete depending on where you are in your career and the types of business analyst jobs you’re looking for.