One of the common questions that is often asked for junior or aspiring junior business analyst: how I should write my junior business analyst resume / business analyst curriculum vitae (CV) when I only have a few years’ experience or experience gathered from a different role.
You may be writing the junior business analyst resume / business analyst resume for an opportunity in a new company; or seeking to get promoted or transferred into a business analysis role within your existing organisation.
You may be simply motivated to secure a well-paying business analyst role with a leading employer or getting your junior business analyst CV/resume noticed by recruiters / hiring managers to let them know that you’re the perfect candidate for their team and project.
This article provides some guidance that has helped junior or aspiring business analyst to get their entry level business analyst resume noticed and get called shortlisted for an interview for junior business analyst jobs.
Table of Contents
Identify Transferable Skills
If you have some work experience you will probably have developed some skills that are relatable to business analysis that you can identify and include on your junior business analyst resume / business analyst resume.
It’s worth reflecting back on your roles and see whether you have had any exposure to customers or stakeholders for example; or perhaps you have had to conduct interviews with stakeholders.
You should also consider experiences outside of work such as being involved in voluntary organisations, such as charity or helping out in youth clubs or sports. Sometimes, in these situations you have had to organise games or events; or see situations from other people’s perspectives or come-up with suggestions or recommendations.
When describing your experiences, it is helpful to use industry-standard terminology to describe these experiences on your resume from a business analysis perspective. For example, your relatable skills may fall under some categories (tools and techniques) of business analysis such as:
- Investigation – uncovering problems and issues;
- Considering perspective – uncovering inconsistencies, hidden agendas;
- Analysing needs – understanding the current situation and desired situations;
- Requirements elicitation and analysis – requirements investigation, organising and prioritisation.
Transferable Business Analysis Skills – Investigation
Sometimes you may have been called to do some fact finding perhaps via interviews or questionnaires to gather some facts or opinions on how to improve a situation in a previous role or local youth club or charity event.
Transferable Business Analysis Skills – Considering Perspectives
Possibly in a previous role you may have had to seek consensus from a range of people (e.g. stakeholders) including canvasing people’s perspectives when organising an event.
Transferable Business Analysis Skills – Analysing Needs
Maybe you have had to identify the needs for a charity event or understand a particular process to determine how it could be improved or called upon to write-up a simple process flowchart.
Transferable Business Analysis Skills – Requirements Elicitation and Analysis
Perhaps you have to prioritise requirements for an event – such as how big should the venue be? What are the catering requirements? Consider the requirements of the presenters?
Whilst the examples above may seem simple, when considered in the context of business analysis; and the categories stated above, we start to see examples of how including some of these can help when relating experiences in your junior business analyst resume / business analyst resume.
Of course, on business analysis projects most of this would be done in the context of more complex situations. Highlighting roles that you have done so far before entering a “pure” business role will help put you in a better place when it comes to writing your CV/resume and eventually having an interview.
Highlight any Business or Domain Understanding
A certain aspects of business analysis is having business or domain understanding. Whilst, in-depth knowledge is not expected as a business analyst; as often the role involves working with subject matter experts (SME). Having a general understanding of the business or domain can give you an advantage in some industries such as finance. So, highlight any areas where you have some useful business or domain knowledge.
Highlight any Technical Understanding
If you have been involved in software development in a role such as a developer or tester you probably have a general idea of what a business analyst does so you could be in a position to close the gap of transitioning by highlighting experiences that you have had for example as a tester you may have been involved in reviewing requirements or acceptance criteria; helping determine whether alternative scenarios had been considered for a piece of functionality.
As a developer you probably identify with the value of having clear requirements. So, in these situations it is important to reflect on the BA experience that you may already have or been exposed too. Take opportunities to ask the business analyst questions or help with producing or reviewing some of the artefacts.
Highlight any Junior Business Analysis Experience
If you have some exposure to business analysis perhaps one or two years then it is best to list or call out the tools and techniques
that you have used. There is no point listing tools and techniques that you have not used as most employers appreciate that in one to two years that you could not learn everything, and that it takes time.
Transitioning to a Business Analyst Role from a non-IT Background
If you have a non-information technology (IT) background then there may be some tasks that you undertake in your role such as run meetings, working with stakeholders or seeking clarity by asking the right questions that are transferable to the role of a business analyst. This may require you to give this some thought and reflect back of what your current role entails or what experience you have picked during your working career or even volunteering experience that you can leverage as relatable experience.
Use Business Analysis Terminology to Demonstrate Your Capabilities
When it comes to recruiters if you use the right terminology (for business analysis) to talk about your experiences, you are more likely to hear back from recruiters compared to someone who is not using the right terminology. But always remember to only describe or list items that you are comfortable to explain if you get called up for an interview. It is always best to be honest when it comes to interviews.
Professional Development
Some hiring managers will look for candidates with a growth mindset, i.e. someone who is willing to learn and has demonstrated this throughout their career, even if it’s limited by the number of years worked. These days, it is important that you demonstrate this to help you differentiate yourself against other candidates. As a business analyst, the role is constantly evolving and the number of tools and techniques is constantly growing as new ways of working get introduced.
Remember that this professional development can be formalised, such as taking a certification; but it can only be obtained from reading books, listening to podcasts or attending business analysis conferences for example. So, if you become a life-long learner – who will do well in business analysis; you will also help differentiate yourself against other potential candidates by having more up-to-date knowledge.
Business Analyst CV/Resume
Preparing the Business Analyst CV/Resume
It is important to tailor your junior business analyst resume / business analyst CV to the role that you are applying for. Remember, the potential employer, recruiter or hiring manager is likely to see a large volume of CVs/resumes, and initially your aim is to get past the first round of assessment. This is true especially if you are a junior business analyst.
Research about the role as you can in advance by thoroughly reading the job description and gaining any other general industry insight.
Highlight any experience you have had working on projects that are relevant to the role that you are applying for.
Highlight the tools and techniques that you may have used in a previous role or have experience in from a different role and use your CV/resume as an opportunity to show the positive outcomes that you were able to achieve.
Many jobs publish a job description and perhaps also a person specific specification. These documents are incredibly useful. Use these to tailor your CV/resume – this could be considered as a type of mapping exercise. The more of the hiring manager’s requirements that you can confidently satisfy, the more likely you are to get an interview (and ultimately the job itself too).
Views over the length of a CV/resume vary significantly between organisations, industries and cultures. Recruiting managers generally expect slightly longer CVs from BA candidates compared with some other disciplines, as they are keen to see a history of project experience.
A general guide is that brevity with precision is highly likely to be appreciated by hiring managers. If you can keep your CV/resume concise yet precise, signposting the key skills that are most relevant to the role you are applying for, this is likely to stand you in good stead.
A business analyst’s CV/resume should represent their logical thinking, detailed analysis and ability to present clearly and concisely.
If you have a mentor or trusted colleague get them to do a peer review to get feedback on your CV/resume. Most recruiters will give feedback on your CV/resume too – after all, it is in their best interests for you to get the role!
Structure of your Business Analyst CV/Resume
Spend some time structuring the junior business analyst resume / business analyst CV/resume in a clear and concise fashion. Most employers will be keen to see that the business analyst can structure documents clearly and concise.
Once you have a solid format for your CV/resume, you should split your CV/resume up into the following major sections to provide hiring managers with the info they want.
- Name and contact details;
- CV/resume profile – introductory paragraph;
- Core skills section – bullet pointed in-demand skills;
- Work experience – previous roles;
- Education and qualifications;
- Hobbies (optional).
One of the clearest ways to order the information is to outline the objectives of the project, what the day-to-day duties were on the project and finally the key achievements or deliverables of the individual. Do not generalise, the potential employer wants to know that the business analyst knows what they did and what part they played in the delivery.
The foundations of any good CV/resume are its format and structure. They provide the document with a professional layout and allow the CV/resume to be easily navigated by busy recruiters and hiring managers.
For example:
(Job Title) Junior Business Analyst
(Organisation) ABCZYZ Company
(Dates) DD/MM/YYYY – DD/MM/YYYY
In this section write details of the project and what the deliverables were (without going into too much confidential business detail).
Highlight Duties of Your Business Analyst Role
- Outline role that you played from the perspective of business analysis in the project;
- This demonstrates their awareness of the business analyst role;
- Remember, that not every company gives a business analyst the same duties;
- It is important to highlight what you did (as oppose to the project);
- Provide context to the full project lifecycle where possible or a specific part.
Your Achievements
- This part only needs to be a few bullet points;
- Highlight what the business analyst delivered and how they made a difference.
This means you can be selectively honest about the skills and experience you include and emphasise in your CV, and you should organise your resume so that it presents your qualifications in the best possible way.
Formatting your Business Analyst CV/Resume
Providing documentation and presenting is a key part to a business analyst’s role. The format of the junior business analyst resume / business analyst CV is a tool to demonstrate this, therefore the formatting must be clear and consistent throughout the CV; a hiring project manager will spot inconstancies. In addition to this, clear formatting aids the hiring manager to scan the document quickly and pick out key points. All it takes is one look to determine whether it is really a contender.
Follow these formatting guidelines:
- Use a simple font to create a professional modern look and make the document easy to read;
- Colour scheme should be black text on a white background – again, simplicity and professionalism are important;
- The CV’s sections should be clearly divided with bold headings and borders – this makes it easy for recruiters to skim read and find key info;
- Don’t include a photograph – they take up too much space.
Business Language on your Business Analyst CV/Resume
The language needs to be specific and punchy in the CV/resume. When applying for a role it requires someone who can reflect business awareness. This can be demonstrated through use of language. The key is to give enough detail, but in a precise fashion.
Project related skills on your Business Analyst CV/Resume
Be sure to include any methodologies you have worked with such as agile or waterfall. This shows an awareness of the project lifecycle including how to run a project.
Vital Skills for your Junior Business Analyst Resume
Of course, every BA role will be different, but here are some core BA skills that you probably need to consider getting into your junior business analyst resume / business analyst CV/resume.
- Requirements gathering;
- Documentation;
- Leading workshops;
- Data analysis;
- IT systems;
- Process improvement;
- UAT (user acceptance testing);
- Reporting;
- Stakeholder management.
Mention your Soft Skills
A successful business analyst needs much more than a knowledge of technology and how it maps to business activities. Instead, the most valuable skills are those people skills, such as communication, a clear writing style, the ability to sell a concept and a friendly disposition that makes people feel they can approach you. So, take the opportunity to include these in your junior business analyst resume / business analyst CV/resume also.
Seeking Further Assistance – Business Analysis Job Interview Preparation Program
If you are seeking further assistance you can undertake a short business analysis job interview preparation program that is designed to help all experience level business analysts be successful with finding their next business analysis role.
The training program includes business analysis cover letter example and techniques when it comes to how to write a very effective job application cover letter. You receive an example of such a BA job application cover letter with short tips to explain to you how you can also write highly effective cover letters that gets noticed straight away.
The training program also includes business analysis resume example and you receive an example of a very good business analysis resume example that includes short tips for how you can recreate this same successful format for your own BA resume.
This is a very comprehensive job interview preparation program to save yourself time and avoid making the same and often unnecessary mistakes during your next job interview. This test will build your confidence for the next interview.
Conclusions – Junior Business Analyst Resume
This article has provided guidance that has helped junior or aspiring business analyst to get their junior business analyst resume / business analyst CV’s/resume noticed and get called shortlisted for interviews and obtain suitable employment. As an aspiring or junior business analyst you will need to pay attention to identify transferable business analysis skills in your CV/resume that may have been obtained from a different relatable role or limited experience as a junior business analyst.
Take opportunities to highlight any industry business or domain understanding, e.g. finance or retail knowledge, as some industries prefer business analyst with domain knowledge. The guidance provided in this article to prepare, format and structure your junior business analyst resume / business analyst CV/resume, will help your CV/resume stand out and get noticed and seek-out the job opportunity that you desire.