Analyst Resume: Sample & Guide [Entry Level + Senior Jobs]

Did you know that the average corporate job opening attracts approximately 250 applications? 

Ouch. 

You don’t need predictive modeling to determine that the odds of getting called in for an interview are in the extremely low range. This explains why months of job hunting bring no effects, right? 

But don’t worry—

With just a few strategic changes to your analyst resume, you can beat the odds and land that all-important interview. 

We’ve already crunched the numbers and extrapolated actionable insights. All you have to do is implement them on your analyst resume and watch your ROI increase! 

This guide will show you: 

• An analyst resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write an analyst resume that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on an analyst resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for an analyst to get any job you want.

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Considering applying for similar jobs? Check out these guides: 

• Business Analyst Resume Sample
• Entry Level Business Analyst Resume Sample
• Data Analyst Resume Sample
• Business Intelligence (BI) Analyst Resume Sample
• Financial Analyst Resume Sample
• System Analyst Resume Sample
• Budget Analyst Resume Sample
• Credit Analyst Resume Sample
• Marketing Analyst Resume Sample
• Data Scientist Resume Sample
• Computer Science Resume Sample
• Data Engineer Resume Sample
• Bioinformatics Resume Sample
• SQL Developer Resume Sample
• SSRS Developer Resume Sample
• Market Research Resume Sample
• Best Resume Examples for Any Profession

Analyst Resume Sample

Here’s how to write a job-winning analyst resume: 

1. Start With the Right Format for an Analyst Resume

It doesn’t matter whether you’re applying for a data analyst, financial analyst, or business analyst job. Your resume won’t get you anywhere if it looks like a collection of unstructured qualitative data. 

So, the first thing to do is to pick the best resume format to present your skills and expertise in an accessible way. The reverse-chronological format is the ideal choice for an analyst resume: it highlights your biggest accomplishments and is easy to navigate. 

Structure your resume using distinct sections, each marked with a clear heading. Make sure to include the following resume parts, in this order: 

• Resume header: your contact information. Add your full name, job title, telephone number, and email address. If you want, include relevant social media—and bear in mind that the recruiter will probably look you up online anyway. 
• Resume profile: an introduction containing topline insights from your career and experience. 
• Work experience: details of your best on-the-job achievements. 
• Education section: your relevant schooling and academic accomplishments. 
• Skills: a list of the skills and proficiencies that make you an efficient analyst. 
• Other sections: certifications, awards, memberships, and anything else to give you an edge over the competition. 

Okay—

Now that we’ve got our datasets neatly organized, it’s time to think about visualization. 

Here’s how to format your analyst resume: 

• Pick an ATS-compliant resume template. Chances are that the company will use an automated solution to run a query on your resume—and if the Applicant Tracking System can’t make sense of your document, your application will be instantly rejected. 
• Set your resume margins to 1 inch all the way around the page, and the line spacing to 1–1.15. 
• Choose a professional resume font like Calibri or Cambria. Set a font size that’s compact but easily readable: 11–12p for the body and 13–14p for the headings should work just fine. 
• Include plenty of white space, especially between resume sections. 
• Stick to the right resume length. If you’ve been working as an analyst for a few years and have lots of achievements to share, aim for a two-page resume. One-page resumes are the best choice for less experienced candidates. 

When you’re done, save your analyst resume as a PDF, but keep a Word Doc on hand in case the recruiter asks for a .docx. 

Is your resume formatting still a problem domain? Read more: Organizing a Resume: How to Choose the Best Structure

Ready to start reporting on your findings? 

Don’t worry about your resume profile for now—we’ll come back to it at the end. For now, let’s tackle the next section down: your work experience. 

2. Build a Strong Experience Section for Your Analyst Resume

On a generic resume, the work experience section is where you’d list your duties and responsibilities from previous jobs. 

But you’re not writing a generic resume—you’re writing an analyst resume that’s guaranteed to stand out from the crowd and land you an interview. So—

Here’s how to create a job-winning work experience section: 

• List your work history, starting with the most recent or current position. For each entry, include your job title, the name of the company, and the years you’ve worked there. 
• (Optional) Add a one-sentence description of the company or your position. 
• Write a few bullet points for each job, focusing on your professional accomplishments rather than on your assigned duties. 
• Use up to 6 bullet points for your most recent position and include less information about previous jobs. 
• Start each bullet point with an action verb for maximum impact and quantify your achievements whenever possible. 
• Make use of the PAR (Problem-Action-Result) formula when structuring your bullet points. 
• (Optional) Pick a Key Achievement for each job and highlight it at the end of the entry. 

Time for a proof of concept: 

Analyst Resume Examples [Work Experience]

Now that’s a serious outlier! 0 out of 100 recruiters would remain indifferent to this kind of data, presented in an organized, efficient way. 

Here’s another example for gap analysis: 

This resume is the D in CRUD. Notice that both examples come from the same candidate: it’s all in the way that her experience is presented. 

In the first example, the action verbs highlight her ability to take initiative and be the driving force behind positive change. Meanwhile, the bad resume example shows a complete detachment from the job and zero measurable results. 

Let’s take a look at examples for entry-level candidates: 

Entry Level Analyst Resume Examples [Work Experience]

Admit it. You’d hire this candidate, wouldn’t you? 

Quantifying achievements and highlighting key skills go a long way towards making your resume look less like Python and more like a Tableau graph. 

It’s not a terrible example, it’s just okay. But to get the job, you need to aim much higher than just okay—and as the correct example above shows, the same work experience can be made to look so much better. 

Need more data? See: The Ultimate Guide to Resume Work Experience

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

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3. Make Your Education Section Stand Out

If you’ve been cleaning raw data and forecasting industry trends for a few years, adding education to your resume will only take a minute. Simply list your degree, including the name of the college and your years of study. 

Like so: 

Analyst Resume Sample [Education]

See? In just a few words and numbers, this candidate shows the recruiter that they’re achievement-oriented and highly motivated. 

If you have fewer than 5 years of industry experience, use your education section to its full capacity. Include some bullet points with: 

• Awards and other academic achievements
• Relevant coursework
• Resume-worthy extracurricular activities
• Academic projects suitable for a resume

Also, include your GPA on a resume only if it was 3.5 or above. 

Entry Level Analyst Resume Template [Education]

See how this candidate used their education section to drop in a few key professional skills, like predictive analytics and R? 

Notice that they don’t even mention their GPA! This example is both selective and persuasive—and that’s exactly what we’re aiming for. 

Are your minors and majors worth extrapolating? Read more: How to List Minors and Majors on a Resume: Guide and Examples

4. List the Right Skills on Your Analyst Resume

The skills section of your resume is an opportunity to present the recruiter with the LE of your best analyst skills, as well as score a few points on resume keywords. 

Here’s how to add skills to your resume: 

• Make a master list of your hard and soft skills, as well as technical skills. 
• Run text analysis on the job ad and extract the main keywords. What skills is the company looking for? Write them down. 
• Compare the two columns and highlight matches. Those are going on your resume! 

Here are some popular analyst resume skills to get you started: 

Analyst Skills for a Resume

Soft Skills for an Analyst Resume

• Communication
• Active listening
• Problem-solving
• Detail-oriented
• Teamwork
• Active learning
• Adaptability
• Interpersonal skills
• Time management
• Creative thinking skills
• Critical thinking skills

Hard Skills for an Analyst Resume

• Data analysis
• Data visualization
• Analytical skills
• Presentation skills
• Project management
• Agile Methodologies
• Kanban
• Scrum

Technical Skills for an Analyst Resume

• Computer skills
• MS Office
• Qlik Sense
• HIVE
• Query building
• SAS BA
• R
• Stata
• Python
• Tableau
• Power BI
• Alteryx
• Adobe Analytics
• Google Analytics
• Splunk

Whew! 

That’s a lot of skills to choose from, and if you look back over your experience, you can probably think of even more. 

Now, here’s how to input them into the right cells: 

Analyst Resume Example [Skills]

If you’re an experienced analyst, you may have trouble deciding on just ten skills to include here. Don’t worry—

Keep a backlog of your excess skills and mention them in other sections of your resume, such as your summary or work experience. 

Need a bigger sample size? See: The Ultimate List of Resume Skills: 99+ Examples

5. Add Other Sections to Your Analyst Resume

Do you have any professional certifications, awards, memberships, or other industry experience? Give them a few rows of their own! 

Here’s what you could add to your analyst resume: 

1. Resume Licenses and Certifications, such as: 

• Software certifications, like the Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel Associate Certification or Splunk Core Certified User. 
• Agile Methodology certifications, like the Scrum with Kanban Certification. 
• Certifications specific to your industry niche, like CBAP, CAP, or CFA. 

2. Volunteer work, all the more important in today’s world of corporate social responsibility. 

3. Memberships in industry-related organizations such as the IIBA. 

4. Languages, including your proficiency level, e.g. French - Fluent; German - Conversational. 

5. Hobbies and interests, especially if they’re in some way relevant to your industry or the company’s profile. 

Here’s an example: 

Analyst Resume Templates [Other Sections]

Not sure about the right order for your resume sections? Read more: A Complete Guide to Resume Sections and Categories

6. Write an Analyst Resume Summary or Resume Objective

Unless you’re applying to Oppenheimer & Co., the hiring manager probably doesn’t have your analytical skills (or the time to use them). This means that if they can’t see value in your resume in the first 6 seconds, they’ll delete it and move on. So—

It’s time to do what you do best: analyze your resume, extract key insights, and present them to the recruiter in a resume profile they can’t ignore. 

Your resume profile should appear at the top of the page, just below the header. It’s essentially a brief introduction highlighting your best achievements and relevant skills, intended to grab the recruiter’s attention. 

There are two types of resume profiles to choose from: 

• Analyst career summary: used by professionals with several years of experience in the industry. 
• Analyst career objective: an alternative for entry-level candidates and career change resumes. Pick an objective if you’re writing a resume with no work experience. 

And here’s how to write a job-winning resume profile: 

• Start with an adjective, e.g. proven. 
• State your job title, e.g. data analyst.
• Add your years of experience if you’re writing a resume summary. 
• Mention one or two of your biggest professional accomplishments from previous jobs. If you’re writing a resume objective, you can focus on academic achievements or projects instead. 
• Include an offer tailored to the employer. For example, if you’re applying for a financial analyst position, you could offer to ...maximize profits for [company name] through accurate, reliable forecasting. 
• Weave in a few of your key skills that also appear in the job ad. 

That’s our raw data, cleaned and ready for analysis. Let’s see how it performs: 

Analyst Resume Summary Examples

Well—

This person can already clean out her desk at GFK Store, because GTT Solutions is getting ready to offer her an interview. Who could say no to those sweet, sweet numbers? 

Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum: 

Unfavorable variance alert. 

This summary is all statement and no proof—and it’s far too generic, failing to target the specific company. The candidate mentions all the right skills, but without putting them into the context of examples from her experience. 

Now for some entry-level examples: 

Analyst Resume Objective Examples

Oh, to be young and enthusiastic! 

What this person lacks in experience, he makes up in dedication and eagerness to prove his skills. Your attitude is surprisingly important when it comes to job hunting: studies suggest that in the U.S., candidates who show enthusiasm have a higher chance of getting hired. 

So, that’s our benchmark. Let’s take a look at an objective that doesn’t quite measure up: 

...a prime example of how just saying you’re passionate doesn’t necessarily show you’re passionate. His biggest mistake? The final sentence: showing zero interest in the company he’s applying to. 

So—

As you can see from the correct examples, you don’t need to have Warren Buffett’s level of experience to write a job-winning resume profile. All it takes is the right presentation of your value to the new employer. 

Writing your resume profile can be tough. Need extra advice? Read more: How to Write the Perfect Resume Introduction: Guide & Examples

7. Attach an Analyst Cover Letter With Your Resume

Yeah. 

Sorry to break this to you, but you’re going to need a cover letter. Why? Well—

According to our HR statistics, there’s about a 45% chance your application will be instantly rejected if it’s missing a cover letter. And unless you can consult with Meredith Whitney ahead of time, that’s not a risk worth taking. 

So, here’s how to write the perfect cover letter: 

• Stick to the correct cover letter format. Make sure to address your cover letter in the proper fashion. 
• Use the appropriate cover letter salutation. In most cases, that would be Dear [Hiring Manager’s name]. Simple! 
• Start your cover letter with a couple of noteworthy achievements and tailor your opening paragraph to the company and the position. 
• Show your expertise and understanding of the role in the body of the letter. 
• End your cover letter on an offer and a call to action. 

Remember, you’re not writing a quarterly revenue report: stick to the ideal cover letter length of up to one page. 

Read more: What to Say in Your Cover Letter

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key Takeaway

Here’s a recap of how to write an analyst resume: 

• Use the right formatting and template for your analyst resume. 
• Start with your work experience section and focus on measurable results. 
• Show off your academic achievements in the perfect education section. 
• INDEX your professional skills and MATCH them to the job ad. 
• Include a couple of additional sections. 
• Visualize your best data in a resume summary or resume objective. 
• Attach a cover letter to complete the pie chart. 

And that’s it! 

Thanks for reading! Now, we’d love to hear from you: 

• What’s the most challenging part of writing an analyst resume? 
• Is it difficult to find a balance between soft and hard skills to mention in your application? 
• Did you have any trouble quantifying your achievements as an analyst? 

Drop us a line in the comments below!