Resources for Business Analysts

Author: Geri Schneider Winters

You need a resume when applying for a professional position such as Business Analyst. You do not have to list every possible job you have ever held in your resume. Rather, focus on the jobs that relate to the issues you addressed in your cover letter. Yes, I am suggesting you create a customized resume for each position, or type of position.

Those of us with many years’ experience often can do many different kinds of jobs. When you are applying for a particular kind of job, you will want to customize your cover letter and your resume for that kind of job. In this article, I am discussing a resume for a Business Analyst position. If you are applying for a Project Manager position, you would change the resume to be appropriate for that role. You want to focus the reader’s attention on what is relevant to the job you are applying for. This means for many highly skilled people, you will have multiple versions of your resume.

I have posted an example of a simple resume and a sample customization on my website at www.ResourcesForBusinessAnalysts.com.

Be sure you have contact information listed at the top of your resume. This should include name and address, telephone, and email. Make it easy for the reader to find this information.

Then summarize your strengths in a way that sells them to the reader. Make a bulleted list of what you are looking for and your strengths. These items should also relate to the issues addressed in your cover letter, but in a more general way. You might have something like this:
• Self-directed, industrious, grounded Business Analyst is seeking to develop other Business Analysts in a cutting edge IT department
• Likes working with a wide variety of people in a wide variety of situations
• Committed to helping others succeed
• Hands-on, practical, with broad experience on a wide variety of projects

Next will be your list of job experience. List the job and your position. Then make a bulleted list of specific things you did and the benefits this brought to the company. This should be something like this:

County Jail. Relationship Manager.
• Developed sensitivity program for guards and inmates for a 75% reduction in number of guard/inmate incidents
• Developed stress management program for staff for a 25% reduction in sick days

Then list relevant education, certificates, and awards. You can end with something like: References available upon request.

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Do you want to know more? Visit my website at www.ResourcesForBusinessAnalysts.com. Membership is free. In the “Become a Business Analyst” area, you can find the paper “Finding a Business Analyst Position”, which contains the full set of articles.

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* Article used with permission from Wyyzzk, Inc.’s Resources for Business Analysts site at http://www.ResourcesForBusinessAnalysts.com This website of reports and tips contains information to help you succeed as a Business Analyst in IT.

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