Data Analyst Resume Sample

These days, all major companies, hospitals, and businesses have data analysts on the payroll. With the advent of streamlined database management software and the adoption of comprehensive data recording strategies, it is now commonplace for organizations in nearly every industry to employ teams of analysts to scour data for accuracy, patterns, and inconsistencies.

It is a fast growing field with many lucrative opportunities for those with the requisite skills and experience. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the number of analyst jobs in the United States will increase 19% by 2024.

People want to hire data analysts right now, as businesses have gotten wise to the potential benefits of quantitative data analysis and interpretation.

Despite the increasing demand, however, it can sometimes be hard to get your foot in the door. Below, we provide you with a sample resume and three tips that can get you started writing your own.

1. Write a Killer Data Analyst Resume Objective

It is part of a hiring manager’s job to sift through potentially dozens of resumes in order to identify a select few candidates to bring in for interviews.

Of course, there occasionally might be one or two resumes that immediately catch the eye with Ivy League credentials, years of experience, and top-notch skills, but most of the time, hiring managers are forced to choose between a handful that are more or less the same. So how do you set your resume apart from all the rest? Simple: by writing a great a resume objective.

A career objective (also known as a resume objective) is the first part of your resume a hiring manager sees after your name and contact info. It is a statement that describes how your experience, qualities, and attributes can contribute toward the position you’re applying for, as well as the goals of the company.

It is NOT a place for you to say why you want the job and what it will do for your career. This is a common misconception to do so, and if done can see your resume passed over in favor of another.

You want to seem confident, competent, and direct. Hiring managers read career objectives all the time, and it is easy for them to see through unusually complex sentence structures and vocabulary. Don’t try to fool anyone by being overly formal. Get to the point, be concise and clear, and provide important information only. You can do this by splitting your career objective into three sentences:

1. An introduction in which you outline your experience and the primary tasks you’ve performed
2. A clear statement about which position you are applying for, and how your relevant skills and experience will help you fulfill that role
3. A sentence describing how your education, certifications, and additional skills or achievements will bring success to your target company

This format works well because it gives the hiring manager a sneak peak of the information they are looking for when paging through resumes: your relevant experience, which job you are applying for, and why you would be a good fit at the company.

A well-written career objective using this format will have the hiring manager nodding along in approval. This will see you closer to getting an interview before he or she even gets to the rest of your resume.

Let’s take a look at the career objective from the sample resume above, sentence-by-sentence:

– Diligent Data Analyst with over 5 years of experience.

In this first sentence, the applicant clearly states his years of experience in the desired role. He also adds the buzzword “diligent” to the mix, giving the hiring manager an idea as to what kind of worker he is.

Buzzwords like these are great, but be careful, as some buzzwords are not appropriate for certain roles. The idea of a “creative” or “adventurous” data analyst does not exactly paint a picture of reliability and security, does it?

– Seeking an opportunity to leverage my diverse skills and experience in data mining and analysis into the open data analyst position at your company.

This second sentence is a very meaty one full of great content. Here, the applicant clearly states the job he is applying for, while also outlining his related skillset.

He also uses the verb “leverage”, which along with words like “apply”, “utilize”, and “employ”, really gives the impression of wanting to contribute to a greater cause. This is a sentiment that hiring managers love.

– A B.S. in Statistics from a top 50 university coupled with my ample experience in analytics will make me a positive asset to your organization.

In the last sentence, the applicant describes his education and experience, while subtly calling attention to the prestige of the university. The job seeker also makes the assertion that he will be able to contribute positively to the hiring company. This gives the impression that he is confident in his abilities and willing to work hard to prove himself to his employer.

While we recommend a three sentence structure, this is more of a guideline than a hard rule. If there’s no easy way to fit your information into three sentences, use four.

The most important thing is to show what you can bring and how you can benefit the hiring company. Doing so in a clear way will give you a leg up on other applicants.

2. Use Strong Action Verbs to Describe Professional Experiences

The professional experience section of your resume is a chance for you to use past employment experiences to let the hiring manager know about some of the successes you have had and what you’re capable of.

This is a place for you to make yourself look good. You can do this by starting your bullet points with strong action verbs. Generic words like “did”, “worked”, and “made” give very little indication as to what exactly you did, and will bore the hiring manager.

Veteran data analysts will have many quantifiable experiences from which to draw. Use this to your advantage by outlining each major duty and accomplishment with a strong action verb.

This will give the hiring manager the impression that you are a quick learner, multitalented, and able to fill a variety of roles. These are positive traits, and paint a picture of an applicant who can succeed working for any organization.

Let’s take a look at some of the bullets from the sample above:

– Conduct data mining and data modeling in coordination with finance department

Here, the applicant could easily have said “do data mining”, but he instead used “conduct”. It gives the statement more strength and authority.

– Identified unnecessary shipping costs, saving the company $865,000 annually

In this sentence, the applicant used “identified” when “found” could have been used. Again, “identified” is a much stronger verb and makes the applicant seem more professional. Additionally, he quantified this experience by providing a numerical figure in “$865,000”.

Quantifying your experiences gives you a leg up on other applicants because it shows the hiring manager that you are goal-oriented and pay attention to details. These traits are particularly important for data analysts.

When writing your resume, think carefully about what you did in your past and present jobs and see if you can replace any generic verbs with stronger ones that convey more meaning. Here are some such words that you may be able to use:

analyzed	assisted	briefed	collaborated
communicated	conducted	constructed	contributed
coordinated	created	developed	generated
identified	mined	modeled	monitored
optimized	performed	presented	tracked

 

3. Emphasize Your Related Skills

The skills required to succeed as a data analyst are not those held by most average people. While every career requires some combination of hard and soft skills, this position requires a good deal more hard skills than soft.

Hard skills are those that are teachable and can be quantified. Examples of hard skills are abilities with languages, software, hardware, and certain tools and equipment.

Soft skills reflect your personality, and help an employer tell if you’re a good fit for the company. Although they can be worked on or developed, by and large they are mostly innate. Some common soft skills include critical thinking, teamwork, communication, and punctuality.

Data analyst positions require a very particular set of hard skills, so these are the most important skills to put on your resume. Proficiency with database management software packages like MySQL, Oracle, Sybase, SAP, and Microsoft SQL Server should be cited front and center in your skills section.

Your prospective company most likely uses one of these, and it will be important for the hiring manager to know that you can handle the workload. Microsoft Excel is also very important for many in the field, with functions like VLOOKUP and PivotTables of particular importance.

Additionally, skills in computer programming, machine learning, advanced mathematics and statistics, Google Analytics, or data wrangling and visualization will look great on your resume. If you possess any of these skills, try to work them in.

You can emphasize your related skills by using phrases like “proficient with”, “mastery of”, “expertise in”, and “familiarity with”. Phrases like these show the hiring manager that you are confident in your abilities and serious about your skills.

Compare this with a resume that reads “good at Microsoft Excel”. Which way sounds more professional and competent? Which applicant would you be leaning towards for an interview? It’s often a numbers game, and framing your skills in just the right way may give you the chance you deserve.

If you need any further help, have a look at our resume builder to create a resume that hiring managers will be drooling over.

Also, a good resume needs a great cover letter to go with it. If you are not sure how to write one, check out our cover letter builder that will customize a cover letter for you based on your life situation.