Our world is swamped with data.
But we don’t have enough skilled personnel to help us make sense of it all.
If you want to be a data analyst, then that’s good news for you
Because it’s one of the most in-demand jobs around today.
The World Economic Forum’s 2018 Future of Jobs Report highlighted a growing need for data analysts and predicted these roles – and those of scientists, app and software developers – will experience increasing demand up to 2023.
But what do data analysts do?
- Providing expertise in data storage structures, data mining, and data cleansing
- Translating numbers and facts to inform strategic business decisions
- Analyzing sales figures, market research, logistics, or transport data
- Creating and following processes to keep data confidential
- Coming up with solutions to costly business problems
Knowing what’s likely to pop up in job advertisements for data analysts doesn’t change the fact that writing a resume can be a challenge. And that’s where this guide comes in.
We’re going to run you through:
- How to present your contact information
- How to write a strong resume summary
- The 35 must-include skills for data analysts
- Highlighting your achievements as a data analyst
Let’s look at Lilibeth Andrada’s Novorésumé-created example throughout this guide.
Data Analyst Resume Sample
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1. How to Present Your Contact Information
Resumes used to include someone’s full address, but that’s no longer the case.
It’s fine to include just your city and region instead of your full address.
Look at what Lilibeth does.
She gives potential employers her email address and phone number and includes her LinkedIn and GitHub profiles.
This is a good approach because the LinkedIn profile will allow any non-engineering hiring managers to get a sense of her broader skills and career history, while the GitHub profile will showcase her technical expertise and any past projects or repositories she has worked on.
2. How to Write a Great Data Analyst Resume Summary
Let’s talk about the key content of your resume now.
And again, let’s use Lilibeth’s resume as we do this.
Her resume summary is short, positive, and clear. Resume summaries are a key part of your entire resume – because they’re often the first thing hiring managers read.
“Lilibeth’s elevator pitch explains how she is driven, team-oriented and responsible – key character traits in a role where you’ll need to work well with people and ensure that data is gathered and used honestly and accurately.”
Think of your own resume summary as an “elevator pitch” about who you are and what you do.
Here’s a good and bad example to help you out.
- Thorough and meticulous Data Analyst passionate about helping businesses succeed. Former small business owner and recipient of an MBA. Possessing strong technical skills rooted in substantial training as an engineer.
- I am an enthusiastic Data Analyst with a long history of being interested in math and science. I was the accountant for a friend’s lemonade stand in the third grade. Since then, I’ve gone on to do fundraising for the high school drama club and got an internship at a company owned by my mother’s friend.
3. The 35 Must-include Skills for Data Analysts
Character and past work experience count – but your skills are just as important.
Since Data Analysis is a highly technical job, be sure to include technical skills, and consider a more general skills section. Do you have any of the skills below? And if you do, which ones are most relevant for the job you’re applying for?
- Math (statistics and probability)
- Logic and analysis
- Relational databases (MySQL)
- Problem-solving and troubleshooting
- Pattern and trend identification
- Data mining and data QA
- Database design and management
- SharePoint and advanced Microsoft Excel functions
- Tableau and Qlik
- Business intelligence (BI)
- Programming languages
- Risk management
- System administration
- Quantitative methods
- Data warehousing
- Regression analysis
- Data science research methods
- Experimental design & analysis
- Tech support
- Survey creation
- Communication and public speaking
- Clear writing and report writing
- Critical thinking
- Attention to detail
- Risk assessment
- Training and instructing
- Reducing jargon
- Organization
- Teamwork & collaboration
- Creativity
- Leadership
- Project management
- Decision-making
- Time management
- Efficiency
4. Highlighting Your Achievements as a Data Analyst
What about your Work Experience?
Most people list their responsibilities and duties here or even look up old job ads to copy and paste the information. Don’t do that. Instead, flip the work experience section on its head and write about what you’ve achieved – using specific outcomes and results.
- Completed market analysis, resulting in a 21% increase in sales.
- Used SPSS and MiniTab software to track and analyze data.
- Conducted research using focus groups on 3 different products and increased sales by 11% due to the findings.
- Spearheaded data flow improvement.
- Developed Key Performance Indicators to monitor sales and decreased costs by 17%.
So you should avoid explaining work experience in past roles like this:
- Did market analysis.
- Used computer programs to deal with data.
- Focus groups.
Lilibeth emphasizes her achievements by explaining how her high standards of data adherence at Dell led to her receiving an Employee of the Year award twice in a row. Think of your big contributions in past jobs as an individual contributor or team member.
Are you ready to create your data analyst resume now?
To prepare for your interview, you can check the following interview questions!
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