Check your business analyst CV against the job advert
Business analyst adverts look for evidence that you turn messy problems into clear requirements that a team can build. Show the method and the outcome.
Start with your advert
Every business analyst advert is different. The list below is what adverts for this job usually ask for, not what yours does. So start with your advert:
- Read the advert and copy out every "must have" or "essential" line, then the "desirable" ones.
- For each one, find the line in your CV that proves it. If you can't point to a line, that's a gap.
- Fill the gap with something true: a duty, a setting, a qualification or a result you really have. If you don't have it, say what you have that's closest, or leave it out.
Our guide to matching your CV to a job description goes through this in more detail.
What business analyst adverts usually ask for
Requirements and user stories
Why they askGathering and writing requirements is the core of the role.
How to show itSay how you gathered them and in what form.
Example lines: fill the gaps with your own facts- Gathered requirements from [stakeholders] through [workshops / interviews] and wrote [user stories / specifications] with acceptance criteria.
Process mapping
Why they askAdverts often ask for current and future state process mapping.
How to show itName the method or tool.
Example lines: fill the gaps with your own facts- Mapped [process] as-is and to-be using [BPMN / Visio / other tool], identifying [what you found].
Stakeholder management
Why they askBAs work between users, managers and developers.
How to show itDescribe the range of people you worked with.
Example lines: fill the gaps with your own facts- Worked with [teams or roles] to agree priorities for [project].
Agile or Waterfall delivery
Why they askAdverts name the delivery method and often tools like Jira and Confluence.
How to show itSay how you worked and with which tools.
Example lines: fill the gaps with your own facts- Worked in [Scrum / Kanban / Waterfall] teams, managing the backlog in [Jira] and documentation in [Confluence].
Certifications
Why they askSome adverts ask for a BCS or IIBA certificate.
How to show itList with year.
Example lines: fill the gaps with your own facts- [BCS / IIBA certificate name], [year].
Only use a line if it's true for you. Swap each [gap] for your own detail: the setting, the number, the tool or the result. If you can't fill a gap honestly, cut that part of the line.
Mistakes that cost business analyst applications
- Projects described with no sign of what you did on them.
- No outcome: what changed because of your analysis.
Questions
How do I move into business analysis?
Look for times you gathered needs, improved a process or explained a system to colleagues. Those are BA tasks, whatever your title was.