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Business analyst skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

6 min read

Quoted experts

Michael McLaughlin,

Hanna Kim Ph.D.

Some of the most crucial hard skills a business analyst can demonstrate include technical writing skills and software development. Technical writing skills for an analyst may include tasks such as documentation, developing test scripts, and improving user interface. Uses of processes such as scrum and JIRA are also essential hard skills for a business analyst.

When it comes to soft skills for a business analyst, some of the most important ones include communication and expertise in subject matter. Business analysts should demonstrate both excellent verbal communication and strong listening skills. It is also important for analysts to show a mastery of their chosen methods of analysis.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical business analyst skills. We ranked the top skills for business analysts based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 6.5% of business analyst resumes contained project management as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a business analyst needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 business analyst skills for your resume and career

1. Project Management

Here's how business analysts use project management:

Added value to company providing services to both enterprise and government organizations through utilization of both financial and project management skills.
Partnered with project management manager in information gathering, analyzing the information gathered and documenting the functional or business requirements.

2. Data Analysis

Here's how business analysts use data analysis:

Utilized data analysis to explain business issues and financial implications, recommended improvements to enable business units to improve processes.
Performed data analysis using SQL developer and Hyperion Oracle Studio and reporting on data discrepancies and reported to internal Auditors.

3. Business Analysis

Here's how business analysts use business analysis:

Perform critical business analysis in areas of operations and revenue cycle management, made recommendations to management and secured project approval.
Led the business analysis charge by gathering business requirements, analyzing data, and drawing actionable conclusions leading to improved operations.

4. User Stories

Here's how business analysts use user stories:

Implemented MyPortal relaunch project with reinvigorated websites and digital assets and content using agile methodology with 300 developed user stories.
Documented Technical/Functional Requirement Document for design team to design the application based on the requirements based on User Stories.

5. User Acceptance

Here's how business analysts use user acceptance:

Created user acceptance test scripts in validated quality management testing system and facilitated testing sessions for various sized system deployments.
Performed analysis and assisted in the preparation of the business requirements, functional requirements and user acceptance test plan documents.

6. Test Cases

Here's how business analysts use test cases:

Provided clear and concise documentation regarding requirements management plans, Functional Requirements, supplemental Requirements, Test Plans and Test Cases.
Coordinate development and execution of business acceptance test cases for implementation of additional banks to incoming money processes.

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7. Scrum

Scrum is a lean structure for communicating, designing, and promoting complex products, with a focus on programming development. It has been applied to a variety of areas, including manufacturing, testing, new technology, and marketing techniques. Scrum is a simple framework that helps people, organizations, and teams generate value by providing many solutions to complicated problems.

Here's how business analysts use scrum:

Developed detailed project schedules and milestones based on business objectives and timing requirements utilized Agile SCRUM process and managed project artifacts.
Conducted business user interviews, both in-house and third-party locations, gathering and analyzing requirements using Agile Scrum methodology.

8. Strong Analytical

Here's how business analysts use strong analytical:

Applied strong analytical and product management skills to interpret customer business needs and translate them into application and operational requirements.
Utilized strong analytical ability to elicit and document functional and non-functional requirements and their impact to business objectives.

9. SDLC

Here's how business analysts use sdlc:

Performed system enhancement and maintenance project documentation, through entire SDLC process including testing, use case preparation and implementation.
Worked alongside Program and Release Management to support projects/programs through all phases of SDLC including post-production maintenance activities.

10. Jira

Here's how business analysts use jira:

Managed both functional and non-functional Business Requirements as well as new requested requirements using JIRA.
Lead functional testing and communicated defects and possible enhancements utilizing JIRA to the developer.

11. QA

QA, or Quality Assurance is a procedure that entails all of the steps taken to avoid any errors in the manufacturing process or in the production of the goods that a company produces. It can also include ensuring the consistency of the services rendered. Quality assurance ensures that the quality of the service delivered to consumers meets or exceeds the promised expectations. This greatly aids in the prevention of any complications that might arise after the goods or services have been distributed. It makes sure that customers are satisfied.

Here's how business analysts use qa:

Monitored performance against project baseline by performing QA Testing and documented and discussed QA test results with developers and business units.
Helped the QA team to devise the test plan for the application by explaining the vision document and the business case.

12. SQL Server

Here's how business analysts use sql server:

Created SQL Server reporting to give FileBank management concise views of customer data configurations.
Validated Risk Monitoring environments from legacy system against SQL Server 2005 data migration.

13. UAT

UAT stands for user acceptance testing, and it is the last phase in the software testing process that determines whether the software is fit for the purpose it was built or not. UAT checks two main things; whether the software fulfills the business requirements and can it be used by the end-users. It is the final and most critical step in the testing stages and it determines whether the software should be introduced in the market or not.

Here's how business analysts use uat:

Conducted UAT testing successfully and actively involved in interaction with the business users and getting business sign-off.
Executed documentation required for implementing changes per functional departmental requirements, including UAT.

14. Power Bi

Here's how business analysts use power bi:

Build the strategic dashboard using Power BI to build the forecasting target and the sales strategy to achieve the goals.
Created reporting solutions in Excel and Power BI that sourced data from SQL data sources using complex queries.

15. Subject Matter Experts

Here's how business analysts use subject matter experts:

Author Business Requirement Document; assist in planning/facilitating meetings with executive sponsors, subject matter experts, and other key stakeholders.
Conduct discovery meetings with Marketing and other business teams/subject matter experts across the globe and document business process and functional requirements.

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What skills help Business Analysts find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on business analyst resumes?

Michael McLaughlin

Faculty, Brigham Young University - Idaho

The ability to solve unstructured problems.

What hard/technical skills are most important for business analysts?

Hanna Kim Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Chair, Adelphi University

Hard skills: being more than monolingual! In a globally connected marketplace where young people worldwide are learning and mastering the English language, their multilingualism makes them attractive hires for multinational or international companies. Anthropology students know the non-negotiable importance of knowing a fieldwork language to understand peoples and their cultures. The same would hold for the workplace: knowing one or more languages affords an employee not just possibilities for work assignments: such an employee, i.e., an anthropology graduate who values the connection of language and culture, is ideally suited to work on projects that demand sensitivity to cultural, social, historical, and political nuances. This includes those who work in international humanitarian groups as well as those who work in global finance.

What soft skills should all business analysts possess?

Van Wood Ph.D.

Philip Morris Endowed Chair in International Business, Director - VCU Center for International Business Advancement (CIBA), Professor of International Marketing, Virginia Commonwealth University

The most important key to success in business (global or domestic) lies in building relationships (with consumers, allies, government agents, suppliers, and others) based on trust, mutual respect, and a keen understanding of the motivations behind stakeholders' actions. What do they value, what turns on their after-burners and what cultural realities most influence stakeholders' behavior? Successful international business professionals tend to demonstrate a keen sense of curiosity, creativity, adventure, problem-solving alternatives and are driven to continuously upgrade their education and learning about our changing global business environment.

What business analyst skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

A.J. Arreguin

Professor, Our Lady of the Lake University

The best thing for a student/graduate to do, if they're taking a gap year, would be to continue to enhance their skills in social media, marketing, and public relation writing by implementing practices to show progression in communicative methods when marketing a product/service/event or get a positive response/feedback to a well-organized campaign.

Students should volunteer with small/local businesses or create their brand (start a blog or become a niche social media influencer) to practice and build on their experience. Once the student/graduate does that, they should keep a weekly log with analytics to help them understand how to improve moving forward. This will be beneficial when applying for a communication/public relations job during an interview. The degree gets the student/graduate the talk, but the experience lands them the job.

What type of skills will young business analysts need?

Missy Gutkowski

Assistant Dean, Bucknell University

As remote and flexible work continues to penetrate industries across the country, daily office check-in conversations and hallway chatter are rare. New employees should be prepared to bring to the table analytical skills to gather, review, and synthesize information for further review, clarification, and report outs.

New employees should be prepared to communicate well and often, not only expressing expectations of what they need to complete their work but also to frequently updating supervisors and coworkers. Quickly learning the communication preferences and style of a supervisor and organization will set a new employee up for success in any industry.

What technical skills for a business analyst stand out to employers?

Janos Fustos Ph.D.

Professor, Metropolitan State University of Denver

These days - since we went to the home office - everybody is looking for solutions that gives more and better support to remote workers. Organizations are looking for options where they can connect back to the organizations'' networks to complete their work. But that means much more work for the IT folks to make that happen and do that safely and securely. That means they are looking for individuals with technical skills that are in or closely related fields: security engineers and analysts, business analysts, data administrators, cloud service operators, network specialists etc.

Also, employers are looking for more experienced professional who can hit the ground running because their needs are more pressing and immediate, so they do not have too much time for training and education. But they are also looking for trainers to better educate users about their working environments and the changing working conditions. Users have to rely a bit more on these trainings because they cannot enjoy the immediate and direct IT support in their homes. In addition to that (or to extend that) helpdesk people are also in high demand who have the technical and also the people's skills to troubleshoot the problems that occur in highly uncertain and diverse environments.

Do you want to know more?

List of business analyst skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a business analyst resume and required skills for a business analyst to have include:

Project Management
Data Analysis
Business Analysis
User Stories
User Acceptance
Test Cases
Scrum
Strong Analytical
SDLC
Jira
QA
SQL Server
UAT
Power Bi
Subject Matter Experts
SharePoint
Application Development

Excellent Interpersonal
Functional Specifications
Microsoft Visio
CRM
Business Process Models
Visualization
Development Life
SME
Test Scripts
Data Warehouse
Gap Analysis
Strong Problem-Solving
Management System
Technical Specifications
Business Rules
ERP
Excellent Organizational

Java
JAD
User Interface
Client Facing
Project Plan
Test Scenarios
UML
Project Scope
Regression
Medicaid
HIPAA
EDI
System Enhancements
XML
HTML

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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