How To Become A Business & Finance Analyst: What It Is and Career Path

What is a business & finance analyst and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Rebecca Sarver

A little reminiscent of the phrase 'best of both worlds,' the Business & Finance Analyst examines the company's current financial standing and business model and recommends possible improvements, fixes, and methods. Once that process is complete, they implement those improvements as needed or wanted by the employer. A business & finance analyst might also help individuals pick and choose how and where they make investments or work with various clients through a financial institution position.

With developing technology and the ever-growing necessity for an online presence, this analyst will, amongst other skills, need to have some knowledge of online and social media management, software like Excel and Google Analytics, and e-commerce and performance marketing.

A possible candidate for many business & finance analyst positions will need at least a bachelor's degree in finance, statistics, business, or a related field of study. They will also need to know laws related to the finance industry, have good accounting skills, and experience in corporate finance, investment banking, or financial analysis.

What general advice would you give to a business & finance analyst?

Rebecca Sarver

Lecturer in Human Services Studies, Elmira College

Listen more than you talk. There is so much to be learned from clients, seasoned human service workers, and the community that you work within. By listening and observing versus always feeling compelled to speak, you will learn job skills, people skills, and your clients' needs.

ScoreBusiness & Finance AnalystUS Average

Salary

5.5

Avg. Salary $70,514

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.8

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.10%

Asian 14.09%

Black or African American 5.64%

Hispanic or Latino 7.67%

Unknown 4.50%

White 68.00%

Gender

female 44.42%

male 55.58%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

5.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.3

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a business & finance analyst

Explore business & finance analyst education requirements

Most common business & finance analyst degrees

Bachelor's

70.9 %

Master's

21.7 %

Associate

5.3 %

Start to develop specific business & finance analyst skills

Skills	Percentages
Financial Analysis	12.74%
Business Analysis	6.20%
Shared Services	4.55%
Financial Data	4.30%
Strong Analytical	4.00%

Complete relevant business & finance analyst training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New business & finance analysts learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a business & finance analyst based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real business & finance analyst resumes.

Research business & finance analyst duties and responsibilities

Manage and maintain DCAA approve accrual record keeping system while maintaining GAAP standards.
Lead company in Essbase implementation and developing a centralize and standardize reporting process.
Develop, maintain financial models/applications (VBA Excel/Access) to automate and streamline business processes and perform financial analysis.
Conduct data analysis using SQL.

Prepare your business & finance analyst resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your business & finance analyst resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a business & finance analyst resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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