Business Analyst Cover Letter: A How To Guide
Business Analyst Cover Letter Example
Jackie Jean 1612 South Street, Hillsborough NC 27278 Phone: (919) 322-7337 Email: JackieJ@zippia.com Dear Patrick Stewart, I am writing because I am interested in the Business Analyst position at [Company]. I have experience working with teams, extensive business systems knowledge, and I am skilled at developing original solutions to maximize profit, effectiveness, and productivity. My results from past projects include [Project, Quantifiable Result, and How It Relates To This Position]. These skills will translate well into this role. My resume is enclosed and I look forward to your reply. Thank you for your consideration. Jackie Jean
You have no more than 250 words and 4 paragraphs to convince your employer you’re the most qualified Business Analyst this side of the Mississippi. However, a resume won’t suffice. It’s not detailed and exact enough.
What can you do?
A cover letter is an introduction that highlights your experience and accomplishments relevant to the exact position you’re applying for. It’s perfect. And below we’ll explain to you the five parts necessary to construct a brilliant Business Analyst cover letter.
But, is a cover letter actually important? Or needed?
Yes.
A resume is an extreme summary. Your cover letter is not. It gives you the chance to explain to your employer exactly what kind of work (specific job) you’re looking to do, and how well qualified you are for that position.
We’ve developed a five part cover letter template for all of the Business Analysts out there.
Remember though, every cover letter you send out should be customized and specifically tailored to the position you’re applying for. Don’t use your Busines Analyst cover letter template to apply for sports journalism jobs in the future; success will escape you.
The five key parts of a cover letter are:
- The Salutation-- Hello
- 1st Paragraph-- Grab
- 2nd Paragraph-- Hook
- 3rd Paragraph-- Knowledge
- 4th Paragraph-- Close
Let’s start with some basic DO’s for your Business Analyst cover letter before we get into it:
- Address the cover letter to a specific person
- Highlight 3 to 4 key accomplishments/skills
- Focus on how your qualifications are a perfect fit for the job (how they relate)
- If possible, relate to the company
- No negative info.
- Request an interview at the end
- One page long
Start With Contact Information:
First off, you need to include a header and your contact information. This should be a simple block, centered header. Include your name, address, phone information, and email address.
Without this, the employer won’t be able to contact you; not good.
An example of a good header looks like:
Jackie Jean 1612 South Street, Hillsborough NC 27278 Phone: (919) 322-7337 Email: JackieJ@zippia.com
You can also include your employer’s contact information if you wish. There’s a complete formatting example at the bottom of this article to showcase how to do this, and to give you an overall view of what the Business Analyst cover letter should resemble.
1. The Salutation: Ello Mate!
The salutation is the greeting that’s included at the beginning of your cover letter, below your header and contact information. This is where you begin to set the tone of your cover letter, which should be professional and appropriate.
Put in your research here. You need to snag a name. I repeat, you absolutely need to snag a name for the salutation.
Please, please, please, do not use “Hey” “Hello” “Hi” “Hey There” or “Ello Mate” as I used above.
Your journey with that company will most likely cease there.
If you’re applying for a Business Analyst position at QuintilesIMS in Raleigh, hop on their website and find out who is doing the hiring. Do the research.
Do they have a Sr. Business Analyst already that’s looking for help? Who posted the job advertisement you’re applying to? Find out.
Find out and specifically address the cover letter. “Dear Sir or Madam” or “To Whom It May Concern” is the opposite of what the address should look like.
This looks unprofessional, like you didn’t research the company at all. It looks like you don’t care, and this could result in your cover letter and resume being immediately tossed into the trash bin beside three day old banana peels; you don’t want that.
If you can’t find the hiring manager’s (person’s) name, call the company. Harass whoever you need to to find that name. It’s important.
It shows that you put in the extra work and will leave a good impression with whoever the hiring manager is.
An example of a good address (that’s being addressed to Patrick Stewart) might look like:
Dear Patrick Stewart,
The name is key.
2. First Paragraph: The Grab
Welcome to “The Grab”.
Here, you will explain why it is that you’re writing the company.
This first paragraph following your extremely personal salutation is referred to as “The Grab”. Here, you want to grab your reader (hiring manager) by the collar and scream at them until you’ve acquired their attention.
I know, you’re asking yourself, “But, what do I scream?”
You want to:
- Immediately showcase that you’re suitable for the position
- Offer specific information regarding the Business Analyst position you’re seeking
- Demonstrate some of your big strengths
This is where you begin to really flesh out what personal details make you the best candidate for the job.
So, let's assume that you’re applying for a position as an entry level Business Analyst. Your “Grab” should look something like this:
I am writing because I am interested in the Business Analyst position at QuintilesIMS. I have experience using personal, extensive business systems knowledge combined with the latest IT trends, and I am skilled at developing original solutions to maximize profit, effectiveness, and productivity. I have experience coordinating and successfully engaging all varieties of people, and my project history shows that I am very capable of taking base concepts and transforming them into real, beneficial projects. My results from these projects are quantifiable, and I can show the growth in profitability, successful execution of concepts, and future business potential.
3. Second Paragraph: The Hook
The second paragraph is where you further explain what you have to offer the company. The fish nibbled on your fishing line, he liked your bait, and now you have to hook that rainbow trout.
Here you should define some examples of the work you’ve performed and the results of that work.
You just gave them a brief taste of the magnificent feats you’re capable of, now it’s time to fully showcase your skills and how they’ve helped you in the past.
Don’t copy things directly from your resume here, but draw from some of your key competencies. Bulleted points can be helpful in disclosing this information as well.
This is a basic example of how the second paragraph should look:
For the last three years I have been apart of the business development team at QuintilesIMS, a well known IT company in Virginia. While working with QuintilesIMS, I have repeatedly shown an ability to consistently perform all of the range of skills and abilities a Business Analyst is expected to have. Some of these key abilities are expressed below:
- System and business analysis
- Data analysis
- Managing multiple teams with all varieties of people
- Acting liaison between IT teams and the clients
- Consult on systems limitations
- Implementation of business process models and decision models
The inclusion of specific projects you’ve worked on here will be very beneficial as well. Discuss the results of those projects if you include this.
4. Third Paragraph: Knowledge
You’ve almost reeled the fish in, but now you need to show the fish that you know something about their business and how you can help them reach their goals.
This is another chance to prove that you did some research on the company, that you know what they’re looking for, and that you are the proper fit for the Business Analyst position.
This paragraph should be shorter than the previous two. Keep it simple and sweet.
An example of this third paragraph would look like:
After researching ZippiaILM, I realize that your immediate goal is to improve business performance within your company and within the Gaming Industry overall. You recently acquired EB Games, and this puts you in a position to establish a new brand presence with old and new customers. Given my experience, and prior accomplishments, I believe I am in a position to assist you in quickly meeting these goals.
5. Fourth Paragraph: The Close
You’re having grilled salmon tonight. The fish is on land.
This is the final section of your Business Analyst cover letter.
Summarize one final time what you bring to the table, and suggest the next steps to take by requesting an interview, phone call, or meeting.
This is fairly simple and concise. It should be no more than three sentences.
It should look like this:
My resume is enclosed and I look forward to your reply. Thank you for your consideration.
Summary:
You are now (hopefully) aware of the different components of a cover letter and how to string one together for a Business Analyst position.
To review: The five key parts of a cover letter are:
- The Salutation-- Hello
- 1st Paragraph-- Grab
- 2nd Paragraph-- Hook
- 3rd Paragraph-- Knowledge
- 4th Paragraph-- Close
The DO’s for your Business Analyst cover letter:
- Address the cover letter to a specific person
- Highlight 3 to 4 key accomplishments/skills
- Focus on how your qualifications are a perfect fit for the job (how they relate)
- If possible, relate to the company
- Request an interview at the end
- One page long
- Bulleted points
The DO NOT’s:
- Negative info
- Lengthier than one page
- Lengthier than 250 words
- Over-explaining (be concise)
- Irrelevant info
- Typos/Grammatical errors
- Lying
To wrap it up, here’s an example of what the complete cover letter format should resemble:
Jackie Jean 1612 South Street, Hillsborough NC 27278 Phone: (919) 322-7337 Email: JackieJ@zippia.com January 05, 2017 Patrick Stewart Quintiles Systems 35 North Crosswinds Avenue Portland, FL 78694 (913) 567-8974 RE: Business Analyst, Ref# 784563, 01/25/2017 Dear Mr. Stewart, 1st Paragraph: Grab 2nd Paragraph: Hook 3rd Paragraph: Knowledge 4th Paragraph: Close-- Thank you for your time and consideration, I look forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely, Jackie Jean
