The best resume for a business leader or business analyst should be clean, organized, and content-focused while illustrating your leadership skills and experience that align with the job description. White space and proper formatting will allow hiring managers to scan your resume with ease to understand your accomplishments and capabilities. A reverse-chronological order format is ideal for business resumes — a template that lists the most recent positions first.
Your business resume should showcase your professional experience. Also, highlight key skills that align with the job description to show hiring managers your capabilities are exactly what they’re looking for. Include your education, along with advanced degrees and certifications that establish you as a professional in your field. Begin your resume with a concise, dynamic profile that quantifies your value as a business leader.
Following are the essential components of a business resume and some guidance for writing a resume that will grab recruiters’ attention.
Include your address, email, phone number, and a website or LinkedIn profile if you developed an online presence for your career. Your name and contact information should appear at the top of your business resume.
Your Name
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
LinkedIn | Portfolio
City, State Abbreviation Zip Code
The profile is a summary of your business career and successes — it’s a snapshot hiring managers read in seconds that allows them to gain a big-picture perspective of your background. Start by listing your job title, years of experience, and three to four specializations that align with the job posting.
In the following sentences, establish yourself as an in-demand professional with quantifiable examples. For example, if you mentored a 25-person team to increase productivity by 32% last year, mention this in your profile. If you introduced customer service best practices that raised client satisfaction by 30% in three years, include this in your summary.
Business leaders solve complex problems, analyze data, and identify solutions for improving a company’s performance, customer retention, and operational processes. Roles related to business vary depending on a company’s needs. Your resume should list key skills that appear in the job description to show a hiring manager you’re an ideal candidate. Key skills can include change management, coaching, mentoring, client retention, and strategic business planning.
Hard Skills | Soft Skills |
---|---|
Client relations and retention | Attention to detail |
Coaching and mentoring | Complex problem-solving |
Performance management | Cross-functional collaboration |
Reporting and documentation | Supplier relations |
Strategic business planning | Team leadership |
Action verbs add impact to your experience section, but it’s not hard to run short during the resume-building process. It’s also easy to become redundant by overusing words like “performed” or “analyzed.” When writing your business resume, use concise language, avoid the passive voice, and vary your action verbs.
Here is a list of common action verbs for business resumes:
Action Verbs | |
---|---|
Coordinate | Create |
Drive | Enhance |
Execute | Generate |
Grow | Launch |
Lead | Pioneer |
Write a success-driven professional experience section with bullet points that emphasize your business career achievements. Include data, metrics, and monetary figures to demonstrate how your skills add value to a company.
Business Analyst, GrowthPartners, Philadelphia, PA
October 2019 – present
Department Manager, BeScene Corp., Philadelphia, PA
June 2015 – October 2019
Data, metrics, and monetary figures quantify your experience, so include these measures of your success in your business resume. Companies are looking for candidates who will drive results and revenue — they’re seeking improvement. Your resume should showcase how you help organizations save money, improve client retention, and drive efficiency. Including specific numbers adds more credibility to your resume.
Check out our example for a better idea of how to do this:
If you lack experience in your field, rather than focusing only on skills, your resume should highlight academic projects. Also emphasize leadership roles you have played in other fields, jobs, or from a volunteer capacity, such as serving as treasurer for a nonprofit organization.
Detail your educational experience by listing the institution and its location, the dates of your time studying business, and the formal name of the degree you earned. If you hold an advanced degree, such as a Master’s in Business Administration, list this first, followed by your undergraduate degree. Should you have certifications such as a designation from the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), note this in the Education and Certifications section of your resume.
Education
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Business Administration, September 2011 – June 2015
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
Certifications
Paul Green
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
LinkedIn | Portfolio
City, State Abbreviation zip code
Experienced business leader with seven years of experience boosting operational efficiency in the manufacturing sector, resulting in increased profitability by 24% in one fiscal year. Confident leader, respected mentor, and strategic planner with a track record of identifying revenue-producing business opportunities.
Business Analyst, GrowthPartners, Philadelphia, PA
October 2019 – present
Department Manager, BeScene Corp., Philadelphia, PA
June 2015 – October 2019
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Business Administration, September 2011 – June 2015
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
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