You’re strategic and detail-oriented. You’re a strong communicator and great team player. You can quickly pick out the most subtle patterns in data and consolidate it into digestible action items.
These are all essential qualities for those looking to build a career in business intelligence.
Business intelligence (BI) employees turn a company’s data into business insights using tools like Excel, Tableau or other data processing dashboards. You’re essential for informing the strategic direction of a company and creating important reports that help executives decide everything from how a company will market to its consumers to how it allocates its annual budget.
It’s a crucial role that is more relevant than ever following the COVID-19 pandemic. The business intelligence business is booming as companies need stellar business intelligence in order to nimbly adjust to the new normal. They must be able to efficiently collect and effectively interpret data about their consumers and employees. And it all starts with you.
If you want to work in business intelligence in 2023, continue reading below to view examples of effectively written business intelligence resume templates to help land your dream role.
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The business intelligence analyst compiles a company’s data and interprets it to aid the company in making business decisions. A business intelligence analyst gathers key business data, analyzes and interprets this data, and then shares their findings with stakeholders. Business intelligence analysts must be good at spotting patterns and hidden meanings within a company’s data. They must also be skilled at presenting their findings in a persuasive and concise way.
To land this role, you will need a bachelor’s degree in business intelligence, analytics, or statistics. Hiring managers will be looking for a candidate with the required hard skills, such as data warehousing, data visualization, data analysis, and more. To land this job, you should have some previous experience working in related roles such as systems analyst or data consultant. Business intelligence analysts should have technical analytics skills, as well as the ability to communicate effectively and create persuasive presentations.
The business intelligence analyst does not just compile and analyze data, they must also take their findings back to company stakeholders. So, as important as it is to have technical skills, you must also have great communication and presentation skills. Your resume should demonstrate your success with presenting data, even better if you have examples of past presentations.
Business intelligence analysts may work with numerous software programs to interpret and streamline data. Popular BI software such as Pentaho and QlikView are important for business intelligence analysts to be familiar with. You can gain certifications in these programs if you want to stand out.
If you have several years of experience working as a business intelligence analyst, utilize this resume as a template to craft your application. As you put together your work experience section, make sure to showcase your experience in relevant roles and emphasize skills that you have developed throughout your career. Include an impactful elevator pitch to effectively draw in busy recruiters. Highlight your experience in similar roles and provide a snapshot of your ability to take on increasing levels of responsibility.
Business intelligence analyst roles are highly coveted, and recruiters hiring for this position can read up to a hundred resumes a day. You can include a concise elevator pitch that describes exactly what you bring to the table. Include the number of years you’ve worked as a business intelligence analyst, as well as what industry or sector you worked in. Describe the areas you specialized in, or the types of teams that you helped lead.
As you pick examples of work experience to include in your resume, choose ones that highlight your expertise in relevant roles. Since business intelligence often involves familiarity with using tools like Tableau, Excel or Powerpoint, or even languages like SQL, it’s a specialized role that not just anyone can do. Recruiters want to see that you have a track record of success working in business intelligence, so emphasize your experience in working with such tools to manipulate and interpret data.
A business intelligence developer is someone who oversees and improves a company’s technology stack as it relates to business intelligence data collection. They work with business intelligence analysts to improve the tools analysts use to gather data and repair these software tools when needed. Often, the main responsibility of the business intelligence developer is to create and customize software tools for the needs of the business analytics team.
To land the role of business intelligence developer, you will need a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as IT, software engineering, math, or computer science. You will need relevant work experience and/or internships in relevant roles, such as prior experience as a data engineer, report developer, or data architect. Hiring managers will be looking for candidates with certain technical skills, like experience with SQL server integration, OLAP, and data integration. Hiring managers will also look for a candidate with the right soft skills, such as attention to detail, superb communication skills, and developed critical thinking abilities.
The business intelligence developer will need to build and improve applications for the company. Therefore, it’s extremely important that a candidate has experience building applications from scratch. You should highlight any prior work experience you have building databases or applications. You can also include university projects, if applicable.
Business intelligence developers work with many programming languages and tools - one of the most common for business intelligence developers to use is SQL (structured query language). Since SQL is such an important tool for the job role, it makes sense to get certified in it. There are many online courses you can take for this credential.
A business intelligence developer takes it a step beyond mere data manipulation or interpretation. Instead, they’re busy building the tools that analyze data -- including query tools, data visualization dashboards, and data modelling tools. As such, this is a rather technical role and involves detailed expertise of the projects and data you have worked with. When you are putting together your business intelligence application, make sure to use strong action verbs and quantifiable metrics to back up your work achievements.
In your professional experience section, include concrete examples of where you worked on developing dashboards, ETL scripts or other technical tasks for your company. Describe what languages you used to carry out your projects, or even the environments in which you designed and built scripts. In addition, provide context for the project and why you were building specific tools - the more relevant to business outcomes you can relate your achievements to, the better. Explain how you achieved the goal and overcame obstacles in your path. For example, if you successfully designed and delivered an application to work with data warehouses, emphasize your role in coding, testing, and deploying that project.
Since business intelligence development is a rather technical role, it is important to quantify the impact of your contributions with numeric evidence. As mentioned above, it’s important to include what tools you used and how you achieved your goals, but it’s equally as important to accompany those descriptions with detailed numbers that demonstrate your expertise. For example, if the goal of your application was to improve efficiency, include a percentage of how much it improved efficiency. Make sure to also use strong action verbs to emphasize the impact that your work made on the company.
A business intelligence director is responsible for overseeing the vision and direction of a company’s business intelligence affairs. This involves providing strategic guidance over what and how data is analyzed, understanding and applying macro trends from their given industry, and making tactical decisions on data management and gathering. You’ll want to be sure to emphasize your leadership qualities and past experience with people management, as well as bolster your work experience with strong action verbs and metrics.
As you’ll have multiple subordinates reporting up to you, recruiters want to be sure that you have experience managing people. Include work experience that emphasizes your ability to direct a team successfully. If you have an example of a project where you were in charge of the strategic direction of the team, make sure to include details on that as you are deciding what experience to display in your professional experience section. Describe clearly the positive impact on the company that resulted from that project, before and after.
Use strong action verbs and quantifiable metrics to emphasize your contributions in past business intelligence roles. Highlight financial savings that you helped your company achieve, or revenue increases that you supported as a result of your business intelligence work. As mentioned above, leadership is an important quality that recruiters are looking for in this position, so use strong action verbs that reflect that skill. For example, use “spearheaded” or “oversaw” to describe the projects you led.
As a Data Warehouse Engineer, you play a critical role in managing and optimizing the storage and retrieval of large volumes of data. In recent years, the demand for skilled data engineers has grown significantly, with companies increasingly relying on data-driven decision-making. The ability to showcase your experience and expertise in data warehousing on your resume is crucial in this competitive field.
Your resume should reflect your mastery of data warehouse concepts, ETL processes, and popular technologies such as SQL and cloud platforms. It's important to demonstrate your understanding of industry best practices and your ability to quickly adapt to evolving trends in data management.
As a Data Warehouse Engineer, you should emphasize your proficiency in tools and technologies such as SQL, ETL, and cloud platforms like AWS or Microsoft Azure. Include specific projects or tasks where you've implemented these technologies to solve real-world problems.
In your resume, focus on showcasing specific data warehouse projects you've worked on and their outcomes. Highlight how your work has driven business improvements or provided valuable insights, and include measurable results, such as storage optimization or query performance enhancements.
A data warehouse engineer works on the backend development of a company’s data warehouse. This includes everything from building and managing data warehouse strategies, executing those strategies, and overseeing the technical design of data warehouse projects. It’s a specialized and deeply technical role, and it requires deep expertise in project deployment and knowledge of all things data. When crafting your resume, don’t forget to highlight your strengths in those areas.
As you’ll be working closely with data, you’ll want to show that you have the requisite experience and familiarity in the business intelligence arena. If you have a track record of working up through increasing levels of responsibility, be sure to demonstrate that in your work experience section. Show how you excelled in roles, going from an analyst to a developer to an engineer. If you were promoted ahead of schedule, note that as well. You can even include projects that showed you went above and beyond your project scope.
Since data warehouse engineering is a technical discipline, you’ll want to highlight projects and experiences that clearly showcase your technical abilities. If the job listing includes languages that you should be fluent in, such as SQL or Java, make sure to incorporate those in your skills section. Going a step beyond, you can even expand on this in detail by describing projects where you used those languages. Additionally, if you’re received any certifications or participated in coding boot camps in the past, you should have that written on your resume as well.
Data warehouse engineers are essentially managers providing support to the data warehouse. They troubleshoot current procedures, strive to improve data organization, fix performance issues, translate data analysis into good data design, and collaborate with other data workers. A successful data warehouse engineer resume displays your higher-level skills and your effectiveness on teams.
One good way to showcase some of the work you’ve done with a company is to explain a project you’ve done. This sample lists a project, explains what was done during it, and the detailed, numeric results that came from it.
If you’ve been with a company for a while and were promoted at any point, list it. Employers like to see growth and a hard-working mindset. This sample lists one work title that later changed to a promoted title, while also detailing the accomplishments in the roles.
As a Tableau Developer, you're dealing with big data visualization, creating interactive dashboards, and helping businesses make data-driven decisions. Recognize that this role has gained more emphasis recently due to the growing importance of data analytics in business strategy. You're not just a developer; you're a storyteller, turning raw data into meaningful insights. When crafting your resume, remember it's your first chance to tell your story. Show your potential employer your proficiency in Tableau, your analytical mindset, and your knack for communicating complex data simply and effectively.
In recent years, there has been a shift towards leveraging advanced Tableau features, such as Tableau Prep and Tableau Server. These have become new standards in the industry, so having them on your resume can give you an edge. Knowing the basics is expected; mastery of advanced concepts could be your ticket to securing the job.
Showcase your hands-on experience with different Tableau products and features such as Tableau Desktop, Tableau Prep, or Tableau Server. Don't just list them out, mention how you've used them in your previous roles to solve business problems or improve data visualization process.
Being proficient in Tableau isn't enough. Highlight instances where you've converted raw data into meaningful insights that influenced business strategy. Show that you can not only analyze data but also communicate it effectively to non-technical stakeholders.
If you’re applying to a role as a Tableau Developer, use this resume to craft your application. Tableau Developers are responsible for putting together Tableau reports, preparing and cleaning data before loading dashboards, and developing custom scripts. While creating business intelligence reports, you’ll also be tasked to troubleshoot any issues that may come up with data connections on the backend. As with most engineering roles, you’ll want to emphasize your technical achievements and demonstrate your expertise in the industry.
Tableau allows companies to quickly view and understand important data, allowing anyone to create and share dynamic visualizations with simple and intuitive clicks. You’ll be tasked with making data analysis as simple and straightforward as possible, even when the data and connections are not simple and straightforward at all. Recruiters hiring for a developer role in Tableau will want to see that you have experience and familiarity working with the Tableau dashboard and server, so be sure to include relevant work experiences where you demonstrated expertise in the past.
As this is a technical role, you’ll want to emphasize and quantify the technical accomplishments you achieved in previous roles. Use metrics as evidence of your expertise and success in impacting your company. For example, if you simplified a process and saved the company a significant amount of money, describe how much you saved them through your skills and contributions. When choosing projects, pick the ones where you made a considerable impact and are able to show evidence before and after of the positive change. When you can, include the language that you utilized, such as C++ or SQL, to execute these projects.
Use this resume template if you are applying to a senior tableau developer role. The next level up from a Tableau Developer position, a Senior Tableau Developer tends to have more oversight and may even manage younger developers, providing strategic direction and assisting with troubleshooting data issues. You’ll also be tasked on technical projects, such as building interactive and customizable dashboards and blending data to provide actionable insights for your company.
As you’ll be stepping into greater responsibilities and even managing other developers, be sure to showcase your expertise and knowledge of Tableau. Include projects that speak to your familiarity with the software, going beyond typical duties and responsibilities and demonstrating your ability to address complex problems and develop technical specifications according to strategic business needs. Include technical skills and languages that you are well-versed in, and weave them throughout your work experience as you describe these projects.
Senior Tableau Developers are adaptable, technical, and strategically in tune with an organization’s business needs. As you write your senior tableau developer resume, be sure to highlight your strengths in these areas. Use strong action verbs as you describe the projects you successfully executed. Emphasize your leadership skills. Quantify the positive impact you have had on previous companies, and detail your technical prowess. Read through the job posting to see what languages or environments the company is looking for. Include these in both your skills section as well as throughout your work experience section.
A business intelligence engineer is responsible for creating models and reports using data to help a company make strategic business decisions. Business intelligence engineers collaborate with data analysts to gather data, interpret it, and synthesize it to formulate suggestions and actionable steps a business can take to improve operations and revenue.
These roles are integral to any company’s success. When hiring for this role, managers will often be looking for a strong educational background in business analytics, business administration, or computer science. Hiring managers will be looking for prior work or internship experiences like an analytics internship or prior experience as a data scientist. To land this role, you’ll also want to have several important soft skills such as problem-solving and great communication skills.
If you pursue a business intelligence engineering degree in college, you’ll likely be asked to think about your specialty. For example, a BI engineer may take follow up certifications in data warehousing to become a specialist in data management. Picking a specialty topic that you are most proficient in can help you stand out among other engineers.
A business intelligence manager uses data to advise and execute decisions within a company. They often oversee a department of data analysts and business intelligence engineers who all have a part in compiling data. The business intelligence manager is typically responsible for presenting data and new findings to upper-level management, gathering new information, and assessing the company’s needs and goals.
Hiring managers will love to see a strong history of roles that required leadership duties when hiring for a BI manager. A Bachelor’s degree in science, computer science, or business analytics is also preferred. Hiring managers will want to see both technical prowess and experience as an effective team leader, as well as soft skills like effective communication.
Since this is a senior role that requires the management of employees, highlighting any leadership experience you have is crucial to stand out. Experiences like training employees on a new process or spearheading projects with other departments are great examples of leadership. You don't need to have managed a team of your own, as long as you can highlight examples of working with others effectively and delegating project tasks.
As a business intelligence manager, the company will expect you to produce results quickly and effectively. Highlighting the results you have created for other companies in similar roles will give you credibility. If you’ve used data to help a company gain more revenue, improve internal operations, or automate processes, these are all great examples to include on your resume. Be sure to include numbers and figures to further bolster your experience.
A Power BI developer is in charge of business intelligence tools that will help a company turn raw data into useful business insights using Microsoft Power BI. Tasks you can expect include analyzing data, data mining, developing tools to transform data, developing data warehouses, working on data models, etc.
The most important qualifications you need for this position are your Power BI qualifications so make sure they take center stage in your resume. You should also have a long history of handling data and a strong understanding of businesses and what information would be useful to them. Look at this successful resume sample for inspiration.
Recruiters want to see that you are an expert at handling data and using it effectively. Being able to show career progression indicates that not only are you knowledgeable but also that you have excelled in each position hence the upward progression.
Companies use ATS resume filters to filter out candidates that do not have the qualifications they need. They are likely to filter out all candidates who do not have experience using the operating system that their company uses. So make sure you clearly list all the systems you know to avoid being filtered out.
We spoke with hiring managers from top companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google to gather their insights on what makes a strong business intelligence resume. Based on their feedback and our own experience reviewing resumes in this field, we've compiled a list of actionable tips to help you craft a compelling resume that showcases your skills and experience.
Hiring managers want to see that you have hands-on experience with the tools and technologies commonly used in business intelligence. Make sure to highlight your proficiency with:
Don't just list the tools and technologies; provide specific examples of how you've used them to drive business value. For example:
A resume summary for a Business Intelligence role is optional. It's a chance to provide context about your career journey, highlight key skills, or explain a career change. While it's not required, it can be beneficial if you're an executive with extensive experience or want to draw attention to specific expertise not evident from your work history alone.
In contrast, a resume objective is outdated and should not be used. Your summary should complement your resume, not repeat what's already mentioned. Keep it concise, ideally to a single paragraph. Incorporate job-relevant keywords to boost ATS compatibility, but avoid generic soft skills or corporate buzzwords.
In the work experience section, you have the opportunity to showcase your career growth, key accomplishments, and the unique value you've delivered to past employers. Hiring managers and recruiters are looking for strong examples of how you've leveraged your business intelligence skills to drive impact.
In this section, we'll break down step-by-step how to write compelling work experience bullet points that will help you stand out to employers. Let's dive in.
The education section of your business intelligence resume should be concise and highlight your most relevant and impressive academic achievements. Here are some key tips to keep in mind when writing this section:
Business intelligence is a precise and data-heavy discipline. You must have a pulse on both macro and micro trends in your industry, while creating concise and impactful reports that influence the direction of your team or company. You may even work cross-functionally with different teams, creating business insights for a variety of diverse departments.
If you’re in a more technical developing role, you’ll be tasked with managing data and building dashboards that must be error-free and beautifully functional. It’s important that you highlight these skills in your resume.
For example, use terms like “uncovered” or “researched” to stress your ability to pick out impactful insights from dense data.
Try not to use generic verbs, as they can hurt more than help. Use strong and impactful terms that speak to your business intelligence savvy.
For a full list of effective resume action verbs, visit Resume Action Verbs.
When applying to business intelligence positions, make sure to carefully read the job listing from start to finish. Business intelligence skills may vary based on the company or industry that the role is in, so take time to research the required skills.
For example, if you plan to apply for a Data Warehouse Engineering role or a Tableau Developer role, you’ll want to have a clear idea of what type of languages, servers, or environments you should include. Make sure that your resume reflects the abilities that they are looking for.
Or, if you will be working as a business intelligence analyst and manipulating data in MS Excel or putting together MS Powerpoint reports, make sure to include instances of your experience doing so in previous roles. Also think about the types of skills required to be a great analyst -- incisive, efficient, and detail-oriented. Include work experience that reflects those abilities.
You can include the above skills in a dedicated Skills section on your resume, or weave them in your experience. Here's how you might create your dedicated skills section:
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Business Intelligence job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more 'important' it is.
You should use bullet points to describe your achievements in your Business Intelligence resume. Here are sample bullet points to help you get started:
Analyzed data from 25000 monthly active users and used outputs to guide marketing and product strategies; increased average app engagement time by 2x, decrease drop off rate by 30%, and increased shares on social media by 3x over 6 months
Conceptualized, redesigned, and presented enhancements to the data warehouse and stored SQL procedures, leading to 100x increased query performance (double digit minutes to milliseconds)
Analyzed 1500+ responses to a consumer survey to evaluate brand perception and customers' willingness to pay
Optimized $100MM+ retail company's advertising spend by media type through multivariable regression analysis; exceeded target growth by 15%
Liaised with marketing to drive email and social media advertising efforts, using predictive modeling and clustering, resulting in a 35% increase in revenue
For more sample bullet points and details on how to write effective bullet points, see our articles on resume bullet points, how to quantify your resume and resume accomplishments.
Thank you for the checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've now fixed. I'm much more confident in my resume now.
