Here are the keywords and skills that appear most frequently on recent Policy Analyst job postings. In other words, these are the most sought after skills by recruiters and hiring managers. Go to Sample Templates ↓ below to see how to include them on your resume.
Remember that every job is different. Instead of including all keywords on your resume, identify those that are most relevant to the job you're applying to. Use the free Targeted Resume tool to help with this.
Does your resume contain all the right skills? Paste in your resume in the AI Resume Scan ↓ section below and get an instant score.
Paste your resume below and our AI will identify which keywords are missing from your resume from the list above (and what you need to include). Including the right keywords will help you get past Applicant Tracking Systems (i.e. resume screeners) which may scan your resume for keywords to see if you're a match for the job.
Go through the Policy Analyst posting you're applying to, and identify hard skills the company is looking for. For example, skills like Government, International Relations and Public Policy are possible skills. These are skills you should try to include on your resume.
The following word cloud highlights the most popular keywords that appear on Policy Analyst job descriptions. The bigger the word, the more frequently it shows up on employer's job postings. If you have experience with these keywords, include them on your resume.
Here are common soft skills that appear on Policy Analyst job postings. Unlike hard skills, which refer to tools, software or techniques, soft skills focus on character traits and interpersonal skills. Instead of listing these phrases on your resume, try to show them through your bullet points like in the examples below.
Tip: Do not list these words or phrases on your resume, and instead focus on the hard skills we described above.
Here are examples of proven resumes in related jobs and industries, approved by experienced hiring managers. Use them as inspiration when you're writing your own resume. You can even download and edit the resume template in Google Docs.
As the title suggests, this position requires an analyst to interrogate current policies or problems, do in-depth research and data analysis around a problem and be able to offer workable solutions. You will most likely work under a senior analyst and possibly as part of a team of analysts. You should therefore be an effective team player. This resume does a great job of highlighting the applicant's extensive research-based background as well as their ability to develop effective solutions. It also does a great job of emphasizing the applicant’s ability to successfully collaborate with colleagues.
You want an employer to be confident in your capabilities to properly research any assigned topic. You also want to make it clear that not only do you have extensive experience as a researcher but you are also capable of synthesizing the research into solutions. So, highlight your crafted solutions - especially those that were adopted.
A policy analyst is supposed to create workable solutions that should have positive results. Show your effectiveness by quantifying how your suggestions and policy saved resources, increased revenue, or otherwise benefitted your previous employers.
An insurance policy analyst evaluates insurance policies to identify the relevant risks to both the insurance company and the policyholders. They may also calculate associated risk to determine which insurance policy is best suited for a client, and interrogate insurance claims to ensure they are legitimate and can be processed successfully. This resume effectively shows a professional with extensive experience in the insurance industry, which would be highly preferred. Furthermore, the resume demonstrates promotions with each position change, highlighting employer confidence in the professional’s capabilities.
Quantify your value add to your previous and future employers by expressing your success in actual numbers. How much money did you save them? How many claims did you process in a certain period? These numbers will make it easier for a recruiter to appreciate your successes.
Policy analysts need to be experts in their specializations. Therefore, if you want to apply to be an insurance policy analyst, you should demonstrate that you have lengthy experience in the field. Showing that you have worked in multiple positions in the industry is an extra benefit to show you have a multi-dimensional understanding of the field.
A junior policy analyst works as a support for their superiors and departments. They may be tasked with organizing and conducting research, collecting interviews or appointments, providing summaries of collected data, presenting research-based solutions, and whatever other task they are assigned. As this position can be multifaceted, this resume succeeds in highlighting the variety of tasks this applicant had successfully completed. It also highlights the policy successes that the applicant has been, at least, partially responsible for, which is impressive for someone in a junior position, and would be attractive to a recruiter.
Because you will be asked to complete a variety of tasks in this position, be sure to list all of the skills you have to complete these tasks. E.g. List the various areas of research you are skilled in, as well as any subject areas you are particularly knowledgeable about.
Because you most likely do not have a lot of real-world experience as an analyst, feel free to include any relevant experience you acquired in university. It will help bolster your potentially scarce resume and will show an early and sustained interest and passion in the policy analyst field.
Public policy analysts use their research skills and data interpretation abilities to influence decisions about public policy. These individuals are key players in providing leadership with the information needed to make an informed decision about policy changes. When recruiting for this role, hiring managers will be looking for someone with a bachelor's degree in political science. A master’s degree is not always necessary but may help you land this role. Hiring managers will also be looking for someone with a couple of years of work experience in the political sphere, such as prior experience as a legislative assistant, policy consultant, or market research analyst. In addition, hiring managers will be looking for a candidate who possesses the necessary skills to succeed in this role, which includes skills like data collection, analysis, drafting and publishing reports, and more.
A comprehensive educational background is key to landing the role of a public policy analyst. For those who have earned a bachelor's degree, completing some certifications is a great next step. You can get certified in public policy or policy analysis to demonstrate to hiring managers that you have robust knowledge in the field.
An important part of the public policy analysts job is to know how to collect accurate and reliable data to draw conclusions about policies. To land this role, you must show you are fluent in collecting and synthesizing data. Highlighting any prior experience you have conducting surveys and research is wise for this role.
This resume template is suitable for experienced hires or mid-level hires. The education contains two examples of an education experiences, but only include one (your most recent one) if you're a senior level employee.
It strikes the right balance between white space and content, and doesn't waste space on unnecessary images and icons. Remember, recruiters aren't looking at how creative you are when it comes to your template. Your content is core and should be the focus.
This job seeker uses resume bullet points that uses strong action verbs, and most importantly, contain numbers that demonstrate the significance of their accomplishments.
This template is clean, readable by resume screeners, and is effective at calling out key accomplishments and projects from specific work experiences. This would be useful if you have been at a company for a while, or been in a consulting-type of role, and want to point hiring managers to your most impressive accomplishments.
Action verbs are important on your resume are vital. They evoke strong imagery to your reader, and this resume does an excellent job by using words such as “spearheaded,” “managed,” and “drove.” These words will help you to put your achievements in perspective, in conjunction with measurable results. Use action verbs relating to the skills you want to highlight.
Many of your accomplishments will involve your responsibilities in your employer's high-level projects. Recruiters want to see what you’ve completed in previous roles -- such as the Operations Improvement Project and new iPhone app launch highlighted in this resume. The numbers make your experience real, rather than a vague “oversaw several teams for a project.” What did you do specifically? Be specific.
Some popular Policy Analyst hard skills are Policy Analysis, Public Policy, Government, Stakeholder Engagement, Report Writing, Qualitative Research, Research and International Relations.
Depending on the job you apply to, skills like Policy Writing, International Development, Writing, European Union and Public Administration can also be good to include on your resume.
While the keywords above are a good indication of what skills you need on your resume, you should try to find additional keywords that are specific to the job. To do this, use the free Targeted Resume tool. It analyzes the job you are applying to and finds the most important keywords you need on your resume.
It is personalized to your resume, and is the best way to ensure your resume will pass the automated resume filters.
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.
