Business Analyst CV Keywords: Skills & ATS Terms to Include

Business analyst CVs are filtered on requirements and process-modelling terminology plus delivery methodology. The best ones show the business change a requirement produced, not just the documents written.

Not sure which of these your CV is missing? Upload it with a business analyst job description and get your ATS score and missing keywords free.

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Business Analyst hard skills

Core competencies recruiters and ATS filters search for.

Requirements gatheringBusiness process modellingUser storiesAcceptance criteriaGap analysisStakeholder analysisProcess improvementUse casesData analysisUATBusiness case developmentAs-is / to-be mapping

Business Analyst tools & software

Use the exact product names from the job ad.

JiraConfluenceVisioLucidchartBPMNSQLExcelPower BIMiroAzure DevOps

Business Analyst certifications & qualifications

Write the full name and the acronym, with the year.

BCS Business Analysis DiplomaIIBA ECBA / CCBA / CBAPPMI-PBAAgile Business Analysis (AgileBA)Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

Business Analyst soft skills

Show these through achievements rather than listing them alone.

FacilitationStakeholder managementAnalytical thinkingCommunicationNegotiationAttention to detail

Business Analyst action verbs

Start each bullet with one of these instead of "Responsible for".

ElicitedMappedDefinedFacilitatedAnalysedDocumentedRedesignedValidatedIdentifiedTranslated

Weak vs strong business analyst CV bullets

Wrote requirements for projects.

Elicited and wrote 120 user stories for a claims-system rebuild, reducing post-launch change requests by 60%.

Improved processes.

Mapped the order-to-cash process in BPMN and removed 4 manual handoffs, cutting invoice cycle time by 9 days.

Examples are illustrative. Only use figures you can back up in an interview.

ATS tip for business analyst CVs

Use both "requirements gathering" and "requirements elicitation" if you can do so naturally. Different employers use different terms and ATS match literally.

How to use these keywords

  1. Start from the job description, not this list. Keywords that appear in the ad matter most.
  2. Only include skills you genuinely have. You will be asked about them.
  3. Put the most important keywords in both your Skills section and your experience bullets.
  4. Use the employer's exact wording (e.g. "Jira", not a synonym).
  5. Keep formatting simple: single column, standard headings, no text inside images.

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