System Analyst Resume: Examples, Template, and Resume Tips

Any career in the field of technology is sure to grow since technology is what has brought us this far. And it’s still the vehicle which will keep taking us forward in the years to come.

With all the hype and facts about Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, computers are not going anywhere any time soon.

One of the fascinating things about a career in the technology industry is that you get to be ahead of others. This is particularly true for you as a system analyst because you’re involved in the design and implementation of new systems.

Your knowledge and expertise is required when designing both hardware and software systems. You’re the one who checks to ensure the business needs of an organization will be met through a proposed system.

If businesses depend on you to among others, advise them on the Return on Investment of new systems, then your value is indisputable.

There’s however one thing that can prevent you from offering such valuable services: lack of a job.

If you’re to advice on a solution, then you have to be where the problem is. So, if a systems development company has to make use of your skills, you must be working with them.

That means you must be their employee. And to be their employee, you must first pass the interview to get hired. For that to have happened, you must have applied for a job and had your application accepted.

A key component of that application is the resume. If your resume doesn’t impress, then you’re likely to remain job hunting.

We understand that writing resumes is not a favorite thing to do for many systems analysts. Your expertise lies in dealing with computer systems and not recruitment matters.

But since this is a requirement if you’re to get hired, we’ll help you with it.

This article will show you how to write the perfect system analyst resume which will impress both the recruiter and the hiring manager. From it, you’ll learn what information you must provide in your resume and how to write that information.

At the end of the article, we have provided you with two full resumes to serve as examples. These will show you how the final document could look like if you followed the advice given.

But before that, let’s share with you some helpful industry insights.

In case you’re in a hurry, just pick one of our resume templates and use it to present your qualifications.

SYSTEM ANALYST JOB OUTLOOK

Getting a job is not just about getting hired. It’s a whole process and the process includes more than just writing the most outstanding resume.

Two very important things to consider are the salary you’ll earn and the prospects moving into the future. These are the two things we’re sharing with you before getting to the resume bit.

These will help you know what kind of pay you can expect while telling you what the future looks like.

System analyst salary

Although you may be very passionate about technology and working with efficient systems, you won’t be working for free. You obviously expect to be paid.

A salary is also one of the determinants of how satisfied you’ll be with your job as a system analyst.

The truth is, putting in many hours to ensure that things are working perfectly is tasking. But if you’re compensated well, then the job is no longer a burden.

System analysts get paid differently as there is no fixed pay for every employer. All the same, you’ll benefit from knowing the average most of them are paid. This gives you an idea of what to expect and also helps you negotiate your salary well.

As of February 2020, the average salary for a system analyst in the US was $64,616. Going by Glassdoor’s data, this is derived from salaries of 46,475 system analysts.

It’s possible to earn less or more than this average depending on factors like the amount of work experience you have.

In addition to the base salary, there is cash compensation which can range from $1,078 – $13,239. This additional cash compensation could be benefits, annual bonuses, commissions or profit sharing payments.

That said, system developers and manufacturers pay system analysts differently. Having the figures from different employers can help you prioritize certain employers when applying for a job.

Here is a list of some of the companies from where system analyst salary data has been gathered.

System analyst job growth

For the projected job growth for your career as a system analyst, we’ll look at the data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

From their analysis of occupations in 2018, they showed an expected increase in system analyst jobs.

From 2018 – 2028, the growth of system analyst jobs is projected to be 9%. This is against a growth of 12% for all computer occupations and a 5% growth for all occupations in the US.

Given such a growth rate, you’re definitely on the right career path.

You’ll however need to stay ahead of the game. The technology industry moves very fast. The more you’re able to keep pace and provide creative ideas which bring more efficiency, the better off you’ll be.

You’ll stand the chance of moving to senior positions where the pay and overall benefits are greater. Just remember that you have to be prepared for more responsibilities.

HOW TO WRITE A SYSTEM ANALYST RESUME

Now let’s look at the main reason for this article.

How do you write your system analyst resume to make it stand out among tens or hundreds or even thousands of resumes?

We’ll show you exactly how.

By the time you’re done reading this article, you’ll be well equipped to write a resume like a pro. This document which is your first point of contact with your potential employer will be so impressive that you can bet on getting called for an interview.

Let’s get started.

There are basically five main sections you have to include in your resume. These contain all the information the hiring manager needs in order to decide whether to call you for the interview or not.

And if you still have more room, you can add an extra section to show off your professional certifications. These will show your specialized expertise.

Let’s go through each of these sections individually.

Personal information

The first thing which should be clear in your resume is your name. And although your name is not what qualifies or disqualifies you from a job, the way you write it can.

Did you know that the way you introduce yourself to people decides how they relate with you?

Indeed first impressions last and you can’t afford to make a weak impression. The easier it is for your resume to be forgotten or ignored, the more you’ll struggle getting that dream job.

For your personal information, all you need to focus on is professionalism. This is shown through the way you write your name and email address.

The key is to make sure you don’t write your name in contracted form. It should be as official as it is on your official identification documents.

When it comes to your email address, do away with any address which doesn’t contain your name. If you can’t get an address which has your name only, then include some numbers to make it unique and professional.

Having a professional email addresses is not difficult.

The other information to include in this section is your mobile number, physical address and a link to your great LinkedIn profile.

Whereas your physical address will tell the recruiter where you stay, your LinkedIn profile will tell her more. Going through your profile will shed light on your professional connections and show whether you’re really involved in anything that can mean you might be a valuable asset.

These days, it’s very normal for hiring managers to check your social media profiles. They do this in an attempt to know the kind of person you are since social media profiles say a lot.

An example of something important they can conclude from your social media posts is your personality.

This means one thing: it’s important to be careful what you post online. Just to be sure, you can tidy up your social media profiles.

Summary vs. Objective

This is one of the most important sections of your resume. Your professional summary or career objective does a lot of heavy lifting for you. It’s the “elevator pitch” of your qualifications.

It’s your responsibility to prove your value as a system analyst job candidate by showing what you can do. You do this by pointing out your most noteworthy accomplishments in your working record.

This is what goes into the professional summary.

If you don’t have any system analyst working experience, then you have no accomplishments to boast about. But that doesn’t mean that you’re automatically disqualified. You can still put up a competition against other candidates by communicating how your skills will benefit the company.

Also, any work you have done can be used to show you have some work experience even if it’s not directly related to system analysis. Whatever transferable skills you have, show how they can benefit this other company.

These are the things you’ll write in your career objective.

The most important thing here is the words you use. Your choice of words determines whether your summary or objective statement catches and retains the attention of the reader of your resume or not.

Here are examples to help you see the difference that a good summary or objective makes. Note that they can be written either as a short three or four-sentence paragraph or a bullet point list.

Here is how the career objective will look like.

Work experience

The other crucial part of your resume is the work experience.

If you have work experience, then things are easier for you. If not, then you have some work to do.

First of all, here at Cleverism, we believe that your resume should never have a blank “Work experience” section. Not only does it paint a negative picture of you, it’s also almost impossible to have zero work experience.

Haven’t you ever worked anywhere? Even as a volunteer in a different field other than system analysis?

When you have a blank “Work experience” section, what you’re simply saying is that you’ve never done anything anywhere. And from the hiring manager’s perspective, you’ll likely be a burden since you have nothing to offer to the employer.

No employer wants to have such an employee.

If you’ve never worked anywhere at all, then think of any duties you were allocated when in campus.

Did you lead any teams? Maybe even the cheering squad? Ever organized any event? Held the class representative position or led a discussion group?

Something else you can write about is your time in internship. Whatever you learned, write it here. And while doing it, try not to write a list of duties allocated to you.

You should turn your duties into accomplishments.

On a side note, try and ensure you never stay out of work. If you aren’t working as a system analyst, offer to do some volunteer work somewhere. The skills you learn and the accomplishments you achieve will come in handy in the future.

Here’s how to handle this section if you have no work experience.

As you might note in the second example, the achievements listed are those which are closely related to the job of a system analyst. This is despite the work done in the position being different.

If you have worked before, writing your work experience shouldn’t be difficult. However, don’t just list the work you did or some unimpressive accomplishments.

As with the second example shown above, you need to use numbers to make your accomplishments more attractive.

Here’s how.

Education

Depending on where you are in your career, you might be having more than the required bachelor’s degree.

If you are a senior system analyst, it’s possible you have a master’s or even a PhD. If this is the case, list them in reverse chronological order. The most recent one should be first and the bachelor’s degree last.

If you’re just getting started as a system analyst and all you have is your bachelor’s degree, that’s fine. What you will do is tweak this section so that it shows more of your academic qualifications.

You do this by picking keywords from the job description in the job post and using them to guide you in writing this section. Right below the degree and university names, include the coursework which is closely related to the keywords you picked.

This tactic will make your resume more convincing despite not having much education or work experience.

Skills

Now to the last section: your skills.

What unique skills do you have which will make you stand out?

Although there are some common skills required in almost all professions, some are unique to system analysts.

Instead of just saying you’re good in communication, teamwork and the like, mention the more technical skills which will quickly capture the hiring manager’s attention.

Although the more common skills are not bad, start with the ones specific to system analysis and closely related to the keywords you have from the job post.

Here are some system analyst skills.

• System analysis and design
• Business intelligence analysis
• Business systems integration
• Project management
• Risk management
• Cost analysis
• Communication
• Cyber security
• Analytical skills
• Creativity
• Leadership
• Problem solving
• Interpersonal skills
• Critical thinking
• Data structures
• Network Administration

SYSTEM ANALYST RESUME SAMPLES

As we promised, we have two resume examples for you to check out and see how yours can look like.

The first is for a candidate fresh from university showing some work records and emphasis on academic qualification.

The second resume is of an experienced systems analyst highlighting the best of achievements. This is meant to convince the hiring manager of her suitability.

Entry-level system analyst resume sample

Experienced system analyst resume sample

CONCLUSION

Now that you’ve seen the kind of resume you ought to write, pick one of our resume templates and write yours. Our templates will help your resume both beautiful and professional.