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Business Analyst resume skills and keywords

In 444 Business Analyst job postings from 277 employers analysed on October 23, 2026, the most requested skills are Communication (68 %), SQL (36 %), Agile (34 %), Problem Solving (30 %) and Business analysis (30 %). Of the top 40 skills, 29 are hard skills, tools or certifications and 11 are soft skills.

Download the full list as a CSV or check your own resume against a posting with the free keyword scanner.

Top 40 skills in Business Analyst job postings

Skills requested in 444 Business Analyst job postings, by share of postings
SkillShare of postingsType
Communication68 %Soft skill
SQL36 %Tool
Agile34 %Hard skill
Problem Solving30 %Soft skill
Business analysis30 %Hard skill
Leadership28 %Soft skill
User stories27 %Hard skill
Collaboration25 %Soft skill
Jira24 %Tool
Attention to detail23 %Soft skill
UAT22 %Hard skill
Acceptance Criteria20 %Hard skill
Requirements gathering19 %Hard skill
Stakeholder management19 %Soft skill
Project Management18 %Hard skill
Salesforce18 %Tool
Microsoft Excel17 %Tool
Solution Design16 %Hard skill
Mentoring16 %Soft skill
Process improvement16 %Hard skill
Data Analysis16 %Hard skill
Python16 %Tool
CRM15 %Hard skill
Continuous improvement15 %Hard skill
ERP14 %Tool
Confluence14 %Tool
Digital Transformation14 %Hard skill
Power BI14 %Tool
Tableau14 %Tool
Decision making14 %Soft skill
APIs14 %Hard skill
Prioritization13 %Soft skill
Change management12 %Hard skill
AI Tools12 %Tool
Flexibility12 %Soft skill
Analytical skills11 %Soft skill
Systems Integration11 %Hard skill
Software development11 %Hard skill
Process mapping10 %Hard skill
Scrum10 %Hard skill

Hard skills vs soft skills vs tools and certifications

Hard skills (19)

Soft skills (11)

Tools and software (10)

Keyword phrases recruiters use

Multi-word phrases that recur across these business analyst postings, with the share of postings that use each one.

non technical 17 %functional specifications 16 %user acceptance 15 %acceptance testing 14 %process flows 14 %data models 13 %future state 12 %financial services 12 %subject matter 11 %data flows 11 %both technical 10 %

How to use this on your resume

Treat the table as a checklist, not a script. Put the skills you genuinely have in your skills section, using the same wording as the posting, and back the top ones with a bullet that shows the result.

Each job posting differs from the average, so compare your resume with the actual ad: paste it into the resume keyword scanner to see which terms you already have and which are missing. The ATS keywords guide explains where to place them so applicant tracking systems read them.

Skip any skill you cannot talk about in an interview; a keyword that falls apart under one question costs more than it gains. For a full layout with these skills in context, see the Business Analyst resume example. Then prepare for the Business Analyst interview questions that test them.

Build a business analyst resume with these skills

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Business Analyst resume skills: FAQ

Which skills matter most for a Business Analyst resume?

In 444 Business Analyst job postings analysed on October 23, 2026, the most requested skills were Communication (68 %), SQL (36 %), Agile (34 %), Problem Solving (30 %) and Business analysis (30 %). Lead your skills section with the ones you can back up, and show them in your experience bullets too.

Should I list soft skills on a Business Analyst resume?

Yes, but prove them rather than list them. 11 of the top 40 skills in these postings are soft skills, led by Communication (68 % of postings). Show them through results in your bullets, for example a project you coordinated or a process you explained.

Which tools and certifications do Business Analyst postings ask for?

The tools and certifications named most often were SQL (36 %), Jira (24 %), Salesforce (18 %), Microsoft Excel (17 %), Python (16 %) and ERP (14 %). List the ones you have exactly as the posting writes them.

Where does this data come from?

From 444 public Business Analyst job postings at 277 employers, collected on October 23, 2026 from Greenhouse (280), Lever (117) and Ashby (47). A skill's share is the number of postings that mention it divided by 444. The data is updated quarterly and can be downloaded as a CSV.

Method and data

Source: 444 public job postings for business analyst roles (titles such as Business Analyst, Senior Business Analyst, Senior Business Analyst – Commercial P&C / MGA and Business Systems Analyst) at 277 employers, collected on October 23, 2026 from employer applicant tracking system job boards: Greenhouse 280, Lever 117 and Ashby 47. Employers in the sample include Encora, AvePoint, Capco, SpaceX, Accenture Federal Services and Coupang. A skill's share is the number of postings that mention it divided by 444. Updated quarterly. Download the data: business-analyst-resume-skills.csv (CC BY 4.0). Browse skills for other roles.