Do I need a degree to be a data analyst?

Not always. Many analysts have degrees in maths, business or science, but employers also look at projects, tools and experience. Check the advert.

What if I have no analyst job yet?

Use projects with public data, coursework or analysis you did in another job. Show the question, the method and the result.

Which tools should I list?

SQL and Excel are common starting points, plus Power BI, Tableau or Python if you use them. List only what you can actually do.

Should I include a portfolio?

Yes, if you can. A short page with two or three projects and clear write-ups helps.

Data analyst CV example

A strong data analyst CV shows the questions you answered with data, the tools you used and what changed because of your work. It should name SQL, Excel or a dashboard tool, and show that you can explain findings to people who are not technical.

Kwame Mensah

Data analyst

01 — Profile

Data analyst with three years of experience at a housing association and a retail business, turning raw data into clear reports for managers. Uses SQL, Excel and Power BI every week, and has written simple Python scripts to clean data. Explains findings in plain language and checks the data before sharing it.

02 — Experience

Data Analyst

a housing association

Wrote SQL queries each week to pull repairs, rent and tenant data for the operations team

Built a Power BI dashboard showing repair jobs by area and how long each took, used in monthly management meetings

Found duplicate and missing records in the repairs data and cleaned them before reporting

Explained findings to housing managers in short written summaries and a monthly 15-minute presentation

Automated a weekly Excel report with a short Python script, saving around two hours each week

Junior Analyst

a retail business

Produced weekly sales reports in Excel using pivot tables and lookups

Checked figures against the finance team's numbers and flagged any differences

Learned SQL on the job and moved some manual reports into saved queries

Helped the buying team compare sales by store and product group

03 — Key skills

SQLExcel (pivot tables and lookups)Power BIPython (pandas) basicsData cleaningDashboards and reportsBasic statisticsPresenting to non-technical staffAttention to detail

Example · fictional candidate · Blueprint design · Use this design

Tips for a data analyst CV

Name the tools you use, such as SQL, Excel, Power BI, Tableau or Python, and say how you use them
For each project, describe the question, what you did with the data and what changed as a result
Show that you can explain numbers in plain English, because analysts often present to people who do not work with data
Mention how you check and clean data, as it shows you care about getting it right
If you are new to the field, link to a portfolio or GitHub with one or two projects that use public data
Keep numbers honest, and do not share private or confidential data from past employers

Applying with a cover letter? See our data analyst cover letter example.