Too vague: Made reports.
More specific: Prepared [weekly or monthly] [report type] using [tool] and explained [specific measure] to [team or audience].
Use responsibly: Keep the cadence, tool, and audience true.
Role-specific CV playbook
Data Analyst CV Example
A data analyst CV should connect tools to the questions you answered and the decisions your analysis supported.
Important: These examples are teaching patterns, not a real candidate's employment history. Replace brackets with accurate details. Never add a credential, tool, result, or metric you cannot verify.
Role keywords to check against the actual vacancy
- SQL
- Spreadsheet analysis
- Data visualization tools
- Data cleaning and quality checks
- Stakeholder communication
These are prompts for comparison, not a list to paste blindly. Only include a skill when your experience supports it.
Professional summary structure
Data analyst with practical experience using [SQL or spreadsheet tool] to answer [type of business question]. Built [real report, dashboard, or analysis] and communicated findings to [audience you worked with].
Fill each bracket with your real background. Remove any phrase that does not describe you.
Weak vs stronger experience bullets
Too vague: Analyzed sales.
More specific: Cleaned [dataset] in [tool], checked [quality issue], and compared [metrics or segments] to answer [question].
Use responsibly: Do not add a business result that was not measured.
Too vague: Created a dashboard.
More specific: Built a [tool] dashboard showing [verified measures] and documented the filters and definitions for users.
Use responsibly: Name the measures only if they were actually present.
Checklist for this role
- List SQL and spreadsheet proficiency honestly.
- Mention data cleaning, not only visualization.
- Protect confidential employer data in portfolio examples.