System Analyst Resume: Samples and Writing Guide

Without the best system analyst resume, you’ll blend into the source code and nobody will call. Then all the great Scrum, Visio, and cross-functional teamwork will pass you by. Why? Because tech hiring teams have stacks of resumes as tall as server racks. 

But here’s the upside—use your resume to show you know a function from a for-loop, and you’ll shine. You’ll get so many offers you’ll need Hadoop to track them. Does that sound like fantasy? Not if you follow the right plan.

Let’s make it happen.

You’re about to see a systems analyst resume example you can change to fit any systems analyst position. You’ll also get easy steps to write a resume for system analyst jobs that’ll land 10x more interviews than any other.

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.

Sample computer system analyst resume—See more templates and create your resume here.

Need a slight twist on a computer system analyst resume? See these guides:

• Computer Engineering Resume
• Computer Science Resume
• Data Analyst Resume
• Devops Resume
• IT (Information Technology) Resume
• IT Director Resume
• IT Manager Resume
• Network Administrator Resume
• Network Engineer Resume
• Scrum Master Resume
• Solution Architect Resume
• System Administrator Resume
• Best Samples of Resumes Examples for Different Jobs

Sample System Analyst Resume (Text Version)

Now, here’s how to write a systems analyst resume step-by-step.

1. Start With the Right Format for a System Analyst Resume

Use the wrong format in a system analyst resume and you’re borked. Why? The hiring team’s first clue that you can handle things is formatting. Consider—you’d know something was wrong in nanoseconds if a page of code had zero line breaks. Hiring managers do the same with poor formatting.

So—

Here’s how to format a system analyst resume template:

• Format: start with the reverse-chronological resume format to put Procore-level accomplishments in the right place.
• Line spacing: 1 to 1.15.
• Fonts: use resume fonts like Trebuchet or Garamond.
• Font size: 11–12 points.
• Resume headings: 13–14 points.
• White space: include it between your sections.
• Resume margins: 1 inch on right, left, top, and bottom.
• File type: send PDF resumes to all jobs unless they tell you different. (PDFs don’t break their formatting when you resize them.)

Create these resume parts:

• Header: show your contact information including LinkedIn.
• Summary: quickly highlight your finest points.
• Experience: add systems analyst achievements you’re proud of.
• Education: show the parts that convey systems analyst skills.
• Skills: tout the ones the company is hunting.
• Added sections: if you’ve written IT articles or done volunteer work, show it.

When should you use the combination resume format? See our guide: How to Pick the Best Resume Format

2. Add Experience to Your System Analyst Resume

If you want to stop the job search silence, I have something to tell you. You can’t just describe your last few jobs and hope it works. It won’t. You’ve got to hardwire your systems analyst resume to the job with key moments from your work history. This is where your written communication skills will get you hired.

To tailor your resume:

• Write your most recent job title first.
• Add the company’s name, and the years and months you worked there.
• Include a mini job description that shares your job duties.
• Create up to 6 bullet points.
• Write your bullet text with the PAR (Problem-Action-Result) formula.
• Code in some system analyst achievements.

See these senior system analyst resume samples:

System Analyst Job Description for a Resume

All your base are belong to us! The first of those is a quantum computer and the other is a palm pilot. See how the format makes a great UX? And those numbered achievements put you over the top into Ultimate Software land.

In an entry-level system analyst resume, use the same routine with non-systems-analyst jobs. So if you were an insurance underwriter, don’t talk about your underwriting duties. Brainstorm the times you did IT or software jobs, or liaised between the tech gurus and the suits. That’s how you get hired.

See these entry-level systems analyst resume examples:

Entry-Level System Analyst Resume Samples [Experience]

Oh-oh. Look who’s about to get that juicy systems analyst role on a beryllium platter and who’ll be eating Ramen. But it’s all about those transferable skills.

Pro Tip: Sometimes starting a resume is scary. But it’s as simple as focusing on the end. Go all the way down to figuring out what skills to use. Those are the foundation of your resume. 

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building your resume here.

Create my resume now

When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

Can you list volunteer work in your work experience? See our guide: How to Show Experience on a Resume

3. Make Your Education Section Count

If you’re an entry-level systems analyst, you can bet your flowchart your education section matters. In an experienced systems analyst resume, it’s still your silver bullet. Why? Because 90% of the candidates you’re up against will blow it. Beat them by adding IT and software achievements to your education.

See these information systems analyst resume examples:

System Analyst Resume Example [Education]

Can you see the value? If you just list “Staten Island University” and your degree, you’re missing out. But the example above will make the hiring manager think, “Wow, this woman is a prodigy.”

Pro Tip: 99% of applicants think lying on a resume is fine. Don’t do it. You may get more interviews, but they’ll spot the lies in the conference room. Then you’re blackballed.

Should you show extracurriculars in the education in your system analyst resume? See our guide: How to List Extracurricular Activities on a Resume

4. Put the Right Skills in Your Systems Analyst Resume

This next part is so important. Yet so many applicants drop the ball. Ready? Take the time to learn the perfect system analyst skills for your resume. Trust me, this is everything. Without targeted skills throughout your sections, your job search is as dead as ALGOL.

So—

Start with this list of skills for system analyst resumes:

System Analyst Resume Skills (Hard Skills)

• Solution Development
• Product Management
• In-depth Analysis
• Performance Evaluation
• Technical Writing
• PACS Support
• System Integration
• Server Management
• Standardized Work Creation
• IT Security
• Technical Skills
• IT Skills

System Analyst Skills (Soft Skills)

• Interpersonal Skills
• Detail Oriented
• Teamwork Skills
• Problem Solving
• Written and Verbal Communication
• Active Listening
• Time Management
• Critical Thinking
• Organizational Skills
• Conceptual Skills

But don’t stop there.

Here’s how to pick the best system analyst skills:

1. Read the job ad like the secret of Bill Gates’ success is in it.
2. Circle the system analyst skills it mentions.
3. List the skills you know you have.
4. Connect the dots between your lists. Those are your job-wrangling resume keywords.
5. Include soft skills and hard skills.
6. Put them in your resume skills list.
7. Also add them to your bullet points.
8. Prove them beyond with IT and software accomplishments.

See this system analyst resume example:

Pretend the company wants process cataloguing, end-user needs defining, and software functionality rollout.

System Analyst Resume Examples [Skills]

“When can you start?” System analyst skills on a resume like that will get you hired. Another tip? Use numbers like 95% and 12 as in the example above. They give scale to your argument. And use resume action words like cataloged and oversaw. Nobody ever got the job for handling things.

Pro Tip: When listing computer skills on a resume, be specific—mention the software, operating systems, and programming languages you can use.

Should you put Jira on your information system analyst resume? See our guide: +30 Best Examples of What Skills to Put on a Resume. 

Want more specifics on how skills differentiate for your resume? See our guide: Hard Skills vs Soft Skills: List of Best Examples for the Workplace.

5. Add Other Sections to Your System Analyst Resume

Shocker—the HR crew won’t hire a system analyst. Wait, what? That’s right. They’ll hire a person. If you draw the line at work history and education in a system analyst resume, you don’t look like one. That’s where your sneaky “other” sections come into play. Show HubSpot-worthy accomplishments that share your human side.

Choose from:

1. Resume Certifications & Licenses

Certifications on a systems analyst resume can’t sub for experience. But they can put your entry-level resume three rungs above the rest. Consider these options:

• MCSA
• Software Development
• Information systems design and development
• Data Modeling
• Project Management
• Information System Analyst

2. Professional Associations

Show you’re the kind of systems analyst who rolls your sleeves up and tackles the big jobs. A pro association like AIS is shorthand for, “I get things done.” It’s also great for job networking. 

3. Resume Volunteer Work

Volunteering is another way to show you’re a self-starter. Chipping in for youth sports or local libraries looks great in a resume for system analyst jobs.

4. Conferences

Listing conferences like PMBA or the FNCBA can show you’re fired up about system needs and documenting. If you spoke on a panel or volunteered there, add that to your resume.

5. Awards and Honors

Did you win a coding challenge or a company award? Add these to your system analyst resume to show Robt-Pike-level competence.

6. Publications on a Resume

Systems analysts are communicators. You speak geek, and you translate it for the suits. Publications in blogs and magazines can prove your communication skills are in the Steve Jobs zone.

See these systems analyst resume samples:

System Analyst Resume Examples [Other Sections]

Pro Tip: Did you graduate magna cum laude? Summa cum laude? Should you put cum laude on a resume? Yes—but there’s a time, a place, and a right way.

You can put your college minor on a resume too. See our guide: How to List a Minor & Major on a Resume

6. Write a System Analyst Resume Objective or Resume Summary

The bad news? All this root-level advice will count for nothing if the HR team doesn’t read your resume. That’s where a systems analyst resume summary or resume objective can help. It can get the manager to pump the brakes and read your resume in full. But so many applicants write buggy ones.

Here’s how to write a career summary:

1. Begin with an adjective like skilled or insightful.
2. Add your title (systems analyst).
3. Include years of experience (8, 1+, 3).
4. State your goal for the role (implement cost-saving measures).
5. Mention the company’s name.
6. Inject your proudest systems analyst achievements (saved the company $2 M).

See these senior systems analyst resume examples:

System Analyst Resume Summary

Analysis? One of those is Robert-Love-level. It gives a quick picture of who you are. It answers the question, “What makes you so special?” But the second throws an error. It just answers, “How many adjectives do you know?”

In an entry-level system analyst resume, write a career objective. Not sure what that is? It’s easy. Just do the same as the above. But cite your tech achievements from school or from distantly-related jobs. For instance, let’s say you were a programmer, but you trained a lot of C-suite types to use the software.

See these examples:

Entry-Level System Analyst Resume Objective

Example #2 is standard gibberish. To prove you know your way around a virtual machine, stick with #1. It shows an analyst achievement from an underwriter job.

Read more: Should I Put a Picture on My Resume?

7. What About a System Analyst Cover Letter?

Every system analyst resume needs a cover letter. Why? Because of HR statistics. They show you’ll nearly double your chance to get a callback if you add a letter. But there’s a trick to it. You can’t just write, “My resume is enclosed.” You’ve got to share the right facts in a good cover letter format.

To write a cover letter:

1. Format your cover letter first.
2. Start your system analyst cover letter with the HR manager’s name.
3. Create a catchy first paragraph for your cover letter.
4. Use paragraph two to show you know all about the job.
5. Add an offer to the end of your cover letter.

Pro Tip: You should name a cover letter file with your name, the company name, and the open position. Separate them all by hyphens for readability. 

Need more systems analyst resume and cover letter ideas? See our guides: How To Write A Cover Letter in 8 Simple Steps and How to Make a Resume: A Step-by-Step Guide

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key Takeaway

Here’s a recap of how to write a system analyst resume:

• Format your system analyst resume template in reverse-chronological order.
• Get the right system analyst skills from the job listing online.
• Create your work experience section first. Fit it to the job like an HTTP request with tailored achievements.
• To drop jaws like Barry Boehm, add metrics to your job description.
• Use your education to prove a few more skills.
• Add “other” resume sections with perks like publications or an AIS membership.
• Write a system analyst cover letter to shorten your job search.

That’s it! Now, we’d love to hear from you: 

• What’s the worst part about writing a systems analyst resume? 
• Do your achievements seem sleepy?
• Do you think your cover letter feels a little glitchy?

Let’s chat below in the comments, and thanks for reading!