Answering the question “what are analytical skills?” can be quite complicated, though they are most associated with workplace abilities and problem solving skills. These skills typically include decision making, attention to detail, researching skills, and critical thinking abilities to analyze a simple or complex problem and present an effective solution.
Strong analytical skills have become an essential part of life, not only in the workplace, but in everyday life such as home, school, relationships and more. These skills are essential to successfully fulfill your duties when looking to be self employed or obtain jobs for analytical thinkers such as finance, accounting, engineering, operations or marketing careers. Want to know how to put analytical skills on a resume? We’ve got you covered.
Defining The Problem
In today’s world of gaining competitive advantages, analytical skills help an applicant stand out during the job application process. Employers seek employees who are able to hold themselves accountable for results, thrive in a competitive environment, and can handle risk management. The benefits and values of having analytical personnel on board directly influences the success of the business under certain light. In most careers, having the ability to think critically, be creative, analyze data, communicate effectively and research purposefully make you an asset.
Even in regular day to day life, parents with young children are expected to possess analytical skills to make the most sound decisions that will positively affect and strengthen their family. This determines the direction of the company to be set towards forming strategic decisions, which is a concept many more companies are willing to on-board and train for than require as a prerequisite. When employers review sets of skills on resumes, it is important that they encounter skills that determine whether or not you are an effective communicator, quick to initiate presentation of solutions when problems arise.
When hiring, employers are always seeking the best candidates, not only to fill a specific position, but those who will be an asset and complement to the company. Whether a large worldwide corporation or a small local business, problems that arise are an inevitable aspect of business, which is why the best problem solving skills are fundamental.
Potential Solutions
When trying to write a data analyst resume, it is important to know what skills will get you hired- you can’t just say “good problem solver.” Your skills section needs to show off not only your technical skills but your interpersonal skills, organizational skills, and even research skills. Hard skills like these will wow any recruiter, and are a great resume builder even if you don’t have extensive experience in computer science or logical thinking. Some of the most relevant and common analytical skills are:
Data Collection
Accurate data and perspective is essential to effective analysis, and an effective analytical skills resume. Research and data collection skills are a key enabler to being successful in roles requiring analytical skills. This includes both being able to quickly and easily acquire information as well as validate it is correct. It’s a detail skill, and one that you’ll find on countless resume examples. Some potential analytical skills to list.
- Business Process Mapping
- Requirements Gathering
- Measurement Systems Analysis
- Market Research
- Competitive Intelligence
- Search Engine Optimization
- Web Scraping
- Benchmarking Analysis
Statistical Analysis
Statistical analysis is the analytical ability to look at data and identify the key trends. These types of data analysis require one to dig deeper and further into the surface and not simply understanding by reading, but to pinpoint the specific trends and making sense of them- a key skill in many jobs. This is one of just many relevant skills needed for jobs like data analyst or an analytical chemist. This analytical skill is most displayed in areas of:
- Statistical Analysis
- Statistical Modeling
- Regression Analysis
- Data Mining
- Hypothesis Testing
- Predictive Analytics
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking skills are something a hiring manager dies for. As one of the most important skills on resumes, critical thinkers are able to evaluate a situation or information and agree on a sound decision based on the information evaluated. One of the most transferable skills out there, it’s a soft skill but one that any job seeker needs to possess. These analytic skills are needed in:
- Root Cause Analysis
- Test Design
- Case analysis
- Deductive reasoning
Impact Analysis
It is not just enough to identify how to improve business performance; you need to be able to translate it into terms management will accept. This analytical thinking skill gets into the broad realm of financial analysis and other ways to demonstrate the value of your work and thinking. This is more than bragging – the success of the project revolves around using data to build a powerful case for change.
- Budgeting
- Activity Based Costing
- Management Accounting
- Breakeven Analysis
- Financial Modeling
- Strategic Planning
Communication
One of the most critical analytical thinking skills is having the ability to not only analyze something and fully comprehend it, but having the ability to relay that understanding to others through strong communication skills displays an advantage. Having strong written and oral communication is essential because you can convey patterns in data, give presentations or write a report. In effective communication, relevant skills include:
- Consulting Experience
- Analytical Leadership
- Change Acceleration Process
- Technical Writing
- Analytical Training
- Customer Service
Getting Stuff Done (Coding & IT)
While not strictly an analytical skill (more of a computer science skill), don’t neglect the impact of learning how to write code and deliver a project without the support of your friendly local IT organization. This can make a huge difference if you pursue a role with a smaller organization or a company that is going through a difficult time; you may find yourself “on your own” in terms of pulling data and implementing basic solutions. Even basic activities such as pulling data using SQL or advanced Excel modeling can set you apart. Here’s a rough list of some things to call out on your resume:
- SQL / Query Languages (Pulling Data)
- Basic scripting in Python or R
- C / C++ coding (good for high performance computing)
- Data Science / Machine Learning
- ETL (Extraction, Transfer, Load – moving data around the business)
- Cloud Server Management / AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- DevOps – Developer Operations, automating server setup
- Web Based Reporting (various business intelligence tools)
- MS Access (venerable but a potent landing pad for data)
- Google Analytics (or other web-based reporting packages)
- Robotic Process Automation certifications
Analyzing The Results
Today, there are plenty of opportunities and jobs for analytical thinkers because employers are consistently seeking candidates skilled at analytical thinking, and look out for these skills on resumes. it is important for the candidates to also understand that the ability to construct a resume that stands out and is attention grabbing is also a key factor. Some key methods to help your resume stand out:
- Display specific examples of being recognized/praised for quality or speed of work
- Describe high quality and experienced technically impressive projects
- Talk about leading or teaching projects
- Being trusted with important assignments that were critical to growth of company
- Quantifying your results because cold hard numbers tend to physically stand out
Rather than running through a bullet list of accomplishments, skills, responsibilities and credentials, these different ways will make your resume stand out from your competition and get you recognized quicker. It has become a norm for hiring managers to search for candidates with analytical thinking skills, so be sure to include it in your resume summary.
If you don’t already possess those skills, researching on how to improve analytical skills might be beneficial by giving an extra advantage. Contrary to popular belief, analytical skills are not always complex computer skills, some of the most basic analytical skills examples can range from creativity to critical thinking, which are skills many people possess. Taking the extra steps to highlight those natural skills, already being put to use in your everyday life, to enhance your resume and draw positive attention bring you closer to landing that job interview.
Drawing A Conclusion
Job seeking, writing cover letters, and resume building are processes many seem to dislike, but there are always different techniques to ease your stress, even if by a small bit. Lots of job descriptions ask for analytical skills, but they are just one’s problem solving process, whether in day to day life or in your work experience. From accounting to finance, engineering and more, there is a never ending list of jobs and careers that prerequisite analytical thinking. Employers value these set of skills for a number of reasons that include gaining the company an advantage against competitors, solving problems quickly, and preventing financial loss.
By listing these essential analytical skills on your resume, you’re one step closer to finishing that job search! With your knowledge and good analytical skills, you can handle any interview question they can throw at you! Any doubts or questions about your problem solving skills will be answered, and you’ll be on your way to getting hired!
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