Business Analyst cover letter example

The best business analysts are like modern-day soothsayers. They are led by statistics and driven by data. Their spreadsheets never lie. So, when it comes to reading a business analyst cover letter, what would a hiring manager expect to read?

In the complex modern corporate world, business analysts are the intrepid explorers with a toolkit of the latest tech and a determination to get to the bottom of any situation. If something isn’t going quite as planned, businesses can rely on them to work out why and then come up with some suggestions of how to fix it. This demands a level of detachment and objectivity that few employees who are wedded to their functional responsibilities can offer.

Whether they are ensuring that an investment project stays on track, increasing operational efficiencies, overseeing acquisition opportunities or helping transform the technological landscape of their employers, business analysts are always one step ahead of the action.

As the best way to stay one step ahead of hiring decisions for the position you are seeking, your business analyst application letter is the place to showcase all of the unique strengths that your resume can’t fully convey. As a synopsis and a hook, the complementary cover letter should capture the essence of your attributes and the recruiter’s attention before your resume is even seen.

In this cover letter guide, along with the corresponding business analyst cover letter examples, we’ll cover the following topics.

• Showing how behavioral skills and technical excellence translate into project success
• Showcasing your cutting-edge analytical techniques and process management knowhow
• Putting stakeholders at the heart of your work
• Emphasizing how your IT and software expertise sets you apart from your peers
• The best cover letter format and what paragraphs it should include
• How to maximize the effect of each cover letter paragraph: header, greeting, introduction, body and conclusion
• Psychology of cover letter writing
• Mistakes to avoid when writing your business analyst cover letter.

If you are writing your cover letter at the same time as your resume, as we suggest that, it is well worth looking at our resume guide.   

You are also encouraged to spend a few minutes reading our more general guide to cover letters. What are a few of the initial things that a business analyst should think about when they sit down to write their cover letter? 

How to write a business analyst cover letter

What are a few things business analysts should think about when they sit down to write their cover letter? What will make the greatest impact on a hiring manager? 

Your first impulse might be to fill the page with a list of software applications that you use. But that’s not a good idea. First, it’s a waste of space in failing to demonstrate the impact of your efforts on your colleagues and the bottom line. Second, it’s likely to be a turn-off. A lot of jargon and technical obscurity will impress only the most narrow-minded of technocrat bosses, who are probably nowhere in sight yet. Remember, your cover application letter will be read by HR professionals, who won’t know the difference between MySQL and Tableau. Their eyes will glaze over at the first mention of Linux. Wasn’t that a character in the Snoopy cartoons? There they go ... distracted already.

There is definitely a place for your deep technical expertise, and that is the skills section of your resume. Your cover letter on the other hand, is all about the value of those skills for your future employer. How will your technical wizardry change behaviors to ultimately gain a commercial advantage for a more profitable bottom line?

Here's what your future employer does not need — a technical whiz whose head is in a spreadsheet, out of touch with the real impact of those calculations in the real world. So that's the wrong way to come across in your business analyst cover letter. Instead, demonstrate the difference you can make as the organization’s "thinking link" between stakeholders, technology and deliverables.

Most business leaders recognize that valid analyses of problems are not hard to come by. Too many business analysts stick too close to reporting obvious conclusions, which seldom yield market-leading outcomes.

Your cover letter should portray you as having the courage of your analytical convictions when working on projects. Further, your findings have resulted in the type of change that would otherwise have been unlikely. A business analyst who echoes all the other business analysts out there will not move the needle. 

And the deliverables you cite in your cover letter should be backed up by the cold, hard profit numbers behind your analytical brilliance. After all, that’s why you are being paid to be a business analyst. Just be sure those figures are sufficiently impressive. If you worked for a smaller business, where the absolute numbers might seem underwhelming, indicate percentages and competitive comparisons to give the fuller picture.

Best format for a business analyst cover letter

Just as your business analyses follows a logical structure, so you should a cover letter be formatted in clearly defined sections. These are the key components.

• The cover letter header
• The greeting
• The introduction
• The body of the letter
• The conclusion
• The signature

Our overall guide on cover letters offers some more general information, but here are some specific ideas for business analyst job applicants to make the most of each section.

Cover letter header

Even if you know how to search for valuable data buried in the depths of a spreadsheet, the contact information on your business analyst cover letter should be easy for any recipient to find instantly. The cover letter header, which appears at the top, contains the same information as your resume: name, email and phone number. It's essential to have these contact details on both documents in case they become separated, and because the inspiration to contact you could  hit the recruiter at any time when looking at one or the other.

There is also the matter of the recruitment applicant tracking systems (ATS). This is the software used by most larger employers to screen large numbers of job applications submitted online. Your document header will be the starting point for any automated system to scan and catalogue job applicant information into the employer's database. No HR person is going to sit down and do this manually. Even if you are not a fit for this particular job, your name and contact information will be retained in the database for future roles you may be suitable for.

You do not have to include your full home address in the cover letter header - there are data protection issues here. You can share it when you get to the offer stage. Equally, the inside address of the employer is not required. You will be sending the cover letter by email, after all. Conventions change.

There's yet another valuable purpose for your cover letter header — not just its prominent placement but the space surrounding it. This creates a visual and mental pause for the reader before getting into the letter details. White space has been proven to make a difference in messaging perception, so readers are not bombarded with a wall of text.

Cover letter greeting and introduction

The formality of a business analyst’s communication style should be reflected in your cover letter greeting. Starting with the more formal “Dear” instead of an informal “Hi” is a given.

But things get a little trickier if you do not know who the cover letter recipient is, because ideally the greeting should address that person by name. We encourage you to make every effort to find out who will be responsible for hiring decisions, even if no name or position title is provided on the job application. 

Try checking the employer website or even make a phone call to the company. If you are still unable to come up with any names of an individual or group (such as a department), we suggest “Dear <Company Name> Hiring Manager” or “Dear <Company Name> Team” rather than the cold and impersonal “To whom it may concern.” It's an acceptable compromise between formal and unfriendly.

When it comes to the introduction, just as you would ease into any business analytical findings with some introductory background, resist jumping straight into your fantastic achievements in the first few lines of your cover  letter. First introduce yourself and set the scene a little.

Your business analyst cover letter introduction should indicate that you have relevant industry experience, and  hint that you would be a good fit for the culture of the hiring organization. Offer a bit of insight into your personality and how you go about your work.

This is the foundation for the employment case you are about to build. Set out some of the basic reasons why you should be considered, before presenting the meatier arguments to follow. No business analyst would be let into the board room unless stakeholders were expecting something interesting to report. So, your cover letter introduction must make the reader pay attention with curiosity to read on.

Cover letter middle part (body)

The body of your business analyst cover letter should not only impress the reader with what you have achieved, but also with the route you took to get there. With so many analytical tools at your disposal, pick examples of achievements  that could set you apart from other job applicants. 

The hiring manager should be thinking, “Wow, that’s amazing! I would never have thought to use that tool in this way. I wonder how this analyst might set about shining a light on our issues.” 

Show that you have gone beyond the average conclusions to reveal a level of analytical detail that would not otherwise see the light of day. You are being hired to offer exceptional incremental value, so the highlights in your cover letter body should be deeply insightful.

This is also the place to show off you knowledge of obscure software tools and the relevant training you’ve undertaken. The more tools in your analytical arsenal, the more effective your analysis will be.

Show that you work well with others, which will likely be an expectation of the successful business analyst candidate. 

How to close a business analyst cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)

The concluding lines of your business analyst cover letter should answer the question: what impact would you make on this future employer? Mention a project in which your assistance would be valuable. List a few things that you would like to investigate, or suggest possible improvements to this employer’s reporting techniques.

Every analyst in any business should bring something extra to their employer, so identify something unique and beneficial to create a memorable bookend for the letter. Intrigue this employer with something that could form a talking point for an interview.

Finally, believe in your job application and ask for an interview. Including a polite but forceful call to action shows  you are in charge of your job search and that you are likely to have other opportunities. A meek and hopeful letter will impress no one, and while you shouldn’t be overly presumptuous, there is nothing wrong with saying that you would welcome an interview. Hopefully, the hiring manager will be interested in meeting you, too.

Your business analyst cover letter now ends with a simple sign-off such as, “Best regards,” “Best,” or “Sincerely.”

Basic mistakes in a business analyst cover letter

Any calculation error a business analyst makes can lead to significant losses down the line. So it is understandable that any cover letter mistake might lead to worrying conclusions for a potential employer. Here are some common ones to avoid:

1. Mind your language. Mistakes in spelling, grammar and punctuation should not come with the territory for employers about to hire an incredibly expensive resource to solve potentially impossible problems. Although your grasp of the English language may have little or no impact on your analytical ability, it does reflect on your overall intellect and professionalism. Use a tool like Grammarly and check though your punctuation with a fine-tooth comb.
2. Think about the presentation. A cover letter page filled with nothing but text is no more effective than a PowerPoint slide crammed with too many words. Business analysts have to understand the art of presentation, and appreciate that the brain needs some space to take in what has been written. The white space on a cover letter has a powerful purpose. Keep it short and sweet.
3. Don’t present a perfect world. If you use language that makes you sound like some sort of super-person, readers will be suspicious. Present yourself in a realistic way. The stories you tell should hint at  obstacles as well as the home runs. You won’t always get every single call right; it is how you deal with the disappointments that counts.

Key takeaways

1. Make sure your business analyst cover letter content is a blend of the technical and behavioral.
2. Display your understanding that data-driven attitude starts by asking the right people the right questions.
3. Back up your highlights of analytical successes with evidence of the financial benefits that they brought.
4. Pick examples that set you apart from the competition and impress your employer.
5. Give the reader the impression that you are an indefatigable problem solver.

With Resume.io, writing your business analyst cover letter just got a whole lot easier. Use our efficient cover letter builder tool, and one of our industry-leading cover letter templates today.