Business Resume Examples, Template & Writing Guide for 2024

The iconic Steve Jobs once said, "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life." His story of co-founding Apple, being terminated, and eventually being hired back as CEO inspires many like-minded individuals to seek a career in the business industry. However, before they prepare their TED talk speeches, they'll have to embark on their career path by writing a solid business resume.

The daily job duties of business advisors, analysts, and development managers are incredibly diverse – mainly based on the industry, the company, and the specific scope of the position. However, a business leader's task is simply to improve revenue for a company.

Many future job candidates struggle to write professional business resumes. However, when you understand the planning, structure, format, and keyword strategy that goes into building a modern business professional resume, it's easier than you'd think.

This will be our mission with this article on writing business resumes. Our primary objective is to provide you with the tips and tools to write a stunning and convincing business description resume. We'll supply a few business resume examples, how each is formatted, which sections are required, and some helpful tips on articulating your strengths.

Business Resume Examples

Business managers must be exceptional communicators – both spoken and written, have fantastic time management skills, hold people accountable, and possess excellent follow-up ability. Sometimes they will be asked to set business goals, create schedules, forecasting, implement business programs, assign leads, possibly work with a regional business manager, and even hire entry-level business associates.

That is a lot of experience and skills to pack into a single resume. Now, add the diversity in specific business-industry jobs, such as business systems analyst or business development manager, and the resume can become even more convoluted.

However, it doesn't have to be this way.

In fact, regardless of the type of business job you're seeking, your resume should follow a similar structure and layout and include relevant samples of experience, education, coursework, or certifications (if applicable).

To prove this, we've compiled three examples of business resumes. The first is for a business systems analyst. The second is a business development manager. And the third is for a business intelligence analyst.

Let's take a closer look at all three.

Business Systems Analyst

Business Systems Analysts oversee the company's business operations analysis and development. These analytical specialists have a business and technological knowledge base. They are sometimes referred to as Systems Analysts. Establishing system processes is one of the responsibilities.

This resume is for a mythical job candidate living in Arizona named Kim. There are a few important items that stand out.

• First, the entire resume is clean, neat, organized, and flows from start to finish.
• Second, her business systems analyst objective is focused 100% on her key accomplishments. This is an excellent example of a resume summary for a senior business analyst. Entry-level positions should focus on their education, interpersonal traits, and work ethic.
• Third, her work history section displays relevant experience from two jobs – in the retail eCommerce space.
• Finally, her references are from those previous jobs – meaning she's ethical, left previous positions on a positive note, and holds the respect of former employers.

When comparable applicants are evaluated for an interview, attention to detail and personalization on a resume make a huge difference. Hiring managers and recruiting companies appreciate individuals who go out of their way to demonstrate passion, business analytical abilities, and past employer references.

Business Development Manager

A company's development process is a crucial component of its success. These individuals produce new sales leads, negotiate client pricing, and forecast sales revenue to help organizations maximize their profits. One of the most important business development manager's responsibilities is assisting businesses in maximizing their earnings through B2B and B2C partnerships.

The sample resume above is for Jay, our mythical candidate who is a business development manager in the pharmaceutical industry. Looking at his resume, you can see a clear difference in his approach to articulating his experience.

• Instead of focusing on analytical data and numbers (like the first resume showcases), he paints a broad picture of business development manager skills and expertise.
• He carefully inserts several keywords of action verbs, such as strategic planning, forecasting, and supporting sales teams. These are all vital attributes of the best development managers.
• His work experience is like Kim's above – where he provides relevant experience in Pharma – which we'll assume he is applying for as he submits his resume. However, he doesn't limit his abilities to this specific sector of healthcare. In his bullet points, he focuses on tasks, skills, and abilities that successful business development managers use in multiple consumer segments.
• With his education, Jay has listed his highest completed education, a bachelor's degree in Pharmacology. However, he has enhanced his resume in a separate courses section – which introduces his Customer Relationship Management course, along with earning an MBA at Stanford University.

This is optional, as you can list all education in the same section – or highlight higher specialty education in a courses section.

Business Intelligence Analyst Resume

A Business Intelligence Analyst, or a Business Intelligence Specialist, is responsible for obtaining and analyzing information within an organization. Their responsibilities include organizing data points, connecting management and the IT department, and analyzing data to determine company requirements.

Sometimes this job title is confused with the previously listed business systems analysis. However, there is a slight difference in their scope of work and specialization.

Business intelligence is the process of utilizing historical data to make decisions about how a firm should operate today. In contrast, a business analyst may utilize historical data to forecast what will happen in the future or how an organization can develop.

Looking at the resume sample above, we can see a different resume template. That's the flexibility of CVMaker.com's resume builder. You can select between nine unique template styles.

Within the resume context, you'll notice that it follows a similar pattern to the two sample business resume examples.

Case in point, all three have listed the applicants' contact information first, followed by a well-written resume summary, relevant work history in reverse chronological order with supporting bullet-points, education, course work relevant to their expertise, skills, and finally, references.

How to Write a Business Resume that Works in 2024: Full Guide to a Successful Business Professional Resume

We've touched on what skills and experience should be included in an impactful business manager resume – but how do you put it all together? What sections should be included in a resume – and in which order?

For starters, a great business resume needs to articulate a few crucial details:

1. The candidate has the experience required to not only analyze business operations effectively, but manage others, set business goals, and find creative ways of obtaining those expectations.
2. The candidate needs to have the proper education required for the position.
3. Must showcase exceptional communication skills – especially in today's digital age of electronic communication.

You'll have to include a few important sections on your resume to articulate these facts through your job search. Although each company might require different information on your business skills resume, most should include the following sections.

• Personal Contact Information – This will include your basic contact details – and MUST match the same information you've listed on the job application and cover letter.
• Resume Summary – Business professionals understand how crucial a well-written elevator pitch is for closing deals and convincing people of your analytical thinking. The resume summary is your elevator pitch for the job you're hoping to obtain.
• Work History – The work experience section can be the make-it or break-it section for a business management position. The key is to choose relevant experience specific to the job or industry you hope to join and showcase leadership skills within the content. If you’re lacking work history, internships are great to include within your resume format.
• Education – In the education section, you should list the highest school level you've completed. However, it's acceptable to list all professional degrees if you choose. Listing your GPA is not needed.
• References – The references you choose should include (2) individuals who can testify to your leadership of business teams and (1) who will vouch for personality and character. However, it's best practice to select two professional references first. Listing their contact information on the resume is also optional.
• Skills – The skills you list on the resume should be those that help you become an exceptional business professional.

Any business resume should contain the primary parts listed above. However, it is essential to study each job advertisement carefully, as it will point you to any necessary elements that are not included in the top six. We propose using a master resume to keep you organized and assist you in developing your resume content.

This live word document allows you to write content, correct spelling and grammar, and fine-tune the formatting.

To begin, open a new word document or your favorite writing program. The major sections should be labeled and written in bold type on the document. You'll then be ready to include relevant material in each section.

Let's break down each of the sections listed above.

Section #1 – List Your Contact Information

Accurately and attentively are two essential talents that every business professional must have. The first thing on your resume is a chance to show that you have the skills necessary for the position. Your contact information will also be included in your application and cover letter during your job hunt.

The most crucial thing to take away is that all three documents must be maintained consistently. Suppose your resume and application do not include the same contact information. In that case, hiring managers will notice this as a lack of care for details.

How to Format This Section

The resume's personal information section and all application-specific papers should include your full name, mailing address, email address, and mobile phone number. Whether or not you've been asked to do so, don't list your social media profiles - such as Facebook or LinkedIn - on your resume. It's all about keeping it simple.

Section #2 – Resume Summary 

The best business experts recognize the need to adopt a pitch to their target audience. The resume summary or objective is your chance to showcase your qualifications, skills, expertise, and interpersonal skills that will permit you to be an asset to their business. This attention to detail may inspire a hiring manager or human resources department to contact you for an interview.

Of the three sample resumes posted above, we've chosen Kim's as a great example of a detail-oriented resume summary.

It begins by introducing her qualifications, then proceeds to showcase critical accomplishments. If something is missing that you may want to consider, it would be wrapping up this section with a few interpersonal skills that make you a great team player and an asset to the organization.

How to Format This Section

A resume summary should be four or five well-written sentences, approximately 150 to 200 words in length, with a professional yet conversational tone. Read this section aloud several times before you consider it finished. The objective of writing this portion as if you were speaking directly to a hiring manager during an interview.

Section #3 – Work History

The ideal candidate for a job has a positive work history that matches the position. Because they have knowledge of the client, products, and challenges unique to that consumer segment, business executives need prior industry expertise. The section of an executive business manager's resume devoted to work experience is where you should list relevant experience and show some notable 'wins' throughout the years.

As the contact information - maintaining consistency throughout your resume is critical. We recommend including the same previous employment used in your application. However, because the application is often restricted in space, you won't be able to expand on your scope, activities, or success tales.

This is the objective of a resume: to add more information that does not fit well on an application. On your company manager resume, you'll need to include the name of the firm, its location, dates of employment, job title, and perhaps a few key accomplishments.

We've selected Jay's business development resume sample for a practical example. As you can see in the sample resume section posted above, Jim has listed two previous business development manager jobs. The first is his current position, where you can clearly see that he's focused on showcasing his key accomplishments.

The second is an entry-level position within the same pharmaceutical industry. In the bullet points, he focuses on his tasks, which also are represented as keywords that will be searched for by automated software solutions used by many recruiting firms. While a perfect resume is the one that fits the application best, one that can infuse these terms above will be noticed among other candidates.

How to Format This Section

It's usually advised to list recent work experience in reverse chronological order, from the most recent job to the oldest. For a business leadership position, we'd recommend including two of your most recent - but proper employment positions.

Section #4 – Education

Most professional business resumes are going to include two higher education degrees. This is suggested especially in positions like intelligence analysts, where the candidate needs to understand IT or technical solutions.

However, best practices for writing resumes, in general, suggest listing only the highest level of education you've completed. If you have industry-specific training, it would be best to list this in a second section below – such as what our candidate has done in the sample.

In Jay's resume, he has listed his relevant education (or what's required for the position) in the education section. He then created a custom section called Courses – where he lists his Customer Relationship Management at Rice University and his MBA from Stanford University.

This is a good idea when you hold several specialty degrees that support your specific business sector. Suppose your education is focused on a single discipline, meaning you hold a bachelor's and master's degree in the same specialty. In that case, best practices suggest listing only the highest completed degree.

How to Format This Section

You'll notice on Jim's sample resume for a business development manager job that he has followed our advice above. He noted the location of his college, its name, graduation date, and the bachelor's degree earned. He then created the sub-section below Education and listed specific coursework that provides exceptional education based on the job requirements.

Section #5 – References

References are a section that can be included on both a resume and an application. It is critical to gather excellent references who can speak and vouch for your experience as a great business mind and leader. A total of two recommendations is ideal for a business leadership position. However, listing three - including two professional and one personal is acceptable.

As we noted, two of them should be professional – meaning they must provide credibility to your application and business management abilities. Ideally, these two references should come from previous jobs. The third should be a personal reference – or an individual who can speak clearly to your character.

You'll notice in Alex's resume that they have listed two previous managers from jobs listed on the work history section of their Business Intelligence Analyst resume. This sends a few essential signals to the company you're actively hoping to join. First, you've left a good impression on your former employer – and second, you left the job on good terms.

One item that Alex included - that you may want to omit is the contact information - including email and phone number. Due to recent issues with the privacy of references, it's best practice to list "Available Upon Request" under the reference name. If a future employer wishes to contact the reference, they'll contact you directly. At that point, you can supply their contact details.

How to Format This Section

Using a business resume template will help you format every section. A reference listing on a resume should be basic – just their name and where you know them from. As we listed above, it's not always the best idea to list personal reference contact information on a resume due to privacy reasons. Write "available on request" so the company can contact them if they receive their information directly.

Section #6 – Skills

Although skills are essential, they are more about checking a box than making an impact. Most of today's employers don't verify the abilities that a hopeful candidate claims to have. However, the skills portion is a valuable source of information. Many of today's hiring firms or online job posting websites use automated software solutions – that check for keywords and forward candidates for consideration.

The skills section of the resume is simple - make sure that keywords for those abilities or hard and soft skills are discovered in your document. Using a resume builder or template may assist you in listing the relevant talents and assigning a ranking or' ability level' to each one. This can be seen in Jay's example resume, which includes descriptions and ranks next to the skills.

How to Format This Section

Choose your top five to seven hard or soft skills for a business industry resume. The same as those mentioned in the preceding example are good to consider. However, if you are applying for a specialty position - such as a technology analyst, focus your skills on those important job tasks and technology. Format them as the last section of the resume or a sidebar when using a resume builder, if applicable.

Related Business Resume Templates

A well-written resume needs time, order, patience, and creative wordsmithing. Some people find it easier to understand by reading step-by-step instructions like the ones above. Others prefer to look at sample resumes, such as the three we published in this article. We're here to assist if you want to see professionally written resumes in similar business sectors.

Look at the business-related resumes. Take notes to apply some of the methodologies, language, or formatting ideas to your resume. This will help you develop the greatest resume possible, increasing your chances of getting that coveted interview.

Business Analyst Resume

Business Development Resume

Business Intelligence Analyst Resume

Business Consultant Resume

Business System Analyst Resume

Final Points on Writing Professional Business Resumes

With the knowledge above, we've provided you with a simple direction and road map to follow. It's about combining these tools and suggestions into a resume writing strategy that works for you. We propose creating a cover letter that will be attached to your resume as an introduction to your candidacy to the future employer.

So, to summarize, here are some key points when it comes to preparing and delivering a resume for a business position.

• Make sure the resume has a coherent structure from beginning to end.
• Always write your resume on a plain white background with black font.
• Edit the document SEVERAL TIMES. An excellent online tool we recommend is Grammarly.
• Ensure that it's well-spaced, organized, and professional.
• Finally, read it a few times before using the material in a resume builder or template.

Always remember – writing an engaging business resume will take a lot of time. The best way to reduce errors is to build that master resume first. This will give you the foundational content that you can optimize and fine-tune.