Business Analyst Resume Keywords (Action Verbs + ATS Examples)
BA bullets should emphasize facilitation: elicited, documented, validated, facilitated—paired with artifacts and savings.
Elicitation & facilitation verbs
Core BA work.
- elicited requirements
- facilitated workshops
- interviewed stakeholders
- documented
- mapped processes
- validated assumptions
- signed off
- prioritized needs
- translated
- aligned teams
Weak: Gathered requirements
Strong: Facilitated workshops producing signed BRD for billing with 14 acceptance criteria.
Weak: Talked to stakeholders
Strong: Elicited pain points from finance; translated into user stories for two squads.
Analysis & quantification verbs
When BAs quantify outcomes.
- quantified savings
- estimated ROI
- benchmarked
- modeled scenarios
- reconciled
- validated data
- identified gaps
- assessed risks
- tracked benefits
- measured adoption
Weak: Analysis
Strong: Quantified automation ROI; secured funding for RPA reducing 1,000+ hours annually.
Weak: Benchmarked
Strong: Compared vendor SLAs; recommended switch saving $200k/year.
Change & rollout verbs
Implementation BAs.
- supported UAT
- coordinated rollout
- trained users
- managed change
- cut over
- monitored adoption
- resolved defects
- triage
- documented runbooks
- handed off
Weak: UAT
Strong: Ran structured UAT with defect triage by severity; achieved sign-off before cutover.
Weak: Training
Strong: Delivered playbooks reducing post-launch support tickets 30%.
Governance & compliance verbs
Enterprise-heavy BAs.
- ensured compliance
- audited controls
- documented traceability
- maintained RACI
- reviewed policies
- mitigated risks
- tracked approvals
- supported audits
- enforced standards
- managed exceptions
Weak: Compliance
Strong: Mapped controls to requirements for SOX audit; zero findings on traceability.
Weak: Governance
Strong: Maintained RACI for cross-functional workflow reducing handoff delays.
Weak BA phrasing
Replace with artifacts.
- helped projects
- supported business
- general analysis
- made slides
- attended meetings
- miscellaneous tasks
- familiar with BPMN
- worked on requirements
Weak: Supported project
Strong: Owned BRD sections for order-to-cash; drove sign-off across finance and ops.
Weak: Made documentation
Strong: Published process maps used as baseline for automation vendor RFP.
Where to use these keywords (ATS + readability)
Experience bullets
Link verbs to artifacts: BRD, process map, dashboard, UAT plan.
Experience bullets
Quantify: hours saved, dollars, defects, cycle time.
Summary
Name domains: finance, healthcare, supply chain.
Skills
Verbs belong in bullets; tools stay in skills.
Experience bullets
Use ‘facilitated’ when you led workshops, not just attended.
Common mistakes
- Vague ‘communication skills’ without facilitation examples.
- Requirements verbs without sign-off or acceptance criteria.
- Missing UAT/change verbs for rollout-heavy roles.
- Passive voice hiding ownership.