Navigating through the diverse and complex visualisation options in Power BI can be a daunting challenge, especially when trying to effectively represent your data. Our detailed guide offers step-by-step instructions and expert tips to help you master visualisation choices that will make your data shine.
- Answer job requirements with your power bi CV and experience;
- Curate your academic background and certificates, following industry-leading CV examples;
- Select from +10 niche skills to match the ideal candidate profile
- Write a more succinct experience section that consists of all the right details.
Do you need more specific insights into writing your power bi CV? Our guides focus on unique insights for each individual role:
How complex should the format of your power bi CV be?
Perhaps, you decided to use a fancy font and plenty of colours to ensure your power bi CV stands out amongst the pile of other candidate profiles. Alas - this may confuse recruiters. By keeping your format simple and organising your information coherently, you'll ultimately make a better impression. What matters most is your experience, while your CV format should act as complementary thing by:- Presenting the information in a reverse chronological order with the most recent of your jobs first. This is done so that your career history stays organised and is aligned to the role;
- Making it easy for recruiters to get in touch with you by including your contact details in the CV header. Regarding the design of your CV header, include plenty of white space and icons to draw attention to your information. If you're applying for roles in the UK, don't include a photo, as this is considered a bad practice;
- Organising your most important CV sections with consistent colours, plenty of white space, and appropriate margins (2.54 cm). Remember that your CV design should always aim at legibility and to spotlight your key information;
- Writing no more than two pages of your relevant experience. For candidates who are just starting out in the field, we recommend to have an one-page CV.
One more thing about your CV format - you may be worried if your double column CV is Applicant Tracker System (ATS) complaint. In our recent study, we discovered that both single and double-column CVs are ATS-friendly . Most ATSes out there can also read all serif and sans serif fonts. We suggest you go with modern, yet simple, fonts (e.g. Rubik, Lato, Raleway) instead of the classic Times New Roman. You'll want your application to stand out, and many candidates still go for the classics. Finally, you'll have to export your CV. If you're wondering if you should select Doc or PDF, we always advise going with PDF. Your CV in PDF will stay intact and opens easily on every OS, including Mac OS.
PRO TIP
For certain fields, consider including infographics or visual elements to represent skills or achievements, but ensure they are simple, professional, and enhance rather than clutter the information.
The top sections on a power bi CV
- Professional Summary to quickly highlight expertise: It sets the stage with a concise overview of your skills and experience specific to Power BI roles.
- Core Competencies focus on specific Power BI skills: This section showcases technical abilities and keywords that match job descriptions.
- Professional Experience featuring Power BI achievements: It illustrates your practical experience with Power BI through past job accomplishments.
- Education and Certifications for credibility: Includes formal background and any Power BI-related certifications to establish qualifications.
- Power BI Projects and Portfolio to show real-world use: Provides concrete examples of Power BI work and its impact on business outcomes.
What recruiters value on your CV:
- Highlight your proficiency with Power BI tools by detailing specific projects where you've transformed data into visual insights and interactive reports.
- Emphasise your experience with DAX, data modelling, and Power Query, as these skills are essential for creating complex reports and dashboards in Power BI.
- Demonstrate your understanding of various data sources and your ability to connect, import, and manipulate data within Power BI, which is crucial for data preparation and analysis.
- Include any certifications or courses completed that are relevant to Power BI, such as the Microsoft Certified: Data Analyst Associate, to establish credibility and show commitment to the role.
- Detail how you've used Power BI to drive business decisions, such as identifying trends or improving operational efficiencies, to show the practical impact of your BI initiatives.
Recommended reads:
How to present your contact details and job keywords in your power bi CV header
Located at the top of your power bi CV, the header presents recruiters with your key personal information, headline, and professional photo. When creating your CV header, include your:
- Contact details - avoid listing your work email or telephone number and, also, email addresses that sound unprofessional (e.g. koolKittyCat$3@gmail.com is definitely a big no);
- Headline - it should be relevant, concise, and specific to the role you're applying for, integrating keywords and action verbs;
- Photo - instead of including a photograph from your family reunion, select one that shows you in a more professional light. It's also good to note that in some countries (e.g. the UK and US), it's best to avoid photos on your CV as they may serve as bias.
What do other industry professionals include in their CV header? Make sure to check out the next bit of your guide to see real-life examples:
Examples of good CV headlines for power bi:
- Power BI Analyst | Data Visualisation Expert | Certified | 4+ Years' Experience in Market Analytics
- Senior BI Developer | ETL Solutions | Microsoft Power BI Certified | Strategic Insights | 10 Years
- Data Analyst | Power BI Pro | Specialising in Financial Reporting | 6 Years' Experience
- Lead Data Strategist | Power BI Master | BI Implementation | 8+ Years in Data Science
- Junior BI Consultant | Power BI Enthusiast | DAX & SQL Proficient | 2 Years' Professional Analysis
- Business Intelligence Manager | Expert in Power BI and Big Data | 12+ Years in BI Solutions
Opting between a power bi CV summary or objective
Within the top one third of your power bi CV, you have the opportunity to briefly summarise your best achievements or present your professional goals and dreams. Those two functions are met by either the CV summary or the objective.
- The summary is three-to-five sentences long and should narrate your best successes, while answering key requirements for the role. Select up to three skills which you can feature in your summary. Always aim to present what the actual outcomes were of using your particular skill set. The summary is an excellent choice for more experienced professionals.
- The objective is more focused on showcasing your unique value as a candidate and defining your dreams and ambitions. Think about highlighting how this current opportunity would answer your career vision. Also, about how you could help your potential employers grow. The objective matches the needs of less experienced candidates, who need to prove their skill set and, in particular, their soft skills.
Still not sure about how to write your CV opening statement? Use some best industry examples as inspiration:
CV summaries for a power bi job:
- With over five years of experience as a Data Analyst, adept in the creation of impactful Power BI dashboards and reports, I bring a proven track record of utilising key business metrics to drive strategic decisions and improve operational efficiency.
- Accomplished Financial Analyst transitioning into the Power BI sphere, armed with a strong foundation in data-driven financial modelling, passionate about leveraging business intelligence tools to transform raw data into actionable insights.
- As a seasoned Marketing Manager with ten years' tenure, I am now pivoting to focus on Power BI and data visualisation to bolster marketing strategies with solid data analytics, drawing from extensive experience in market analysis and campaign management.
- Dynamic professional capable of designing and deploying comprehensive Power BI solutions, with a flair for synthesising complex dataset into intuitive visualisations, boasting a consistent record of delivering projects that enhance data accessibility and decision-making.
- Eager to embark on a career in business intelligence and data analysis, seeking an entry-level opportunity to apply my recent certification in Power BI and commitment to lifelong learning to assist in delivering robust data-driven solutions.
- Aspiring Business Intelligence Analyst, possessing a strong analytical mindset and foundational knowledge in data management, eager to further develop Power BI skills through active engagement in challenging projects that drive business growth.
How to meet job requirements with your power bi CV experience
We've now reached the essence of your actual CV - your experience section. This is the space where you can list your career roles and on-the-job successes. Many candidates tend to underestimate just how much time and effort they should put into writing this CV section. Your experience shouldn't be a random list of your responsibilities, but instead:
- Match the job description with your skills, values, and accomplishments;
- Start each bullet with a strong action verb, followed up with one key skill and your outcome of applying this skill;
- Spotlight parts of your career history that are relevant to the job you're applying for.
Before we move on, make sure to check out some professional CV experience sections.
Best practices for your CV's work experience section
- Designed and developed interactive Power BI dashboards with drill-down capabilities to enable company-wide insights, leading to a 20% reduction in decision-making time.
- Conducted data modelling using DAX to create complex measures and calculated columns, enhancing report accuracy and supporting advanced analytics.
- Leveraged Power Query to extract, transform, and load data from diverse sources, including SQL databases, Excel, and cloud services, ensuring a seamless and automated data refresh process.
- Implemented row-level security on Power BI reports to ensure compliance with data governance policies and protect sensitive information.
- Worked closely with cross-functional teams to gather requirements and translate business needs into tangible Power BI visualisations, resulting in a 30% increase in user satisfaction.
- Optimised Power BI dashboards for mobile viewing, supporting remote and on-the-go access for a distributed workforce.
- Provided Power BI training and documentation for end-users, facilitating self-service BI and fostering a data-driven culture within the organisation.
- Collaborated with IT to manage Power BI Gateway for data refresh scheduling, maintaining real-time data flow and system integrity.
- Utilised Azure Analytics services in conjunction with Power BI to handle big data, perform advanced analytics, and drive predictive modelling initiatives.
- Spearheaded the development of interactive dashboards and reports resulting in a 30% reduction in decision-making time for senior management at a Fortune 500 company.
- Created a comprehensive data warehouse using SQL Server that consolidated data from various sources, improving data retrieval times by 50%.
- Implemented row-level security within Power BI reports, ensuring compliance with data governance policies and protecting sensitive information.
- Led a cross-functional team in the design and deployment of a Power BI solution that tracked KPIs across sales, finance, and operations for a large retail chain.
- Developed custom DAX measures and calculations to uncover hidden insights in financial data, contributing to a 15% increase in profitability.
- Facilitated Power BI training sessions for 100+ business users, enhancing the company's self-service analytics capabilities.
- Integrated Power BI with existing enterprise systems to automate the reporting processes, saving over 200 man-hours per month.
- Collaborated on the creation of an executive dashboard that presented key financial metrics, influencing a shift in investment strategy.
- Conducted a thorough analysis of production data which identified bottlenecks, leading to a 20% increase in manufacturing efficiency.
- Developed a forecasting model within Power BI for inventory management that decreased stock shortages by 35%.
- Optimized ETL processes to feed data models in Power BI and reduced report generation time by over 65%.
- Worked closely with IT to implement an automated data refresh solution that ensured reports reflected real-time data, thereby improving operational responsiveness.
- Assisted in the migration of legacy BI systems to Power BI, improving report accuracy and availability.
- Created visualizations to display market trends for the marketing department, which were used to adjust campaign strategies dynamically.
- Maintained Power BI service by setting up data gateways and monitored the service health, providing uninterrupted access to business-critical reports.
Lacking professional expertise: how to write your CV to highlight your best talents
Don't count on your lucky stars when you're applying for a role, where you happen to have less (or almost none) professional experience. Recruiters sometimes do hire inexperienced candidates if they're able to present their unique value from the get-go. So, instead of opting for the traditional, CV experience section:
- List any applicable expertise you happen to have - no matter if it's a part-time job, internship, or volunteer work. This would hint to recruiters that your profile is relevant;
- Focus your CV on your transferrable skills or talents you've obtained thanks to your whole life and work experience. In effect, you'll be spotlighting your value as a candidate;
- Separate more space for your applicable academic background and certificates to show you have the technical know-how;
- Ensure that within your objective, you've defined why you'll like the job and how you'll be the perfect match for it. Always ensure you've tailored your CV to individual applications.
Looking for more good examples for your first job? We'll show you how other candidates, with less professional experience, have created their job-winning CVs.
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Describe how each job helped you grow or learn something new, showing a continuous development path in your career.
The CV skills' divide: between hard and soft skills
Of course, you may have read the job requirements plenty of times now, but it's key to note that there is a difference between technical and personal skills. Both are equally relevant to your job application. When writing about your skill set, ensure you've copy-pasted the precise skill from the job requirement. This would not only help you ensure you have the correct spelling, but also pass any Applicant Tracker System (ATS) assessments.
- Hard skills show your technological capabilities. Or whether you'll be a good technical fit to the organisation. Ensure you've spotlighted your hard skills in various sections of your CV (e.g. skills section, projects, experience) by including the technology and what you've attained;
- Soft skills pinpoint your personality and people or communication skills, hinting at if you'll easily accomodate into the team or organisation. Quantify your soft skills in your CV achievements, strengths, summary/objective, and experience sections. Always support your soft skills with how they've helped you grow as a professional.
Top skills for your power bi CV:
Data Modelling
DAX (Data Analysis Expressions)
Power Query
Data Visualization
Microsoft Power BI Development
SQL
Data Analysis
Business Intelligence
Report Development
Data Integration
Analytical Thinking
Problem-Solving
Attention to Detail
Communication
Time Management
Project Management
Teamwork
Adaptability
Creativity
Continuous Learning
PRO TIP
Use mini case studies or success stories in your CV to demonstrate how your skills have positively impacted previous roles or projects.
Your university degree and certificates: an integral part of your power bi CV
Let's take you back to your uni days and decide what information will be relevant for your power bi CV. Once more, when discussing your higher education, select only information that is pertinent to the job (e.g. degrees and projects in the same industry, etc.). Ultimately, you should:
- List only your higher education degrees, alongside start and graduation dates, and the university name;
- Include that you obtained a first degree for diplomas that are relevant to the role, and you believe will impress recruiters;
- Showcase relevant coursework, projects, or publications, if you happen to have less experience or will need to fill in gaps in your professional history.
PRO TIP
Focus on describing skills in the context of the outcomes they’ve helped you achieve, linking them directly to tangible results or successes in your career.
Recommended reads:
Key takeaways
Write your professional power bi CV by studying and understanding what the role expectations are. You should next:
- Focus on tailoring your content to answer specific requirements by integrating advert keywords through various CV sections;
- Balance your technical know-how with your personal skills to showcase what the unique value would be of working with you;
- Ensure your CV grammar and spelling (especially of your key information and contact details) is correct;
- Write a CV summary, if your experience is relevant, and an objective, if your career ambitions are more impressive;
- Use active language by including strong, action verbs across your experience, summary/objective, achievements sections.
