Analytical Skills: What Are They and How Can They Help Me Get a Job?

Key takeaways

• Analytical skills are your ability to think critically about data and other information to solve problems and make decisions based on your findings.

• You can improve your analytical skills by asking questions about unfamiliar topics, reading regularly, playing games and puzzles, having group discussions, practicing math skills, and taking analytics courses.

• Analytical skills examples include communication, critical thinking, research, data analysis, and creativity.

You can show your analytical skills to potential employers by using keywords in your cover letter, adding a separate workplace skills section to your resume, or weaving your analytical experience into your job interview answers. Read on to learn more about what analytical skills are, how you can improve yours, and how you can use them in your workplace.

If you’re ready to start learning analytics skills for a specialized field like data analytics, enroll in the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate. You’ll have the opportunity to learn key data analytics skills like data cleaning, processing, and visualization, as well as analytics tools like spreadsheets and R, in as little as six months. Upon completion, you’ll have earned a career certificate for your resume or LinkedIn profile.

What are analytical skills?

Analytical skills are your cognitive ability to collect data and information, think deeply about it, solve any problems that it presents, and make decisions based on your findings. Analytical skills force you to think logically, strategically, and creatively, and to test and experiment with potential answers to the questions that you seek.

When presented with a situation that requires analytical skills, you may take some or all of the following steps:

• Identify the problem or issue

• Gather information

• Analyze and evaluate the information

• Brainstorm potential solutions

• Test a chosen solution

• Evaluate the results

• Use other solutions to solve the problem if needed

• Apply new ideas to what you've already learned

• Communicate your findings to others

Whether or not you currently consider yourself an analytical thinker, you can learn how to improve your analytical skills and apply them to your career with practice.

Read more: What Is Analytical Thinking and How Can You Improve It?

Where are analytical skills used?

Almost every industry needs employees with analytical skills, especially in data-oriented fields. If you enjoy putting your analytical skills to good use, you might consider looking for jobs in:

• Logistics

• Finance

• Accounting

• Engineering

• Data science

• Information technology

• Insurance

But even if you want to work in a different industry, employers still seek employees with strong analytical skills because they can help solve complex problems and make important decisions. According to the World Economic Forum, 69 percent of employers worldwide consider analytical thinking the top core skill for their workforce, with seven out of 10 companies considering it an essential skill [1].

5 analytical skills examples

Many skills fall under analytical skills, but some are sought almost universally by employers. Five of the most common are communication, critical thinking, research, data analysis, and creativity.

1. Communication

In any career you choose, written and verbal communication will likely be necessary analytical skills. While you may be able to analyze data, run experiments, and test your theories well, your findings will only be truly effective if you can share them clearly with your colleagues and supervisors. You may need to use your communication skills to write reports, give presentations, or relay information to colleagues while working as a team.

2. Critical thinking

Critical thinking means being able to analyze, evaluate, and consider a situation objectively. Rather than relying on the way things have always been done, you'll attempt to figure out a way to do it better. You'll use logic to find relationships between data and information, and to identify potential solutions to problems.

3. Research

Research is a major analytical skill. Anytime you solve a problem, you must research to gather data or information. This can range from interviewing people and reading reference materials to collecting data from a website. As you conduct your research, you'll analyze it to determine how it might impact your outcomes.

4. Data analysis

Once you've conducted your research, you'll likely have a large volume of data. You'll need to analyze it to look for patterns and trends. This can be especially important for companies that sell products. Finding patterns and trends among customer transactions allows you to make changes that potentially lead to more transactions.

5. Creativity

Being creative means you can make something new, whether that is a piece of artwork, an invention, or a solution to a problem. When you think creatively, you're usually curious, ask original questions, and typically find solutions that may not be readily obvious. These attributes help you analyze situations to make the best decisions and create the most effective outcomes.

How to improve analytical skills

Improving your analytical skills can lead to being selected for a job of your choice and to becoming more effective in your career or current job. Employers want to hire people who are good communicators, who look for creative solutions to problems, and who think critically. Examples of tasks you can do every day to enhance your analytical skills include:

• Asking questions about topics you aren't familiar with

• Reading regularly

• Writing or keeping a journal

• Playing games and puzzles

• Taking time to observe the people and world around you

• Seeking leadership roles at work, at school, or in volunteer situations

• Having discussions with others, like study groups or professional workshops

• Keeping your math skills sharp

• Shadowing other professionals or seeking a mentor

• Experimenting with mock data sets

• Taking analytics courses

How can I show my analytical skills to potential employers?

Once you've worked on your analytical skills, you'll want to show them off to potential employers through your resume, cover letter, and during job interviews. Analytical skills are considered workplace or human skills, which require a different approach to proving than technical skills, such as degrees, certifications, or proficiency in a specific computer program.

In your cover letter

Showcase your analytical skills using keywords, starting with your cover letter. Employers typically list the type of analytical skills they're looking for when creating a job listing, so mirror that language in your cover letter if those are your strengths. This draws attention to your qualifications and allows you to create a narrative that aligns with the employer's needs.

On your resume

On your resume, you can create a section specifically for listing your workplace skills. Include your strongest analytical skills on the list. You can also apply these skills in your work experience descriptions. For example, if you previously worked as a server in a restaurant, you can demonstrate how you used communication skills to improve customer service.

At a job interview

During a job interview, find ways to work your analytical strengths into the conversation when the hiring manager asks you questions. For example, if the interviewer gives you a choice and asks what you would choose and why, you can incorporate analytical reasoning to explain your decision. Another option is to talk about past experiences that required you to use analytical skills. For example, maybe you worked as a cashier in a store and noticed a particular product wasn't selling, so you devised a way to make it more appealing to customers.

Explore our free resources to improve your analytical skills

Get the latest insights into in-demand careers and skills by joining our LinkedIn newsletter, Career Chat. Then, if you want to keep learning more about courses, skills, and careers related to analytical skills, explore these free resources:

• Take the quiz: Which Data Analysis Course Should You Take?

• Watch on YouTube: Data Analyst vs. Business Analyst: Which Career Path Is Right for You?

• Hear from an expert: 7 Questions with a Data Analytics Professor

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