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In short

Of the 215 data analyst roles at tech companies whose requirements we read in the 90 days to Oct 16, 2026, SQL is required in 157 of 215 (73%), Data Visualization in 89 of 215 (41%) and Tableau in 74 of 215 (34%). Name the ones you have in your latest jobs, next to what you built with them.

Degree required, no alternative
60 of 209 (29%)
Of the roles we could read for it

The skills these postings ask for most

Counts are out of the 215 roles whose requirements we could read; the 10 asked for most in each list.

Required
SkillRoles asking
SQL
157 of 215 (73%)
Data Visualization
89 of 215 (41%)
Tableau
74 of 215 (34%)
Statistics
65 of 215 (30%)
Python
62 of 215 (29%)
Power BI
58 of 215 (27%)
Excel
50 of 215 (23%)
Business Intelligence
49 of 215 (23%)
Data Modeling
39 of 215 (18%)
Looker
36 of 215 (17%)
Preferred
SkillRoles asking
Python
45 of 215 (21%)
dbt
26 of 215 (12%)
Machine Learning
23 of 215 (11%)
AI
20 of 215 (9%)
Data Visualization
18 of 215 (8%)
Power BI
18 of 215 (8%)
Tableau
18 of 215 (8%)
R
17 of 215 (8%)
Snowflake
17 of 215 (8%)
ETL
16 of 215 (7%)

What to put first

  1. Lead with SQL, Data Visualization and Tableau

    They are the required skills named most, with their counts in the table above. Put the ones you have in your skills line and in the bullets of your latest job, each next to what you did with it.

  2. Then Python and dbt, if you have them

    Preferred, not required: Python in 45 of 215 (21%) and dbt in 26 of 215 (12%). Add them where they are true; leaving one out costs less than claiming it.

  3. Make 3+ years easy to count

    Among roles that state years, 138 of 168 (82%) ask for at least 3 years. Give every job a start and end month and year, so a reader can add them up.

  4. Education can go last

    60 of 209 (29%) roles require a degree with no alternative; the rest accept experience instead, prefer one or do not mention it. Lead with your work.

  5. Going for senior? Show Data Modeling

    Data Modeling is required in 9 of 55 (16%) mid-level roles and 17 of 72 (24%) senior roles. If you have done that work, say where.

What changes by level

The data analyst career path compares each level with the next: the required skills that rise, the years asked and the median stated pay where it shows.

Data analyst career path

Bullet patterns

Replace every bracket with your own facts. Keep only numbers you can explain in an interview.

  • Pattern, not a real resume

    Built [system] that [what it does] for [team or users], using SQL; [metric] after [time].

  • Pattern, not a real resume

    Used Data Visualization to cut [metric] from [before] to [after] by [change you made].

  • Pattern, not a real resume

    Applied Tableau to [problem], which [made it cheaper, faster or more reliable] by [amount].

  • Pattern, not a real resume

    Led [project] with [number] people across [teams]; shipped [outcome] in [time].

Gaps to check before you send it

  • A required skill you use but never name

    If you work with SQL and Data Visualization but your bullets only say what the product did, a reader looking for the skill will not find it. Name it where you used it.

  • Dates that do not add up

    Most roles that state years ask for at least 3 years. Missing months, overlaps and unexplained gaps make that hard to count.

  • Bullets without an outcome

    A bullet that names a tool but not what changed reads as a list of tasks. Add what moved and by how much, or what shipped.

  • Work at the next level, hidden by a title

    Senior roles ask for Data Modeling and Tableau more often than mid-level roles do. If you did that work, say so, whatever your title was.

More on data analyst roles

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How we count: 217 roles from 186 employers in the 90 days to Oct 16, 2026, each role counted once however many boards post it. Methodology