How to Build an Analyst Project Portfolio That Gets You Hired

As an aspiring BI analyst, breaking into the field can feel overwhelming. Because the competition is fierce and most candidates have similar skill sets and experience. So standing out isn’t just important—it’s essential. Which is where your BI analyst project portfolio comes into play. It is what I call your "secret weapon" because it's your chance to showcase your skills and talents and position yourself apart from the rest.

In this article, I’ll be revealing my top tips and advice to help you create a best-in-class portfolio—one that not only highlights your unique abilities but also gives you the edge to get hired ahead of the chasing pack.

Build a Proper Website

First things first—your portfolio needs to be a proper website. Please do not build it on GitHub. While GitHub is great for things like code storage, it doesn’t give you the polished, professional look you need to impress employers. It is relatively dull and uninspiring.

I also do not recommend using one of these template-style websites to host your portfolio. Because the customisation options tend to be limited which means all portfolios, at least at first glance, tend to all look the same.

If you think about it and put yourself in the shoes of the person who will be assessing your portfolio along with tons of others, you need to stand out. If your portfolio looks almost identical to a number of others then you are not standing out, you're in fact doing the opposite. You are blending in.

What's the saying? You only get one chance to make a first impression. So make it the best you can by having a proper bespoke website.

It a) helps you stand out, b) shows initiative and c) it can be an opportunity to showcase your design skills. Which, as someone who will be designing dashboards, is important.

Instead, use some kind of CMS or website builder like Wordpress. But actually, my recommendation - and what I teach in my BI Analyst Starter Program - is to use HubSpot’s free website builder tool. It has an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface and comes with fully customisable templates to help get you started.

If you're curious to see it in action, I have, for a limited time, made this lesson free to view in my BI Analyst Starter Program. I'll put a link in the description if you want to check it out.

But, even though you'll have free reign to build out an awesome website, you actually want to keep it simple, well-presented, and easy to navigate. All you'll need is a homepage and then separate pages for each of your projects. You might want to consider adding a blog to go the extra mile but not essential.

The homepage will also serve as your about page. Include a short ‘About Me’ section so visitors can quickly understand who you are and what you bring to the table. In 2-3 paragraphs, mention your background, your interests in Business Intelligence, and a brief summary of your expertise. Include phrases like "avid learner", "highly self-motivated", "delivering actionable insights". You get the idea. Then invite the viewer to "discover" your work.

Below you then want to allow the viewer to see what projects you're presenting. For each project you should include a thumbnail image that either shows a snapshot of the project dashboard or that represents what the project is about.  Also include a short description of the project that entices the viewer to click on it. Each thumbnail should link to a dedicated page for that project.

Keep your design clean and consistent. Choose a minimalistic theme with clear fonts, complementary colours, and proper spacing. Remember, your website doesn’t need to be flashy—it just needs to convey professionalism.

Also remember that your portfolio is an add-on to your CV or resumé so you don't want to be duplicating a lot of the same information.

What you should do, however, is to use (where possible) the same profile photo for both portfolio and resume so that it's easier for people to make the connection between them.

Include a Variety of Projects

Now let’s talk about the projects themselves. I often get asked how many projects to include in a portfolio and my answer is always a minimum of three and a maximum of 6. But I'd probably say 4 is the sweet spot.

And here's a mistake I see in a lot of portfolios. The projects being showcased are not varied enough.

What I mean is that the subject matter is similar with similar KPIs but dressed up slightly differently. So a project based on a restaurant scenario and another on a retail scenario might seem different but essentially, they are both focused on sales, revenue etc.

Having projects that are varied in nature shows that you’re capable of understanding and working in different business scenarios. You know what the common KPIs are and how to analyse data for that specific activity of a business. Sales, marketing, finance, HR, web analytics, operations. Use your imagination. But make sure that all of your projects are business-related.

If you're going for a job as a Business Intelligence analyst and your projects analyse weather patterns or migration statistics, you're not going to get very far.

But variation in the projects you present isn't just about their subject matter. You'll also want to build each project using a different BI tool because this will help you cover as many bases as possible when it comes to applying for different jobs. It shows that you are not a one-trick pony, as it were.

So different BI tools like Power BI, Tableau and Looker Studio as well as integrating tools like Excel, SQL and cloud platforms. All of the kinds of tools that a BI analyst will be expected to work with.

Tell a Story with Each Project

On each project page, start with an overview. Explain the purpose of the project and what problem you were trying to solve. Was it helping a fictional company increase revenue? Analyzing website traffic trends? Or optimizing a marketing strategy? Write this section as if you’re storytelling—draw the reader into the scenario and make it relatable. Next, include details about the data and tools you used. This gives employers a clear idea of your technical skills and versatility. Be specific—mention any advanced features or techniques you used, such as DAX functions in Power BI, SQL queries to build data sources, setting up data pipelines, building a data warehouse. You get the idea.

Be sure to highlight the challenges you faced and how you overcame them—this demonstrates your problem-solving abilities. For example, you might have worked with incomplete data, created complex calculations, or found creative ways to visualize insights. These details help employers see how you tackle real-world problems. Share what you learned during the process and how you adapted when things didn’t go as planned.

Then, provide a walkthrough of the project. This could be a step-by-step explanation of your process, from cleaning the data to visualizing the insights. For instance, how did you structure the data? What transformations did you apply? How did you choose the visualizations that best told the story? Include screenshots to illustrate your process, custom SQL queries or formulas you wrote. Anything to make your project easier to follow and show your work.

Wrap up each project page with key takeaways—what you learned, how the project added value, and why it’s important. Reflecting on the results and your process highlights key learning experiences and self-awareness.

You also want to include links to the projects themselves, wherever they may be hosted, so that the viewer can play around with them.

So those are my biggest general tips for creating a portfolio to get yourself hired; build a bespoke website that includes projects that are varied, interesting and business focused.

But to go the extra mile and take your portfolio to the next level, there are a couple of other things you should do. The first of which is...

Buy Your Domain Name

What I mean by this is, whatever your name, for example, John Doe, you want to purchase the domain name johndoe.com. Or if .com isn't available try .me or .online or something else that's easy to remember.

My preferred supplier of domain names is Namecheap because they have great deals and their customer support is amazing. I'll lave a link the description.

Once you've bought your domain, you can either forward that domain to the url where your website lives or just transfer that custom domain to the CMS you're using. Either works fine.

Having your own domain gives your portfolio a more professional edge, it shows initiative and makes you more memorable (i.e. makes you stand out). Where is Alan Smith's portfolio? At alansmith.com. It’s a small investment that can make a big difference in how you’re perceived

Include Testimonials or Recommendations

Another way to enhance your portfolio is by including testimonials or recommendations. If you’ve worked on collaborative projects during your studies, internships, or freelance gigs, ask your peers or supervisors for feedback. Including a quote about your reliability, skills, or ability to work under pressure can make a big impression.

With a well-structured, professional portfolio, you’ll stand out from the competition and give yourself the best possible chance of landing a job in Business Intelligence. Remember, your portfolio isn’t just about what you’ve done—it’s about what you’re capable of doing in the future. Take the time to get it right, and it will pay off.

And if you're interested in becoming a BI analyst but aren't sure about what the job entails, checkout my free webinar here.

I hope you enjoyed this video and are inspired to build an awesome portfolio. Go the extra mile and be the person that you would want to hire!