Power BI Developer resume example
By Bhagirath Sheela, founder of JobCatch ·
Power BI developers are hired to turn a company's data into reports people actually open. Employers look for data modelling and DAX depth beyond drag-and-drop visuals, plus the governance side — refresh, row-level security, workspaces — that keeps reports trusted.
What recruiters look for
- Data modelling (star schema), DAX and Power Query
- SQL and the sources you connected: SQL Server, Excel, SAP, APIs
- Performance: refresh times, model size, report speed
- Governance: row-level security, gateways, deployment pipelines
Section order
With experience
- Summary
- Skills
- Experience
- Projects
- Education
- Certifications
As a fresher
- Summary
- Education
- Skills
- Projects
- Internships
- Certifications
Summary examples
Fresher
Power BI developer with a B.Com, PL-300 certification and an internship building sales and inventory reports for a distributor with 400 retailers.
Experienced
Power BI developer with four years building finance and sales reporting for a manufacturing group. Owns 35 reports used by 600 people, with row-level security by plant and region.
Skills, spelled the way postings spell them
An applicant tracking system matches the words in the job posting, and it does not reliably treat two spellings as one skill. The left column is the form most postings use; the right, other spellings people type. Use the posting's own spelling for each application, and list only what you can discuss in an interview.
| Skill | Also written as |
|---|---|
| Power BI | PowerBI, MS Power BI |
| SQL | Structured Query Language |
| Microsoft SQL Server | SQL Server, MSSQL, T-SQL |
| Microsoft Excel | Excel, MS Excel, Advanced Excel |
| Data analysis | Data analytics |
| Database design | Schema design, Data modelling, Data modeling |
| ETL | Data pipelines, ELT |
| Microsoft Azure | Azure |
| Tableau | — |
| Stakeholder management | — |
Also worth listing if you have them: DAX, Power Query (M), Row-level security.
Bullet examples
Each bullet says what you did and what changed because of it. Change the numbers to your own; a recruiter will ask about every one.
- Own 35 Power BI reports used by 600 people across 12 plants, with row-level security by plant and region.
- Rebuilt the finance model as a star schema; refresh time fell from 50 minutes to 8 and file size by 70%.
- Wrote DAX measures for rolling margins and budget variance that replaced 20 Excel workbooks.
- Connected SAP and SQL Server through an on-premises gateway with scheduled refresh.
- Trained 45 business users to build their own reports on certified datasets.
For freshers: projects and internships
- Internship: built sales and inventory reports for a distributor serving 400 retailers.
- Built a public Power BI report on Indian state budget data with drill-down by department.
- Passed Microsoft PL-300 (Power BI Data Analyst Associate).
Mistakes to avoid
- Only visuals. Interviewers test DAX and data modelling; show both in your bullets.
- Not naming the data sources. Connecting SAP or a messy Excel estate is real, valued work.
- Leaving out who uses the reports and how often. Adoption is the measure of a BI developer.
What an ATS reads from this sample
An applicant tracking system turns the PDF into plain text before anyone reads it. This is that text for the sample above, extracted by the same code as "What the ATS reads" in the app. Everything is in reading order, under the right heading, with the name and email intact — which is what a single-column template is for.
Gaurav Saxena Power BI Developer [email protected] • +91 98765 43210 • Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh • linkedin.com/in/gauravsaxena Summary Power BI developer with four years building finance and sales reporting for a manufacturing group. Owns 35 reports used by 600 people, with row-level security by plant and region. Skills & Tools Power BI SQL Microsoft SQL Server Microsoft Excel Data analysis Database design ETL Microsoft Azure Tableau Stakeholder management DAX Power Query (M) Row-level security Experience Power BI Developer, Steelcore Industries Feb 2022 – Present Lucknow Own 35 Power BI reports used by 600 people across 12 plants, with row-level security by plant and region. Rebuilt the finance model as a star schema; refresh time fell from 50 minutes to 8 and file size by 70%. Wrote DAX measures for rolling margins and budget variance that replaced 20 Excel workbooks. MIS Analyst, Brightline Distributors Jun 2020 – Jan 2022 Lucknow Connected SAP and SQL Server through an on-premises gateway with scheduled refresh. Trained 45 business users to build their own reports on certified datasets. Projects State budgets Public Power BI report on Indian state budget data with department drill-down. Education B.Com, Commerce 2017 – 2020 University of Lucknow · 71% Certifications Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate (PL-300), 2021 Languages English · Hindi
Interview questions to prepare
The app's interview prep for this sample and a plain Power BI Developer posting. It works from the resume and the posting only, and tells you how to prepare, never what to say.
Questions every interview has
- Tell me about yourself. Two minutes: what you do now (Power BI Developer at Steelcore Industries), one result you are proud of, and why this role is next.
- Why do you want this job? Read their website and one recent piece of news before the call. Name something specific.
- Why are you leaving your current job? Say what you are moving towards. Do not criticise your employer.
- What is your notice period, and what salary are you expecting? Decide your number before the interview, so you are not deciding it on the call.
About the skills the job asks for
- Tell me about a time you used SQL. Pick one real example: what the problem was, what you did, and what changed.
- Tell me about a time you used Microsoft SQL Server. Pick one real example: what the problem was, what you did, and what changed.
- Tell me about a time you used Database design. Pick one real example: what the problem was, what you did, and what changed.
- Tell me about a time you used Data analysis. Pick one real example: what the problem was, what you did, and what changed.
- Tell me about a time you used Microsoft Excel. Pick one real example: what the problem was, what you did, and what changed.
- Tell me about a time you used Power BI. Pick one real example: what the problem was, what you did, and what changed.
About what the resume claims
- You wrote: "Own 35 Power BI reports used by 600 people across 12 plants, with row-level security by plant and region." Expect three follow-ups: how exactly, what was your own part, and how you know it worked.
- You wrote: "Rebuilt the finance model as a star schema; refresh time fell from 50 minutes to 8 and file size by 70%." Expect three follow-ups: how exactly, what was your own part, and how you know it worked.
- You wrote: "Wrote DAX measures for rolling margins and budget variance that replaced 20 Excel workbooks." Expect three follow-ups: how exactly, what was your own part, and how you know it worked.
Questions to ask them
- What would a good first three months in this role look like?
- Who would I work with most closely?
- What are the next steps, and when should I expect to hear back?
Templates that suit this role
All of these are single-column and read cleanly by an applicant tracking system. Classic is free, with no watermark.
Questions
Is PL-300 worth it for a Power BI job?
Yes, especially for freshers and career changers: it is Microsoft's standard Power BI certification and many postings mention it.
Should a Power BI developer also know SQL?
Yes. Most data arrives through SQL, and many interviews include a SQL question. Put it right after Power BI on your resume.
Next: the Power BI Developer cover letter the app drafts from this resume, and how to show Power BI, SQL, Microsoft SQL Server on a resume.
More data & ai resume examples: Data Analyst · Business Analyst · Data Scientist · Data Engineer · Machine Learning Engineer · AI Engineer · SQL Developer