Resume template · Updated October 2026
Policy analyst resume template
Short answer
FAANGPath suits a policy analyst who sells on methods: a plain centred layout that prints skills before work experience, so R, Stata, cost estimates and survey data are visible early. The fictional sample analyzes housing and tax proposals at a nonpartisan state budget institute, with a microsimulation model, legislative testimony and a short publications list, after research work during an MPP.
Download the policy analyst sample
Nadia is a fictional policy analyst. Replace every detail with your own before you send it.
The files are made in your browser by Resumity's own exporters, from this sample. The builder opens it as your own resume: click any line to replace it. Free plan, no watermark.
Why FAANGPath suits a policy analyst resume
FAANGPath is a minimal centred layout that prints skills above work experience in labelled rows, so methods and software (R, Stata, microsimulation, GIS) are read before job titles, which matters when a posting lists them as requirements. In black and grey only, the page looks like the briefs you write: plain and easy to scan.
Second choice: Henrietta. Henrietta prints education straight after experience and sets skills in an unlabelled grid; pick it if your MPP or law degree carries more weight than your methods.
What goes in each section, in FAANGPath's order
FAANGPath prints its sections in a fixed order, the same in the PDF and the Word file. Here is that order for this sample, and what to put in each section.
- Professional Summary. Policy areas, the kind of shop (think tank, legislative office, agency, advocacy group) and the outputs you produce: briefs, fiscal estimates, testimony, models. Nonpartisan offices want to see analysis both parties can use; advocacy groups want to see the cause.
- Skills. Methods on Technical, software on Tools. Be specific (difference-in-differences, cost-benefit, microsimulation, survey weighting) rather than writing "quantitative analysis".
- Work Experience. Each bullet should pair an analysis with where it went: a committee analysis that cited it, a bill amended after it, a reporter who used it. Counts of briefs and data requests show your pace.
- Education. MPP, MPA, economics or law degree with year. Add the capstone or thesis in the detail line if it is on the policy area you are applying in.
- Selected publications and testimony. A "Selected publications and testimony" list: title, type and year. Readers will look them up, so include only public work.
The sample resume as text
The same content as the files above, so you can copy a line or compare it with your own.
Nadia Rahimi
Policy Analyst, Housing and Tax Policy
Sacramento, CA | nadia.rahimi@example.com | (916) 555-0117 | linkedin.com/in/sample-nadia-rahimi | portfolio.example.com/nadia-rahimi
Policy analyst at a nonpartisan state budget institute, covering housing and tax proposals. Builds cost estimates and distributional models from Census microdata in R and Stata, writes about eight briefs a year and has testified twice before legislative committees. MPP with a focus on public finance.
Experience
Policy Analyst, Golden State Fiscal Institute, Sacramento, CA (07/2022 to Present)
- Analyze housing and tax proposals for a nonpartisan budget research center, publishing about eight briefs a year.
- Built a microsimulation of renter tax credit options from Census microdata in R; its estimates were cited in two legislative committee analyses.
- Testified twice before state legislative committees on the cost and reach of proposed renter credits.
- Answer about 15 data requests a month from legislative staff, reporters and community groups.
Graduate Research Assistant, Center for Urban Opportunity, Pacific Valley University, Berkeley, CA (09/2020 to 06/2022)
- Cleaned and merged eviction court records from six counties for a study of filing rates.
- Wrote literature reviews and drafted sections of two working papers.
- Mapped results in ArcGIS for a public data dashboard.
Selected publications and testimony
- Who Claims the Renter's Credit? Policy brief, 2025
- Testimony on renter tax credit expansion, state legislative tax committee, 2025
- Eviction Filings in Six Counties, working paper with university co-authors, 2022
Education
Master of Public Policy (MPP), Pacific Valley University (05/2022). Capstone: options for a state renter tax credit
BA, Economics, Sierra Foothills College (05/2019)
Skills
Fiscal and distributional analysis, Microsimulation, Regression and causal inference, Survey and administrative data, Cost-benefit analysis, Brief and testimony writing, R, Stata, SQL, ArcGIS, Excel, Briefing legislative staff, Plain-language writing
How to make the sample yours
Match the shop's stance
For nonpartisan offices, describe estimates and trade-offs; for advocacy organizations, describe the campaigns your analysis supported and what changed.
Name your data
American Community Survey, tax records, court filings, budget documents, administrative data: experience with a dataset transfers between policy areas better than topic knowledge alone.
Show the forms you write
One-page memos, long reports, testimony and op-eds take different skills. List the ones you have published.
Credit impact carefully
Policy change has many authors. Write "cited in" or "informed" unless your analysis was the direct basis of a decision.
Switching issue areas
Lead with methods and data, then add one line on what you have read or written in the new area.
Keywords to keep where they are true
Terms this kind of resume is usually searched for. Use the posting's exact wording, and only for work you have done.
- policy analysis
- public policy
- legislative analysis
- fiscal analysis
- cost-benefit analysis
- program evaluation
- quantitative research
- microsimulation
- policy briefs
- legislative testimony
- stakeholder engagement
- R
- Stata
- GIS
- data visualization
Mistakes to avoid
- Saying a law passed because of your brief.
- Topics you care about listed with no analysis attached.
- Partisan wording on a resume for a nonpartisan office.
- Linking to drafts or internal memos you were not cleared to share.
How the sample PDF reads in text extractors
We exported this sample with Resumity's PDF exporter in Chrome on 2026-10-29 and read the file back with three open-source text extractors. This shows whether software that turns a PDF into text can recover it; it is not a test of any commercial applicant tracking system. How we test templates.
| Extractor | Name, email, phone | Headings | Bullets intact |
|---|---|---|---|
| pdf.js 4.10.38 | All found | 5 of 5 | 7 of 7 |
| pdftotext (Xpdf) 4.00 | All found | 5 of 5 | 7 of 7 |
| pypdf 6.13.0 | All found | 5 of 5 | 7 of 7 |
Frequently asked questions
Should a policy analyst resume list publications?
Yes, a short selected list of public work: briefs, reports, testimony and op-eds. If the full list is long, put it on a personal page and link to it in the header.
Can I get a policy analyst job without an MPP?
Yes, if you show the same skills from other work: data analysis, research and writing for decision makers. Legislative staff jobs, journalism and nonprofit research roles are common ways in.
Do I need a writing sample?
Often. Many policy employers ask for one, so keep a short brief or memo ready that you wrote alone.
How technical should the skills section be?
As technical as the posting. If it names Stata or R, list them and show one in a bullet; if it stresses stakeholder outreach, put that first.
One page or two for a policy analyst?
One page early in your career, two once publications and testimony grow. Trim the publications list before cutting job bullets.
Will applicant tracking systems read this FAANGPath PDF?
The sample PDF read back with its contact details, all 5 section headings and all 7 bullets intact in three open-source text extractors (pdf.js, pdftotext and pypdf). Commercial systems such as Workday, Greenhouse or Taleo were not tested, and each employer configures its own.
Guides and templates for this resume
More in resume templates by job title.