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On of my readers needs help with finding a business analyst job. I posted the information I provided to him below. If you have any question about this or about your business analyst career, post it as comment at the end of the post and I would answer it for you.
Here is the business analyst career question posted by my reader:
Hi – my greatest challenge is the fact that I’ve never held an IT Business Analyst position. I’m convinced I can do the job based on my experience, but I have not had any interviews outside of my current employer. I had a few interviews in my current company but was being sabotaged by my former boss so I never got the job.
As the economy has dived over the last few months, I am not getting any offers for interviews. I’ve given up trying to get into the IT Bus Analyst field for now.
What do I need to do to get back into the ‘hunt’? And, how do I convey to potential employers that I am the man for the job?
Below is my response to the question posed by this reader. If you have any questions that you want answered about your business analyst careers, post it below:
Why Do IT Managers Hire Business Analysts
IT Managers hire business analysts with skills, training and experience matching specific jobs. IT Managers have a wide range of requirements for business analysts. The most in-demand skills for business analysts include UML, Use Cases, Requirements Elicitation.
IT Managers Are Looking For Hands-on Business Analysis Experience
The Key to getting a business analyst job is to find out what employes or hiring managers are looking for and then give it to them.
This sounds quite easy and simple, but believe me, it is not that easy. There is a lot that goes into following this simple directive.
What are IT Managers hiring for? IT Managers are looking for hands-on skills, experience and expertise in specific knowledge areas. You may already have some of the requisite skills and experience based on your previous or current job experience. Some of the list of skills is frequent demand are included in the business analyst career curriculum:
Tailor Your Resume To Business Analyst Jobs
You may already be able to do a business analyst job based on your current experience … so, why not also work on improving your current resume so that it reflects the experience or skills you may already have in business analysis?
Begin by highlighting and expanding on the business analysis tasks you have performed in the past. Put more spotlight on the skills you utilized, the business analysis roles and responsibilities you held (formally or informally) and the results you achieved.
You want to joggle your memory and bring out every relevant detail. Imagine that you are making your case in front of a skeptical judge. Your prosecutor is the list of job candidates that would make a better presentation than you. The arguments in your favor is your resume.
Your business analyst resume has to be very convincing for you to get the job.
Improve Your Business Analyst Resume
The strongest argument that you can make will be along the lines of experience, resume and skills. So, you want to marshal all your arguments forcefully on your resume because if you don’t, you may never get a second chance.
If your resume is not convincing, you may not get a second chance or a follow-up phone interview or a face to face interview or the job or an offer or the ability to pay your mortgage … you get the picture?
Add More hands-on business analysis experience to your resume!
The fastest way to get hired for an IT business analyst job is not your educational qualification or your business analysis certification but your hand-on business analysis experience! Are you surprised about that?
IT Managers know that certifications can sometimes be gamed! There are horror stories about job candidates who have the perfect certifications and the perfect scores and then fail to perform on the job after they are hired! These sorts of candidates have damaged the credibility of the certification market!
But experience cannot be gamed. It either you have it or you don’t. Because IT Managers are looking for hands-on experience, your can cut to the chase by getting a lot of hands-on business analyst experience such as that offered through the business analyst boot camp training. There are other ways to gain hands-on experience and I discuss this next.
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Start again by volunteering for non-profit organizations. They are plenty of them around and in this recession they will be needing your help even more!
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Do a good job and ask the non-profit organization to provide you a reference for for the work you’ve done for them.
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Use your spare time in the evenings and weekends to rack up your experience and references.
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Then go on a job hunt. Start by sending your resume to multiple recruiters (not just one or two recruiters) … telling them that you are in the market for a business analyst job … then just sit back and wait for them to line up business analyst job interviews for you.
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That is all you need to do. Take massive action towards landing your dream business analyst job and while you are on it, forget about the economy or the recession or your manager who denied you the opportunity to move ahead.
FYI: Stephen Covey in “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” mentions that proactive people do not worry or focus on factors or things over which they have little or no control … instead they focus on their “Sphere Of Influence” … those factors or circumstances over which they exercise control.
So, while you may not be able to change the past or the economy or the recession, you can dramatically improve:
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Your Business Analyst Resume
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Your Business Analyst Hands On Experience
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Your Business Analysis Job Interview Skills
If you have any question or challenge about your business analyst career, go ahead and post it as a comment at the end of this article and I will address it for you.
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I did not intend to be IT BA, sorry, maybe give u wrong information.
What I want to do is Business Analyst, I have no experience about BA, so can u tell me how to get it start?
Maggie:
I can definitely tell you how to get your BA career started.
Can you tell me why you want to be a BA and not an IT BA?
What differences do you see between a BA Career and an IT BA Career?
Thank you
Can you specify different non-profit organizations or places to inquire about volunteering to get hands-on experience?
I am trying to break into this field but even by reading and not doing, I can easily get stumped in interviews and the hiring manager quickly decides I am probably incapable of the job.
I need hands on but don’t know where or how to get it.
Thanks.
GJ:
1.)Self Study: reading business analysis topics alone will not provide you with the hands-on eexperience that hiring managers are looking for.
2.) Business Analyst Training: Just getting business analyst training will alone will not help either because even though you will get an in-depth knowledge from a business analyst training program, you won’t get hands-on experience or practical business analysis skills from most training events
3.) Certification: Getting business analyst certification is not the same thing as getting handson business analyst experience either. This article explains why: http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/03/09/which-comes-first-certification-or-training/
You need a training program like our job search training program or our business analyst boot camp training that is specificaly designed to help you get hands-on business analysis experience or real-world skills.
The information that you are looking for is actually covered during our job search coaching and the practical skills is covered during our business analyst boot camp.
Please let me know if you have any questions about either or these programs
Hi,
I have the same question as GJ: Can you specify different non-profit organizations or places to inquire about volunteering to get hands-on experience?
Thanks!
Hi,
I am currently in my third year of school and I am interesting in becoming a business analyst.
I recently took a computer class and it caused my interest in databases. My major is in finance.
Do you have any ideas? What type of non-profit organizations or places would be good to inquire about volunterring to get hands on experience?
Theresa:
Your background in Finance and your interest in databases matches that of a “would be business analyst.
It is also a great idea to gian hands-on experience before you finish from college. I did the same thing more than 15 years ago, and it helped me greatly.
I have written articles on this site on how to get hands-on business analysis experience. You are welcoem to take advantage of those articles.
Right now, I don’t have a list of non-profit organizations. You should be able to compile that and perhaps share that with the members of this site.
On the other hand, I may put together a more professional, internship program for business analysts. If I do, be sure to sign up for the news and to take advantage of that.
Let me know if I can be of service in any other way.
Best Wishes
GJ:
That is a really good question. Your question “What are some suggestions for the unemployed and those that cannot afford paid training?” has been on my mind for a while, but I must confess, I haven’t done something to address it.
So, I am going to give analyze the options carefully and then get back to you perhaps today or next week.
But thank you for asking
Hello;
I am awaiting your reply. Have you had the opportunity to address the options for the unemployed wanting training? Thank you.
GJ
#jobs: GJ, we are working on a plan to mentor or coach unemployed IT professionals including those interested in becoming project managers or software testers or starting some other career.
You should be hearing some announcements this week … and of course, you should be one of the very first to participate
We still have you on our mind and will be getting back to you soon, OK?
When attempting to volunteer at a nonprofit for hands on experience, what type of position/area should I ask to be placed in?
Nikki:
When volunteering at a nonprofit for hands on experience, ask to be placed in the Systems or Information Technology (IT) department or area.
Thank you
Hello!
Is this the right kind of market to be looking for BA jobs?
I am a Comp Sci + Econ major, working as IT developer since 4-5 yrs.
I am planning to make a switch to BA. Most of my duties revolve around getting with the user to support in house apps.
My question is, is this the right time to be looking for this kind of opportunity?
Appreciate your time and comments in advance!
Hi:
It is a competitive job market … but what are the options?
What are your options if you don’t go for a business analyst job?
the right time to switch to a BA job is now because there will always a challenge in front of you.
Asking the question makes it sound like you don’t have a genuine reason, strong motivation or good enough reason to become a business analyst.
There is no good time or bad time to become a busines analyst or switch your career to business analysis.
If you say that the economy is recovering or improving and because of that, you should become a business analyst, you would be facing competition from others switching careers to business analysis.
if you say that this is not a good time to switch careers and become a business analyst, it means that others wanting to switch careers are going to be thinking the same thing … this is not a good time to switch careers and become a business analyst. Because of the lower competition, your resume will receive more attention as well.
There is no right time or wrong time to do what you love.
Besides, if you start now, you will figure out what you have to do to switch your career earlier.
So, decide if you want to switch careers to business analysis and then become a business analyst … if this is the right time for you based on your readiness and not based on how good or bad you think the job market is!