ITCareerCoach Training - Coaching » business analyst resumes http://www.it-career-coach.net How To Take Your Career To The Next Level Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:09:27 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 What Do You Study To Become A Business Analyst? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/08/15/what-do-you-study-to-become-a-business-analyst/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/08/15/what-do-you-study-to-become-a-business-analyst/#comments Mon, 15 Aug 2011 22:37:26 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=3260

What Courses Do You Study To Become A Business Analyst?

What Courses Do You Study To Become A Business Analyst?


You may start a business analysts career by taking some of the courses discussed in this post.

Keep in mind that for business analysis careers, soft skills count as much or in some cases even more than hard skills.

So, don’t make the classical rookie mistake of focusing on the hard skill requirements to the detriment of your soft skills!

The list of formal, informal or college courses that you may study for a business analyst career include:

  1. Study computer science & information technology courses in college because that will help you relate to the coding or testing that takes place on information technology / software development projects.

  2. Study Systems Analysis courses as they may help you get a better idea of how different networking, hardware & software systems are integrated into one functional Information Technology (IT) department.

  3. Take Technical Writing and Business Communication courses because a key part of the work that you perform as a business analyst is communicating business problems or solutions.

  4. Study business management courses as they will help you understand understand strategic and tactical business goals and objectives or see things from a management, stakeholder or business perspective.

    Keep in mind that not only do business analysts work in Information Technology (IT) departments, they also work in specialized business domains like Accounting, Finance, Sales and Marketing, so taking business courses can be helpful.

  5. Take conflict resolution, interpersonal, communication, verbal, presentation, negotiation, public speaking and leadership courses.

    While these sort of skills are not traditionally taught as part a formal college class, you can gain the required information from textbooks and audio material on bookstores like Barnes and Noble or Amazon.

The courses that you may take to become a business analyst may be divided into formal (business / technical) or informal (interpersonal, communication and leadership) skills.

So my friend, now you know what you may study to succeed as a business analyst … do do something with this information :-)

Thanks and Best Wishes


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/08/15/what-do-you-study-to-become-a-business-analyst/feed/ 0 How To Handle Recruiter’s Phone Calls? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/06/04/how-to-handle-recruiters-phone-calls/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/06/04/how-to-handle-recruiters-phone-calls/#comments Fri, 04 Jun 2010 09:05:33 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2926

How To Handle Recruiters Phone Calls

How To Handle Recruiters Phone Calls

Recruiters are the gatekeepers for business analyst jobs.

They are in touch with more employers, consulting or full-time engagements than most business analysts.

This post answers the question of how to handle or deal with recruiters calling about business analyst jobs.

If you need help with a Question or Challenge, be sure to submit your question as a comment on this page and I will answer it fully just as I am answering this reader’s question below!

If you enjoy reading this post, please be sure to … Share this Post with Friends

Here is a question posted by a business analyst on how to deal with recruiters

I have received some phone calls from recruiters recently about BA jobs.

We talk about the description, and then my experience.

At the end of the call, they always promise to call back.

They most likely never do. When I try to follow up, they most often do not reciprocate.

Is this typical

Or is the a better way for me to handle these calls

How To Handle Phone Calls From Recruiters

Handling recruiters successfully depends on your ability to put yourself in the recruiter’s shoes or negotiate from a point of strength.

Here are some tips on how you can do just that!

  1. Put Yourself In The Recruiter’s Shoes

    Recruiters are primarily out to help their bottom line.

    With that in mind, your conversations with recruiters must prove beyond a shadow of doubt that you are qualified for the job.

    This means that you are not trying to convince, beg or plead for a job but that you come across as a skilled, experienced or knowledgeable business analyst with a pleasing personality.

  2. Tailor Your Conversation To The Job Description

    Recruiters generally have a light grasp of technology.

    Which means that they may not be as familiar with the requirements listed in the job description as you may think.

    So, make it easy on recruiters and present your skills, experience or background in the light of the job description at hand.

    For example, if a job description is posted for a business analyst with business use cases skills and you present your skills as system use cases, you may be passed.

    So, make sure that your skills, background or experience cover the specific requirements mentioned in the job description.

  3. Grab The Recruiter’s Attention

    Get your act together before getting on the phone with the recruiter.

    While on the phone, take charge of the conversation and grab the recruiter’s attention within the first few minutes of the conversation.

    All things being equal, recruiters tend to feed off your energy level.

    So, if you sound positive and upbeat, they will conclude that they want to do business with you.

    If you sound unsure of yourself, they are likely to conclude that you are hiding something or that you are not as good as you need to be!

    The best preparation is to rehearse your opening statements or polish your presentation before getting on the phone with the recruiter.

  4. Looking for a Job? Stay Busy!

    Don’t sound like you are just staying at home waiting for a job, even though that may be the truth.

    Talk about how busy you are and how you are lining up interviews because recruiters are wired to follow the herd.

    In other words, if you sound like you are busy taking interviews and lining up jobs, they will scramble to represent you as well.

    But if on the other hand, you sound like you are having difficulty finding interviews, they will shy away from you too!

    Recruiters behave like this because they reason that if their colleagues are not going after you, then either you are not qualified or not a good match for the job.

I hope that these tips will help you represent yourself better to recruiters.

One of the well-kept secrets of working with recruiters is that they prefer polished, professional presentations from candidates who seem to know what they are doing even.

This is because recruiters often cannot distinguish an experienced, skilled or knowledgeable candidate from another business analyst who is less skilled.

So, plan, prepare and present your skills in the best light possible and you will win their hearts and souls :-)


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/06/04/how-to-handle-recruiters-phone-calls/feed/ 0 The Business Analysts Role In Facilitating Data Warehouse Projects http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/03/10/the-business-analyst-role-in-facilitating-data-warehouse-projects/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/03/10/the-business-analyst-role-in-facilitating-data-warehouse-projects/#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:29:39 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2868

Business Analyst Role In Data Warehouse Projects

Business Analyst Role In Data Warehouse Projects

The Business Analysts Role In Bringing Data Warehousing To Your Office

Today’s business executives spend a ton of cash on data warehouse projects because that is a big, key, strategic business initiative; the success of which weighs heavily on their minds.

Data warehousing is important because it saves or aggregates information in a manner that allows executives, management or office users to make strategic business decisions faster, better and more easily!

No More Silos In The Workplace

Data warehousing is critical to business success because it presents a way for executives or management to view or manage their corporation as a whole unit instead of in silos.

What data warehousing offers decision makers is the ability to break out of departmental information silos and see the big picture.

One of the key objectives facilitated by business analysts in data warehousing roles is that of bridging the gap between enterprise databases (marketing, finance, inventory, customer relationship management, etc.) so that decision makers or office users can ask questions or get a comprehensive, 360 degree insight across corporate / departmental databases with one query or question!

Introducing OLAP, Business Intelligence (BI) Or Data Warehousing To Business Analysts

Business Analysts assigned to data warehouse projects may be surprised to know that traditional, day-to-day relational (online transaction processing (OLTP)) databases are not optimized for querying or reporting of data for business or decision making purposes.

Databases that are actually optimized for data analysis, reporting and business intelligence are known as Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) databases.

So, another key benefit of data warehousing is that it provides decision makers with real-time business intelligence at optimal speeds through the used of OLTP systems.

Finally, Data Warehousing is important from the standpoint of facilitating forecasting trends or getting performance metrics for the entire organization.

Data warehousing provides senior management with intelligence required to see the company’s performance from a 30,000 foot level instead of being buried under a mountain of data at sea level.

Will The Real Enterprise Business Analyst Stand Up Please?

Organizations implementing business intelligence or data-warehousing projects are looking for a significant boost in their business intelligence or decision making capabilities.

Savvy business analysts pulled into data-warehousing / BI projects would fare well to keep this at the back of their mind from the git-go!

So, here are some key roles for business analysts in data warehouse projects

  • The Data Warehouse Business Analysts role includes helping the business team identify key opportunities for boosting revenue, increasing sales, decreasing operational costs or achieving some other important organizatioinal or business objective.

  • The Business Analyst bridges the gap between the business or executive management office and the data warehousing / BI Implementation Team.

  • The Business Analyst identifies the business intelligence needs of the organization. This includes eliciting BI requirements from executives, managers or office users and then working with the data warehouse project team to identify, define or implement these business requirements.

The Enterprise Business Analyst Role In Data Warehousing Projects

Data warehousing projects are all about building, integrating, analyzing or reporting on large, complex, corporate databases.

So, Business Analysts working in such domains will be well-advised to fortify their database skills as that is the real-world domain or context of data warehousing.

Because of the strategic importance or the scope of data warehousing / business intelligence (BI) projects, the business analyst typically functions as a key member of a larger data warehouse project team.

The data warehouse project team may include the Project Manager, Data Modeler, Data Architect, Data Analyst , Tester, Report Writer, Database Developer and last but not least … the data warehousing / business intelligence (BI) business analyst.

With that in mind, here are the business analyst’s roles in the context of an enterprise data-warehousing project implementation team.

  • Management Role: working with executives, management or the business team, the business analyst identifies the gaps in corporate intelligence / reporting capabilities.

  • Data Analyst Role: working with data analysts, the business analyst identifies, understands and documents the sources of data discrepancies or gaps in business intelligence.

    The actual work of identifying data sources may be assigned to the data analysts or Extraction, Transform Load (ETL) developers while that of documenting or modeling the data transformations assigned to a business analyst comfortable with creating data models.

  • Data Modeler / Data Architect / Database Developer Role: The business analyst works with the data modeler, data architect or database developer to create the logical or conceptual data model.

    The business analyst also validates that the data model meets business requirements before it is implemented.

The Data Warehouse Business Analyst Skill Sets

The enterprise data warehouse business analyst is not your traditional business analyst. so, here are some of the skill-set requirements for business analysts in a data warehouse project.

  • The business analyst needs a thorough understanding of Extraction, Transform and Load (ETL) processes.

  • The business analyst also needs a strong understanding of the logical database design process, data modeling, data-mart design and a good understanding of OLAP compared to OLTP systems.

  • The business analyst needs to be comfortable with the business intelligence tools used in delivering corporate intelligence to decision makers which may be as simple as a Microsoft Excel-based Business Intelligence (tool).

  • The business analyst also needs a good understanding of data warehousing terminology as well as the corporate data being analyzed by the business.

    In other words, familiarity with the data is important whether one’s eliciting requirements from the business team or validating data models and ETL processes with the Data Warehouse implementation team.

Bringing Business Intelligence (BI) To The Office

An increasing number of organizations are either planning or implementing BI projects with the objective of improving the quality of corporate intelligence available to decision makers.

As a business analyst, it’s your duty to assist your organization with their BI / Data Warehouse endeavors.

You can achieve this by learning as much as you can about databases, data warehousing, business intelligence, data analysis and decision making processes.

The data warehouse business analyst job description includes a cross-functional suite of skills in Relational Database Development, SQL Query Writing, Data Analysis and Business Analysis.

You can get more information on this from both the Data Analyst Boot Camp and the Business Analyst Boot Camp.


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/03/10/the-business-analyst-role-in-facilitating-data-warehouse-projects/feed/ 0 The Agile Business Analyst, A Customer Advocate? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/22/the-agile-business-analyst-a-customer-advocate/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/22/the-agile-business-analyst-a-customer-advocate/#comments Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:13:22 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2846

The Agile Business Analyst

The Agile Business Analyst

The Agile Business Analyst plays a key role in facilitating conversations between stakeholders, quality assurance / testing teams, customers, subject matter experts (SMEs) and software developers in an incremental, iterative fast-paced product development environment.

So, who is the Agile Business Analyst and why should business analysts who are already comfortable with the process of eliciting requirements in a traditional product development environment be concerned about becoming more agile?

Introducing The Agile Business Analyst Role

The Agile Business Analyst’s role includes facilitating communication, reducing the reliance on extensive documentation and reducing the length of the feedback loop in product development projects.

  1. Collaborative - The Agile Business Analyst works closely with software developers, stakeholders, project managers and software testers and relies less on comprehensive requirements documentation at the inception of the project.

  2. Flexible and Adaptable - Unlike a more traditional software development project, an agile business analyst expects and welcomes changes in requirements. Being Agile means that changing requirements is not made difficult because of extensive documentation, communication cycles or change management processes.

  3. Just In Time Requirements – An Agile Business Analyst knows what is the right amount of requirements documentation to gather for a development cycle or iteration.

  4. More Face to Face Meetings – Because the Agile Business Analyst focuses on less documentation and more face to face meetings or interviews with stakeholders, software developers or testers, Agile Business Analysts make use of more User Stories and less Use Cases for documenting requirements.

  5. Iterative Development – And unlike requirements management practiced in a traditional waterfall software development life cycle, the agile business analyst only focuses on gathering, analyzing or validating the requirements needed in each iteration.

Between The Agile Business Analyst and Traditional BA

So, the Agile Business Analyst focuses on the deliverables for each iteration to o facilitate a faster development process.

Another key difference with agile business analysts is that they work with software testers or quality assurance professionals to elicit Test Cases directly from User Stories instead of from Use Cases.

Because Agile Business Analysts rely on face to face meetings and in-person communication, they work better in teams where the developers, stakeholders, project managers and testers are located in the same place and are committed to being involved on a continuous basis through the life time of the project.

The Agile Business Analyst gathers just-in-time (JIT) requirements through intense collaboration with customers, customer advocates, software architects, stakeholders and software testers.

Why Are We Not More Agile?

Traditionally, a business analyst is expected to gather all the requirements for a project at the beginning. These requirements are then shared with the Project Manager and Stakeholders as a static, fixed or immutable set of requirements.

This type of requirements gathering is common in product or software development project that make any or all of the following assumptions:

  1. Business Analyst – The business analyst can gather, analyze, validate and specify all the requirements at the beginning of the project and before a single line of code is written.

  2. Project Manager – The project manager needs to have a complete set of requirements to facilitate accurate project planning.

  3. Software Tester / QA – The software tester needs to have a complete set of requirements before creating a test plan and user acceptance or QA tests.

  4. Software Architect – The software architect needs to design the entire software system at the beginning of the project befor e a line of code is written.

  5. Computer Programmers – That computer programmers need to receive an extensive and complete set of requirements preferably in Use Cases format before they start coding.

    Traditional software or product development projects also assume that for developers to create a working product, they need to be told in detail, every basic, alternate path and exception flow through the system.

  6. Customers – That customers have a mind, wants, needs and desires that can be completely known at the beginning of the project through extensive requirements gathering and documentation.

    This also means that once the customer’s requirements is gathered or documented, it will not change during the life cycle of the product or software development cycle … at least not without extensive negotiation, documentation and signing-off.

The Role of The Customer Advocate

But is this true? Can the customer’s mind, needs, wants or desires be known and documented completely at the beginning of the project?

Does setting the customer’s requirements in stone assure a better product, a more satisfied customer and increase the chances of project success?

  1. The needs of today’s customers are not set in stone. Far from it, the very process of gathering customers requirements can change what the customer wants.

  2. The marketplace is always changing and product features become less important or even irrelevant in short periods of time.

  3. The practice of planning projects or designing entire software systems completely, at the inception of a project is fraught with risks, estimates and guesses.

    This practice often leads to more software features that are out of touch with the customer’s needs and more project failures.

    Considering that so many projects planned this way fail, Business Analysts need to consider utilizing more agile communication skills to supply requirements when they are needed.

Unlike the traditional business analyst who works from the assumption that requirements once signed off on are fixed in stone or immutable, the agile business analyst plays the role of a customer advocate by assuming that requirements can and will change during the life cycle of the product development effort.

The agile business analyst welcomes changes in the customer’s requirements because they reflect what the customer really wants and not what was documented.

In doing this, the agile business analyst elevates the customer’s needs above the needs for more documentation.

The agile business analyst understands that there is always some uncertainty in the marketplace, so the planned features of a product or software application cannot be set in stone!

The agile business analyst understand that software developers do not need to have 100% of a product or project’s requirements extensively documented using Use Cases before they begin coding.

So the Agile Business Analyst relies more on communication, presentation and facilitation skills than written documentation in communicating with software / product developers.

Today’s constantly changing marketplace requires the Agile Business Analyst A customer advocate who elevates the customer’s needs above that of extensive requirements documentation!


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/22/the-agile-business-analyst-a-customer-advocate/feed/ 6 5 Steps to a New Business Analyst Career http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/16/5-steps-to-a-new-business-analyst-career/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/16/5-steps-to-a-new-business-analyst-career/#comments Tue, 16 Feb 2010 06:03:41 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2834

business analyst in 5 steps

business analyst in 5 steps

5 Steps to a New Business Analyst Career

I talk to a number of business analysts interested in changing careers to new domains.

They come from diverse backgrounds (insurance, sales, financial, etc.) and they all share a common goal … that of switching careers to new domains.

So, when one of these business analysts asked; if I would like to throw more light on changing BA careers / domains at job interviews, I was glad to say yes :-)

How To Switch Business Analyst Domains

Some degree of sales or marketing skills is needed to get a job. And your understanding of the sales process determines how successful your career switch will be.

Here is what you need to know about switching business analyst careers:

  1. Put Yourself In Employers Shoes:

    Don’t make the classic mistake of approaching the business analyst job interview from the standpoint of what you can get out of it!

    Rather, put yourself in the employer’s shoes and talk to their interests and needs … that is basic human nature and selling 101.

    This matters because job interviewers will not care about you or get interested in you, if you don’t care about or show a genuine interest in them (read Dale Carnegie’s classic – “How To Win Friends and Influence People”).

  2. Emphasize Cross Functional Skills:

    Accept that employers will be skeptical of your resume, skill-sets and suitability for the job, when switching careers or domains.

    Now, resolve the employer’s doubts by showing how your skill-sets are a better match to their needs.

    Do this by emphasizing cross-functional skills like your communication and presentation skills. Then, go further and explain how your business analysis skills (like those taught at the business analyst boot camp) will be useful to the employer inspite of your previous domain or background.

  3. Tailor your Resume to the Job:

    Yes, tailoring your resume to the job helps, when you have some relevant background information that will be lost in your traditional resume.

    Several years ago, I transitioned from a chemical engineering job to an information technology (IT) consulting career.

    I only had a few months of relevant IT experience but several more years of irrelevant chemical engineering training and experience.

    Following the advice of a recruiter, I re-wrote my resume to focus, expand and highlight my strong>limited information technology background while reducing my chemical engineering background to a foot note … which worked like a charm!

    The lesson hear is to “reduce the employer’s doubt and anxiety by rewriting sections of your resume that doesn’t directly relate to the job you’re interviewing for“.

  4. Leave your Pride at the Door:

    Don’t let any negative behavior or comments cause you to lose your cool at the job interview.

    Instead, carry yourself as a true professional regardless of what you see or hear at the interview.

    I was fortunate to be interviewed for a Procter & Gamble Management Trainee program out-of-college.

    However, before I was hired, I had to maintain my composure under some negative, psycho-analysis by an interviewer whose main goal was to see if I would lose my cool under the pressure of the interview.

    So, do whatever it takes to get the job interview … that is your sole mission and objective.

  5. Study your Prospective Employer’s Industry:

    I have been to a few job interviews where I used my knowledge of the company’s market place to advantage.

    This is not something that you can do, if you’re looking for an easy job. But it is definitely something that you can do, if you’re really interested in the company.

    Research the prospective employer’s competitors, industry, technology, business processes and come prepared with suggestions, ideas or information that would genuinely help the prospective employer.

So., now I have given it to you … skills, techniques or steps for changing your business analyst career or domain. What are you going to do with it?

If you would like to leave discuss more about your experience at job interviews, just go ahead and leave a comment below.


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/16/5-steps-to-a-new-business-analyst-career/feed/ 1 How To Answer Business Analyst Job Interview Questions http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/28/how-to-answer-business-analyst-job-interview-questions/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/28/how-to-answer-business-analyst-job-interview-questions/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:50:12 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2565

How To Answer Business Analyst Job Interview Questions

How To Answer Business Analyst Job Interview Questions

I’ve taken dozens of IT job interviews with various IT departments ranging from small IT shops to Fortune 500 IT departments to non-profits to consulting firms to staffing or recruitment agencies!

I’ve been interviewed and hired for both management and non-management IT positions. I’ve personally interviewed, hired and also coached IT Professionals who’ve gone on to wow their interviewers or ace the IT positions they wanted.

I’ve been in several situations where to get the next consulting assignment, I interviewed with several firms and also received multiple, competing job offers!

I’ve been in situations where firms competed for my services by trying to hire me away or by going out of their way to impress me with pretty good offers.

I’ve been hired for high visibility IT jobs in large organizations with just one single phone interview … and without going through a face to face interview.

I’ve taken more IT interviews than I care to count … closing and getting job offers 9 times out of ten.

I’ve even taken and aced phone interviews while driving and while on vacation.

I’ve been interviewed by a team of not one single person but a team of professionals several times during my career and sometimes without any warning and still wowed the team of interviewers without any additional notice or preparation!

As far as IT job interviews are concerned, I’ve been there and I have been there and I’ve done it.

I Have Something To Say

I have a lot to say about job interviews and I’m asking you to learn from me, so that you can truly be the master of your own fortune.

Are you are ready to be all you can be, break out of your personal limitations and experience the success you want?

Begin by learning how to your business analyst job interviews”.

Are you teachable and open to learning? If you are, read the rest of this article on How To Ace Business Analyst Job Interviews.

Boost your Business Analyst Job Interviews Using The Scientific Method

If you are looking for a scientific way to boost your Business analysis skills or ace your Business Analyst job interviews, start using practice tests.

Research has shown that practice tests or quizzes improve retention, recall or understanding.

Research has also proven that workers who study and take quizzes have better long-term recall than their colleagues who study without taking quizzes.

Don’t use practice tests only in preparation for certification exams because they are useful for much more than that!

Practice tests or quizzes are effective for improving Business Analyst skills, retention or recall which helps you ace your Business Analyst job interviews!

Let’s go ahead and review how you may used practice tests to improve your skills or advance your Business Analyst Career or get a Business Analyst job.

Use Quizzes to Ace Business Analyst Job Interviews

Quizzes or practice tests are effective because they mimic the question and answer format of Business Analyst job interviews.

In Practice Tests, the Quiz software usually presents random questions to you, rates your answers as correct or incorrect and then displays correct answers for your benefit!

Practice Tests simulate Business Analyst job interviews by presenting the different types of questions interviewers ask including Single Choice, Multiple Choice or Open-ended interview questions.

In a Business Analyst job interview, the potential employer will ask a question and then review your answers for correctness, promptness of reply and comprehensiveness.

Lack of correctness (wrong answers), promptness (slow responses) and comprehensiveness (not enough details) may cause you to lose your Business Analyst job interview or give you a bad rating!

So, how would you prepare for your next job interview using this new information?

Start by using practice tests which can;

  • Present potential Business Analyst job interview questions in random order

  • Rate answers to single-choice, multiple-choice and open-ended interview questions … so you get used to answering them in interviews

  • Present the correct Business Analyst job interview answer with additional explanations so you familiarize yourself with the correct answers

Use Quizzes to Sharpen Your Business Analyst Job Interviewing Skills

Practice tests actually improve your ability to remember or recall correct answers in your interviews.

Use them extensively to prepare for your interviews weeks or months before you need a job!

Practice tests are effective because you answer a set of questions multiple times until they sink in and become second nature!

How Sharp Are Your Business Analyst Skills?

During your Business Analyst interviews, you are evaluated based on the correctness, promptness of reply and comprehensiveness of your answers.

Correctness:

Your answers are evaluated based on how precise or correct they are. Even when the Business Analyst interview questions are open ended, your answers are still evaluated as correct or incorrect.

You impress your interviewer when you can answer most or all of the questions you’re asked correctly. Not getting your facts straight or not knowing your material will certainly cost you the interview!

Promptness:

You are evaluated based on how quickly you respond to Business Analyst interview questions.

The quicker you are in responding to Business Analyst interview questions, the sharper your skills are perceived to be.

So, you lose points when you take too long to answer a Business Analyst question and you gain points or credibility, when your answers are quick or instinctive.

Comprehensiveness:

Your interviewer evaluates your Business analysis level of knowledge when you answer a Business Analyst question.

So, a comprehensive, detailed or factual answer will score more points than a sketchy, skimpy answer.

When you are asked a Business Analyst question, you really need to wow your interviewer by demonstrating that you have more than a superficial understanding of the topic.

You need to do this by giving the correct answer promptly and comprehensively (with as much detail as the time you are given permits).

How To Answer Business Analyst Interview Questions Correctly

Business Analyst Testing Software programs present a list of Business Analyst interview questions and then evaluates your answer to each question as either true of false … which helps you identify the correct answers.

You need to study each answer’s explanation, understand why it is correct and why the other answers are not correct.

You also need to attempt the same question several times until your answers are consistently correct.

Practicing with Business Analyst Testing Software will help you respond back promptly, correctly, comprehensively in a live Business Analyst interview.

How to Answer Business Analyst Interview Questions Promptly

Because practice questions are presented in a quiz software, you have a reliable way of recording, tracking or monitoring your training sessions and improvement.

Your ability to answer Business Analyst interview questions promptly is a function of your familiarity with the question or topic.

As your level of familiarity with Business Analyst questions increases, your promptness in answering also increases. So, practice taking Business analyst interviews using Business Analysis Testing software

In this article, we discussed how to boost your skills and ace your Business job interview using a proven scientific technique.

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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/28/how-to-answer-business-analyst-job-interview-questions/feed/ 0 Alternate Career Paths for Business Analysts http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/07/03/alternate-career-paths-for-business-analysts/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/07/03/alternate-career-paths-for-business-analysts/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:07:36 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=1845

Ask IT Career Coach

Ask IT Career Coach

The fundamentals of earning an income is rooted in the exchange of goods, services or skills and having an 8 to 5 job is just one way of doing that!

This post answers the question of what to do when you can’t get a job! posted by a reader (Kintu Vicent) who is inquiring about “how to earn an income as a business analyst without regular employment!“

If you need help with a Question or Challenge, be sure to ask it as a comment on this page and I will answer it fully just as I am answering this reader’s question below!

Please, send this post to your friends using the “Tell a Friend” Button button below. You earn points or cash each time you refer an article to your friends using the Tell a Friend Button.

Here is the Question:

dear sir/madam,

i am an african youth living in Uganda (east african country).

i would like to be a good entreprenuer (small scale business owner) but also having a profession both beneficial to my own businesses like procurement and logistics and side by employment inorder to accumulate more capital to invest in my projects.

i have the following to ask you.

can you give some sophisticated business ideas a business analyst does?

rather than being a consultant or contract personel ,how better can a business analyst creat his own employment to face the global challenge of un-employment.

best regards,

looking forward to hearing from you.

High Un-employment Rate

The un-employment rate in the United States is at a 26 year high! and other countries are also experiencing dramatic spikes in un-employment. So, business analysts and other IT professionals need to consider alternative or non-traditional career paths for earning a living“.

First, Prepare a Strategic Plan Using SWOT Analysis

You create your own employment by using SWOT ANALYSIS to elicit alternative career paths or prepare competitive services for the business analysis marketplace.

You have to consider your strengths relative to the business analyst market place because you only get paid for what you can do well compared to others and you have to consider business analyst career paths strategically because you may be thinking in a box.

By thinking outside of the box, you begin to see opportunities that were hidden because of self-imposed mental constraints or limiting beliefs!

Alternative Career Paths for Business Analysts

Let me introduce three career paths for business analysts who don’t want to work a regular 8 to 5 contract or full-time business analyst job.

  1. Business Analyst Blogger Career Path: You may become a blogger for the business analyst blogosphere!

    To become a business analyst blogger, you need a computer, a word processor and an internet connection.

    You can live anywhere in the world as a business analyst blogger because your clients are easily discoverable on the internet.

    There are several ways of monetizing your blogging income streams and you need to choose a profit model that best suits your blogging goals.

  2. Freelance IT Business Analyst Consultant Career Path: You may become a freelance IT business analyst consultant!

    As a freelance IT business analyst consultant, you may specialize in requirements analysis, requirements modeling and documentation, Use Cases, UML or Data Modeling for Software Development Projects.

    As a freelance IT business analyst consultant you may also setup shop virtually and work remotely for clients that need your services.

    You will need a more sophisticated marketing plan so you can discover or engage the types of clients that will be needing your out-sourced business analysis services.

  3. Freelance Web Business Analyst Consultant Career Path: You may capitalize on the opportunities created by the strong demand for web skills by becoming a freelance web business analyst!

    As a freelance web business analyst, your services may include helping companies align their web investments with their business goals using your superior business analysis skills.

    As a freelance web business analyst, You may also decide to help companies analyze how customers use or interact with their websites or help elicit business requirements for web analytics projects.

    If you have developed strong quantitative or analytical skills, you may also help business leaders take advantage of hidden opportunities in their clickstream, search, survey or web usability data.

The alternative career paths listed above are just a tip of the iceberg … there are more!

If you need help with eliciting alternative career paths or preparing a competitive service for the market place, feel fee to contact us.

Career Paths for Business Analysts

Kintu, it is possible to create your own employment as a business analyst without working a traditional 8 to 5 job.

Begin by using SWOT Analysis to discover what you are good at and then create a competitive offering for the business analyst marketplace!

This post answers a question posted by a reader on “how to become a freelance business analyst!!

If you have any Question about your career, Post IT as a comment on this page and I will be sure to answer it for you!


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/07/03/alternate-career-paths-for-business-analysts/feed/ 3 The Most Valuable Business Analysis Skills Are ?? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/06/24/the-most-valuable-business-analysis-skills/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/06/24/the-most-valuable-business-analysis-skills/#comments Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:09:23 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=1717

What Are The Most Valuable Business Analyst Skills?

What Are The Most Valuable Business Analyst Skills?

One of the toughest challenges facing business analysts today is building the domain experience required for business analyst jobs.

Acquiring business analyst domain experience from scratch is hard because you need to get a job before you can build domain expertise … yet no-one will give you a job without that required domain experience!

This post however discusses how to get around the business analyst domain experience required for business analysis jobs.

What is Business Analyst Domain Experience?

Business analyst domain experience is the hands-on business skills or domain knowledge acquired by working in specialized industries like automotive, banking, insurance, telecom, utilities or working for business units such as customer relationship management, finance, sales and marketing.

Business analyst domain experience is gained by solving business problems for a specific industry or business unit and it can’t be gained by taking certifications exams or by learning business analysis concepts like Use Cases or Requirements Modeling.

In other words, business analyst domain experience is gained by getting your hands dirty with work in an industry or by solving real-world business problems for a business unit.

Don’t Confuse Your Business Analysis Skills With Domain Knowledge!

There is a difference between your business analyst skills and your business analyst domain experience.

Your business analyst skills (like Requirements Elicitation, Use Cases, UML etc) are the techniques or tools used in solving business problems.

They are skills that serve as the means to an end. The end being the business problems or challenges facing your industry.

What Is The Value of Domain Business Analysis Skills?

A business analyst transitioning to a new domain starts out with little or no domain knowledge and then builds up the industry knowledge over time.

That is the reason why some of the most senior business analysts in an organization are those who started out first by learning the ins and outs of their employer’s business before they took formal training.

Businesses value domain business analysts because their knowledge is not easily transferable and because they know how to run or operate the business units efficiently.

This is perhaps another reason why it pays to work in an industry for a while instead of hopping from one industry to another.

When you transition to a completely new business analysis domain, you will have to prove yourself as if you are just starting … even though you may be an experienced business analyst!

When is Business Analyst Domain Experience Needed?

Transitioning From One Business Analyst Domain to Another: Business analysts transitioning from a domain like the automotive or auto-finance industry to another domain like healthcare or telecomms have to build their business analyst domain experience completely from scratch.

Transitioning From One Country to Another: Business analysts transitioning from one country to another may have to re-establish their domain experience.

New domain knowledge is needed because businesses operate under different laws, regulations, customs and economic climates across national or regional boundaries.

So, potential employer want to be sure that re-locating business analysts are intimate with the customs or ways of doing business in the countries that they are hired :-)

How Do You Build Business Analyst Domain Experience?

If you have already developed domain experience by working in an industry for several years, what you need is not more domain experience but this comprehensive training on the techniques and practices of business analysis.

On the other hand, if you don’t already have business domain experience and you are open to gaining experience in frontline industries or domains, click here.

Here is how it works:

  • You Become a Domain Specialist: In the The Business Analyst coaching program, you are encouraged to specialize in a few business analyst domains so you can achieve a reasonable level of mastery or competency within those domains.

    The industries that we are focusing on right now are those that show the strongest promise for hiring or those that are cutting-edge or the frontline of the economy.

    Contact us to see if this will be a good fit for you, OK?

  • Become a Leader: The goal of the Business Analyst Coaching program is to get you networked with businesses and peers in your industry through extensive study, practical handson work and industry networking.

    Instead of just sensing your resume around waiting for someone else to hire you, learn how to the gain the recognition or attention of your peers and hiring managers using social media networking or branding.

Just remember that you can solve the challenge of acquiring business analyst domain knowledge by specializing in frontline domains, solving real-world business problems and then marketing your profile or brand continually using social media.

If this sounds like something you will be interested in doing, contact us for more information or learn more about business analysis coaching here.


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/06/24/the-most-valuable-business-analysis-skills/feed/ 3 How To Become A Healthcare Business Analyst http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/06/14/how-to-become-a-healthcare-business-analyst/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/06/14/how-to-become-a-healthcare-business-analyst/#comments Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:05:54 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=1611

healthcare business analyst career path

healthcare business analyst career path

This question was posted by a Healthcare Business Analyst looking for work!

If you have a Burning Question or a Challenge that you need help with, be sure to ask your question as a comment on this page and I will answer it fully just as I am answering the question below!

If you find this article helpful then share it with your friends using the “Share This Post” Link.

You provide valuable information or advice to others each time you use the Share This Post Link.

Here is the Question:

Hi Kingsley,I like your articles and posts and look forward to a good advise from you on the following :

The toughest challenge for me is to get back into Business Analysis after working for just less than 2 yrs where my domain was government sector projects and a dash of incomplete healthcare knowledge.

I ‘m neither a fresher nor an experienced guy with very less domain exp. I mostly get healthcare projects ( since my last project was on health care domain) where my knowledge is inadequate and companies do not want to employ me for the same.

How can I bag such jobs when the domain knowlege is lacking? or how can I convince that my BA skills are good enough for the new domain?

I am not sure what additional skills I need to gain to be employable.Should I gain any technical knowledge or do IIBA certifications?

Please advise.

Thanks 

Here is my Answer:

Sri:

I’m glad that you enjoy reading my articles and posts. I would be glad to answer your questions for you.

Here are my thoughts on what you need to do to get back in the game.

  1. Learn How To Get A Business Analyst Job Without Applying For Any

  2. Learn How To Ace Business Analyst Job Interviews

  3. Get More Business Analysis Domain Experience

How To Get More Healthcare Business Analysis Domain Experience

The main issue facing your business analysis job search based on feedback from employers is inadequate healthcare domain experience.

You need to address the lack of business analysis domain experience directly by looking for more informal or formal work in the healthcare industry.

Don’t side-step the main issue by working on getting more educational qualifications because you won’t get more healthcare business analysis experience that way!

You need to either get more healthcare business analysis domain experience or perhaps start all over with a new business analysis domain!

If you decide to continue with the Healthcare Industry, then you will be building on your previous healthcare business analysis domain experience.

If you decide to start over with a new business analysis domain, you may be able to get additional business analyst hands-on experience more easily or quickly.

You also have the option on working on getting business analysis domain experience in more than one industry!

For example, you may increase your chances of getting a business analyst job by getting business analyst domain experience in sales or marketing or customer relationship management (CRM) domains in addition to the healthcare domain.

So, evaluate the availability or accessibility of domain experience in the healthcare industry compared to other industries or expose yourself to additional domains besides healthcare.

Regardless of which business analysis domains you choose, do not try to bypass the lack of experience issue … be sure to address it directly in your actions

Learn How To Ace Business Analyst Job Interviews

It is possible that you are not getting hired because you are not putting up a compelling presentation at your business analyst job interviews!

You may possess the minimal business analysis domain experience required for a healthcare business analyst job and still not get hired because of weak presentation or interviewing skills!

A business analyst may get a job where another business analyst else with more experience, skills, training, certifications or educations fails because job interviews are subjective!

So, you must work on improving your business analyst interviewing skills so you cover all your bases!

“Click here for more Information on How To Get Through Business Analyst Interviews“

Learn How To Get a Business Analyst Job Offers Without Applying For Any!

It is actually possible to get health care business analyst job offers without actively soliciting for them.

Assuming that the job search process is a marketing process, you are better off getting employers to call you with job offers!

The problem with the traditional methods of job searching is that everyone who is out-of-a-job is probably doing the same thing! To get a job you have to do more than everyone else!

So my advice is that; you have to raise the bar higher by getting employers to notice you or call you with business analyst job offers!

Now, that is quite possible and I am going to show you how!

The way to get employers to notice you is by becoming a leader in the healthcare business analyst domain or any other domain that you prefer!

How To Become A Leader In The Healthcare Business Analyst Industry!

The best way to get a healthcare job is by becoming a leader in the healthcare business analysis domain!

Becoming a leader in the healthcare business analyst domain means that you do the things that gets you noticed in the healthcare business analysis domain.

When you become a leader in the healthcare business analyst industry then employers are more likely to call you with job offers and your resume is guaranteed to stand out in any pile of business analyst resumes!

We have a program that coaches you on how to stand-up and be noticed! . IT helps you “Become a Leader”.

In that program you are shown or coached on “how to become a leader or gain recognition in the IT marketplace!“

Sri, feel free to ask for more information by contacting us or by posting a comment, question or reply below!


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/06/14/how-to-become-a-healthcare-business-analyst/feed/ 5 Is the Job Market Good Or Bad For Business Analysts? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/06/04/is-the-job-market-good-or-bad-for-business-analysts/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/06/04/is-the-job-market-good-or-bad-for-business-analysts/#comments Thu, 04 Jun 2009 22:27:08 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=1590

Ask IT Career Coach

Ask IT Career Coach

This question was posted by a Business Analyst in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom.

If you have a Burning Question or a Challenge that you need help with, be sure to ask your question as a comment on this page and I will answer it fully just as I am answering the question below!

Please, send this post to your friends using the “Tell a Friend” Button button below. You earn points or cash each time you refer an article to your friends using the Tell a Friend Button.

Here is the Question:

Hi,

I am looking to go into My first Business Analyst role, I have had a mixture of responses from people here in the United Kingdom (UK).

Some are saying that the market is bad for entry level Business Analysts and some say its good.

Is there any one that could give me advise on what I should do and how I should market myself?

Here is my answer to the question on “getting an entry level business analyst job in a good or bad job market“:

  1. Do not begin or opt-out of the business analyst job search because of the state of the job market.

  2. Do decide to search for a business analyst job because you want to be a business analyst.

Your decision to become a business analyst or search for business analyst jobs should be based on an interest or dis-interest in becoming a business analyst and not on factors beyond your control like the condition of the business analyst job market.

Stephen Covey in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People mentioned that proactive people do not worry or focus on factors over which they have little or no control … instead they focus on their “Sphere Of Influence” … those factors or circumstances over which they can exercise control.

So, do not focus or worry about the condition of the Business Analyst Job Market.

Keep your focus on becoming a business analyst and making an effective search for a business analyst job by:

  1. Deciding if you want to become a business analyst by comparing your strengths to the demands of the business analyst profession

  2. Finding out how to get a business analyst job regardless of the condition of the business analyst job market

Do You Want To Become A Business Analyst?

Take the first action within your control by first learning the roles, responsibilities or duties of a business analyst.

Next compare what you have learned about the day to day challenges or the life of a business analyst to what you know about your own abilities, likes or strengths.

Finally decide if you want to become a business analyst based on all the information you’ve gathered.

There are several articles on this website that will help you make an informed decision on becoming a business analyst

Here are some articles on the topic of becoming a business analyst:

How Do You Effectively Plan The Business Analyst Job Search?

You need to make an effective plan for finding business analyst jobs because making that kind of plan is within your control or sphere of influence.

Make an effective plan for becoming a business analyst by improving each of the following areas that impact your business analyst job search:

  1. Business Analyst Cover Letter

  2. Business Analyst Resume

  3. Business Analyst Job Search

  4. Business Analyst Job Interviewing Skills

  5. Business Analyst Hands-On Working Experience

  6. Business Analysis Domain Experience

  7. Business Analysis Skills & Knowledge

The point here is that job searches fail because they are weak or improperly planned and not because of the condition of the business analyst job market!

Here are some articles on the topic of creating an effective business analyst job search plan:

Finally, I want to say that basing decisions about a beginning a career you like … on the job market condition is fundamentally flawed because of two reasons:

  • You cannot not wait till the business analyst job market is good because the market will be saturated with “Me-Toos” or everyone who wants to get a business analyst job because they hear that the market is also good!.

  • You cannot also delay applying for business analyst jobs when the business analyst job market is bad because others will also assume that the business analyst job market is bad. Applying when the business analyst job market looks weak is actually good for you because you will have fewer competitors then!

So, think positively, focus on factors within your control and remember that if you think that you can become a business analyst … you can!

This post answers a question posted by a reader. If you have a Question, Post IT as a comment on this page and I will be sure to answer it for you!


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/06/04/is-the-job-market-good-or-bad-for-business-analysts/feed/ 1 How To Start A CRM Business Analyst Career http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/05/11/how-to-start-a-crm-business-analyst-career/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/05/11/how-to-start-a-crm-business-analyst-career/#comments Mon, 11 May 2009 20:20:49 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=1457

CRM Business Analyst

CRM Business Analyst


One of the biggest hurdles facing business analysts in the current job market is the challenge of demonstrating the hands-on experience required in business analyst job descriptions

This article explains “how to improve your marketability as a business analyst by targeting business analyst job descriptions.”

Let me start by saying that there are two types of hands-on experience required for business analyst jobs:

  1. General Business Analysis Experience: This type of experience is gained by practicing or using general business analysis skills including Use Cases, Requirements Gathering, Requirements Modeling, Requirements Elicitation, UML etc.

  2. Domain Specific Experience: This is gained by working or supporting a specific business function, operation or process including sales, marketing, order fulfillment, payroll

The general business analysis skills and experience is transferable from one industry or job to another.

For example, it is easy to transfer or apply Use Cases skills gained from one job to another job. We provide training for these in the Business Analysts Boot Camp

Domain specific business analysis experience may not be transferable or easy to get.

For example, a business analyst job description listing domain knowledge in the Telecommunications Industry excludes domain knowledge gained from the Healthcare Industry or the Printing Industry.

We help business analysts gain domain specific business analyst experience in the “Become a Leader” Coaching program

The lack of industry experience or domain knowledge is one of the biggest reasons why business analysts job applications are rejected.

In the rest of this article, I am going to post an actual business analyst job description (open as of the day of this posting) and discuss the business analyst domain knowledge required for the job.

  1. You can improve your chances of landing a business analyst job, by learning how to segment the business analyst job market into specific domains or business processes and then gain the hands-on experience required for target business domains.

  2. This strategy is highly effective for getting a business analyst job because it realistic, actionable and specific.

  3. The reality is that you cannot get the business analyst domain experience that matches ALL business analyst job descriptions.

  4. However it is realistic to plan on getting the required domain experience for a handful of business analyst job descriptions.

Let me summarize what I have said so far:

  1. Segment the business analysis job market into specific domains, operations or functional areas (e.g. payroll, order processing, sales, customer relationship management)

  2. Do not try to get hands-on domain experience that matches every business analyst job description

  3. Do try to get hands-on domain experience that matches a select number of business analyst job descriptions

In addition to these, learn how to substitute hands-on experience properly: some business analyst job descriptions may seem out of reach because they require hands-on experience in specialized software products.

What you may not realize is that you can also substitute compelling hands-on experience in competing or similar software products even when the job description does not say so!

I am going to apply the principles I have been discussing to a real business analyst job description posted below. Note that these principles are covered in-depth within the “Become A Leader Coaching program” which is designed to connect business analysts or software developers with employers looking for qualified and talented IT professionals.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Business Analyst Job Description

Minimum Required Skills:

Business Analyst, Netsuite Analyst, ERP, CRM, ODBC, Crystal Reports, Javascript, case management, Issue management, knowledgebase

If you are a Jr. Business Analyst with knowledge of Netsuite’s Advanced Marketing functionality, and knowledge of Support and Customer Service features within Netsuite, or 1-2 years of relevant ERP / CRM experience, please read on!

*We will also consider 1-2 years of ERP / CRM experience with another platform other than Netsuite.

One of the Industry’s best resellers of Networking and Software technology has an immediate opening in there headquarters, located just outside of Boston. The Netsuite Analyst occupies a vital role within the company, and we’re looking for a talented person to fill the it.

Here’s what’s in it for you:

  1. Great Base Salary and Bonus potential.

  2. Tremendous work environment with talented colleagues.

  3. An opportunity to work with an industry leader, award winning company.

Here’s what you’ll need to do this job:

  1. 1 to 2 years experience as a Business Analyst supporting ERP / CRM platforms, ideally Netsuite but will consider others

  2. Experience with ERP / CRM System Administration and Customization features

  3. Experience with cash flow statements, payroll statements and the sales process lifecycle

  4. Ability to create reports using internal reporting tools, and/or creating custom Enterprise Reports using ODBC and Crystal Reports

  5. Experience creating enhancements with SuiteScripts, SuiteBundler, Etc.

  6. Implementation of new modules and features within ERP / CRM

  7. Strong communication skills.

Here’s what you’ll be doing:

  1. Provide support for the Netsuite system including Troubleshooting of the entire Netsuite application suite. Including but not limited to Case Management, Issue Management, Knowledgebase, etc.

  2. Creating and running reports within Netsuite using SuiteScripts, SuiteBundler, etc.

  3. Assisting in month end close with Chart of Accounts and General Ledger.

  4. Create documentation and user guides.

  5. Perform basic DBA tasks and Manage List data.

So, if you are a Jr. Business Analyst with knowledge of Netsuite’s Advanced Marketing functionality, and knowledge of Support and Customer Service features within Netsuite, or 12 years of relevant ERP / CRM experience, please apply today!

Note that this business analyst job description is for a real client in the Boston Area and is still available for interested and qualified business analysts

In the rest of this article and in the next series of articles, I will be discussing how to make your business analyst job search more relevant to target business analyst job descriptions.

#1: Hands-On Domain Specific Business Analyst Experience

You stand a better chance of getting hired as a business analysts if you couple strong expertise in specific business operations, processes or functions or domains to the more general business analysis skills that tend apply to most business analysis jobs (communications skills, requirements gathering or elicitation skills, UML skills, Use Cases skills, etc.)

The CRM business analyst job description posted above calls for hands-on experience in specific business processes including customer relationship management and sales process life cycle.

So, only business analysts who already have a background in customer relationship management (CRM) software applications or processes are qualified to apply for this job

The “Become a Leader Coaching” program provides the required hands-on business process specific experience for job descriptions like that posted above (CRM business analyst job description).

In addition, the “Become a Leader Coaching” program is currently open to subscribers of the business analyst boot camp or any of our IT Boot Camps

#2: Hands-On Experience in Common Business Processes or Functions

Sales, Marketing and Customer Relationship management business processes or functions are common to most businesses. So, business analysts who gain hands-on operational experience in these areas will find that there skills are applicable to most industries or businesses.

In a recent survey published by one of the leading outsourcing job banks, more companies are asking for help with their marketing and sales processes because of the need to generate additional income or revenue.

The “Become a Leader Coaching” program considers the importance of a domain or business process in preparing Business Analysts for that domain. The aim is to provide business analysts with compelling hands-on experience in target or select business processes or functions

#3: Match or Substitute Software Skills

The CRM business analyst job description posted above requires hands-on experience in the Netsuite CRM family of products.

However, you may not realize that in business analyst job descriptions like this, employers will accept hands-on experience in competing software products.

Also, you may not know what software application skills to substitute for the specialized or restricted skills required on the job description.

For example, you may not know that the hands-on Netsuite CRM experience mentioned above may be substituted with hands-on CRM experience in SAS, Chordiant, Salesforce, PeopleSoft (Oracle), Siebel (Oracle), SAP, Epiphany, Amdocs, SugarCRM, ZohoCRM, SplendidCRM or Microsoft Dynamics.

Remember that it is not practical to have a compelling hands-on experience in every business process or supporting software product.

That is why during the “Become a Leader Coaching” program, we provide business analysts with hands-on experience in specific business processes and supporting software applications.

In this article, I discussed “how to improve your marketability as a business analyst by learning how to target business analyst job descriptions” using a live business analyst job description.

In another article, I will discuss in more detail the business analyst – customer relationship management (CRM) job market. Note that this article is the first in a series of articles dicussing business analyst job descriptions.


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/05/11/how-to-start-a-crm-business-analyst-career/feed/ 15 Bonus Use Cases Training In The Business Analyst Book http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/05/06/bonus-use-cases-training-in-the-business-analyst-book/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/05/06/bonus-use-cases-training-in-the-business-analyst-book/#comments Wed, 06 May 2009 15:41:35 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=1447

Top Paying Skills in High Demand

Top Paying Skills in High Demand

Use Cases skills are in-demand for documenting or communicating the functional requirements of a system

Use Cases skills are employed in product design roles, software development or architecture roles and are among the most sought-after skills for business analyst jobs

Why Use Cases Training for Business Analysts?

Here are some of benefits of Use Case training for business analysts:

  1. Use Cases are effective for documenting the business processes, requirements (business or system), features and functionality of a system. So Use Cases skills are needed at the problem analysis or requirements gathering phase, software design or development phase or testing phase

  2. Because Use Cases lie at the heart of many software development processes, Use Cases skills are in-demand for business analysts or software developers. Use Cases skills also play a principal role during requirements analysis, business process improvement, software testing, quality assurance and architecture

  3. Use Cases are effective for improving the requirements practices of software development teams or Information Technology (IT) teams and using Use Cases effectively can lead to improved product quality.

    When Use Cases are used in documenting or presenting the requirements of a system, the software development or IT team ends up with a better understanding of the system under consideration or development.

    Because Use Cases are written from the user’s view point in non-technical, implementation or jargon free language, the entire team including stakeholders, users, developers, testers and business analysts communicate or collaborate better resulting in improved product quality and a more efficient process

How To Learn Or Master Use Cases Quickly

The The Business Analyst Book is the e-book that provides you with a blueprint for learning business analysis or studying business analysis on your own. It is the teach yourself business analysis book.

If you prefer step by step, in-depth, video training from Business Analyst instructors, then the The Business Analyst Boot Camp is the right place for you.

The Business Analyst Boot Camp includes a complete set of business analysis videos, business analysis quizzes, business analysis handson projects and personalized business analysis coaching. The Business Analyst Book now includes select business analysis training lessons and business analysis quizzes adapted from the business analyst boot camp. So, now you are given access to select business analyst boot camp training material when you get The Business Analyst Book

Bonus Use Cases Training Now Included In the Business Analyst Book

The Business Analyst Boot Camp includes Use Cases quizzes, Use Cases video training and hands-on Use Cases projects. The Use Cases quizzes helps you master Use Cases in a shorter time and also prepares you for Business Analyst Job Interviews. The Use Cases quizzes are also designed to improve your comprehension, recall and retention of the Use Cases video training sessions.

However, we are now adding one of the Use Cases quizzes from The Business Analyst Boot Camp to The Business Analyst Book for past or current buyers of the book.

Included in the bonus Use Cases lessons for all owners of The Business Analyst Book are:

  • A Bonus Use Cases Lesson Summary: The bonus Use Cases Lesson is a downloadable electronic lesson that summarizes a Use Cases video presentation from The Business Analyst Boot Camp.

  • A Bonus Use Cases Quiz or Use Cases Practice Test:  The bonus Use Cases Practice Test or Quiz is adapted from the Use Cases video presented at The Business Analyst Boot Camp. The bonus Use Cases training comes with a private, secure, personal log-in to our web-based training portal or learning management system (LMS) and a Use Cases quiz that you may use to perfect your understanding or mastery of some Use Cases concepts.

How To Learn or Master Use Cases

The way to learn Use Cases quickly is by repeatedly practicing your Use Case skills until they are second nature. That is exactly what the bonus Use Cases training and Use Cases practice tests will do for you.

To learn more about how quizzes or practice tests help you develop mastery or competency, click here.

Learn Use Cases By Doing – Get Hands On Use Cases Experience

Note that in the Business Analyst Boot Camp, you are also presented with projects where you apply the information gained from watching the Use Cases video towards solving situations or problems similar to those facing you on the job!

Who Gets The Bonus Use Cases Training?

The bonus Use Cases training will be delivered to all buyers (past, current or future owners) of the The Business Analyst Book.

Note: that if you are subscribed to The Business Analyst Boot Camp, then you already have access to the complete set of Use Cases video training, Use Cases practice tests or quizzes, business analyst mentoring or coaching and hands-on Use Cases projects and this announcement does not affect you

How Do You Get The Bonus Use Cases Training?

Go to this link and place an order now for The Business Analyst Book and you will be given access to both the bonus Use Cases Training and the bonus Use Cases practice tests or quizzes


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/05/06/bonus-use-cases-training-in-the-business-analyst-book/feed/ 1 How To Quit your Job the Right Way! http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/04/08/transitioning-from-a-business-analyst-job-when-your-boss-keeps-you-career-back/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/04/08/transitioning-from-a-business-analyst-job-when-your-boss-keeps-you-career-back/#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:09:01 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=1339

Quit your Job the Right Way!

Quit your Job the Right Way!

Is your boss keeping your career back?

Do you realize that the same boss who is responsible for keeping back your career will ultimately fire you for another IT worker with a better resume!

If you are frustrated in your current job because of lack of stimulating, interesting or challenging work or because someone else like your boss … is keeping your career back then you need to read this article.

One of the traits of successful IT professionals is the desire to learn, improve or working on exciting and challenging ideas all the time. It is what truly distinguishes achieving IT professions from others.

As an IT professional, your passion, mind, skill sets, list of projects is what truly sets you apart.

If your portfolio demonstrates passion, excellence and sharp skill sets, then you will have a successful career. You will be one of those lucky, in-demand or sought after IT professionals.

If your portfolio does not demonstrate sharp skills or passion then you have lost your career.

Is Your Boss Keeping Your Career Back?

Do you know that your boss constantly receives and reviews resumes from other IT workers who are doing jobs comparable to yours?

The irony is that even when your boss is responsible for keeping back your career by constantly assigning you to projects below your skillsets, the same boss will ultimately fire you for an IT worker with a better resume.

But … that is not fair you say. Yes, I agree that is not fair, but that’s how the entire IT profession plays out.

I have seen it happen to good IT workers time and time again.

The takeaway is that you and not your boss is responsible for your career.

Perhaps you were hired with promises of new projects or promises that you will be working on the latest technologies but you were sent to do maintenance work or work below your skill sets for a prolonged period of time.

Ultimately, you will be fired. And when you are fired, you will be in a bad situation because your skill sets will be lower than what they should be.

Moreover, other IT Managers reviewing your resume will wonder why you were working on un-challenging projects for so long and conclude that perhaps there is something wrong with your skill sets!

Here is a comment posted by a business analyst that fully desribes this problem:

Hi,

I am currently in a very frustrating situation, i really need advise in this regard.

I am currently employed as a business analyst, but the tasks that I perform are not Business Analysis related instead they more technical, first line support.

I am really frustrated about the matter because now it seems as if I am not developing in terms of my Business analysis.

Should I move, or not?

Because the environment it self does not accomodate business analysis.

Please advice ……….

Thank you

My response to this business analyst is that he needs to start looking into getting another business analyst job after following these guidelines:

 1. Ask your Boss to give you to a more challenging business analyst project:

To be fair to your boss, you should gently, discreetly and wisely raise the issue.

You need to give your boss a fair chance to remedy the situation by asking for more challenging work.

You could initiate a conversation like “I really appreciate all the work you have been giving me and I am wondering if you could give me more work along the lines of … “.

You need to do some research and come up with a list of projects within your firm that you think you would be better suited for.

You also need to figure out your boss’s personality and the best way of communicating your intentions in a non-threatening manner.

  • Email & Talk: You may need to email your boss first and ask for an appointment to discuss the situation

  • Phone & Talk: You may need to call your boss on the phone and ask for a good time to have a private career based talk

  • Talk at Lunch: Perhaps your boss is more relaxed at lunch time. If that is the situation, you need to strike up the conversation with your boss at lunch time

The point is that you need to discuss the situation with your boss in a way that shows that you are grateful for the work you’ve been given and would at the same time appreciate more challenging work.

 2. Start Preparing for a new Business Analyst Job:

You should also prepare yourself for the possibility that your boss may do little to improve your work situation.

Your boss may be unable to assign more challenging work because there is none available or because an internal decision has been made that you are not to be given the latest or challenging projects or because the boss simply doesn’t care about your situation.

Whatever the situation, your career is still your responsibility and you need to take charge of it.

Here are the steps you need to take towards getting a new business analyst job:

  • Get Your Resume In Order: Get your resume into tip-top shape by adding all the business analyst work you’ve done and making sure it is up to date.

    You need to take this action before you leave your current business analyst job

  • Get More Business Analysis Skills: Since you current business analysis work may have done little to improve your resume, you need to consider taking action along the lines of improving your business analysis resume outside work channels.

    It is important that you give yourself a 3 to 6 months window during which you work hard on improving your business analysis skills

  • Start Looking for Business Work: Somewhere in the 6 months window where you are working on improving your business analysis resume, you need to start looking for a new business analysis job.

    Since getting a new business analysis job may take some time, you need to factor in an additional 1 to 3 months for your job search

 3. Do Not Leave Your Business Analyst Job Prematurely:

The final guideline is that you should not resign or leave your current business analysis job until you have a firm letter of employment in your hands.

The reason is that employers are several times more likely to give you an offer of employment or hire you when you are currently in the employment of another firm than when you apply for a position without a job.

This post was inspired by a challenge facing a busienss analyst. If you have a burning question … a challenge facing your career, post it as a comment and I will answer it for you.


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/04/08/transitioning-from-a-business-analyst-job-when-your-boss-keeps-you-career-back/feed/ 4 Start A New Business Analyst Job In 4 Steps! http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/04/07/start-a-new-business-analyst-job-in-4-steps/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/04/07/start-a-new-business-analyst-job-in-4-steps/#comments Tue, 07 Apr 2009 21:38:39 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=1326

how to start your business analyst job in 4 steps

how to start your business analyst job in 4 steps

How is your business analyst job search going?

If you are finding it hard to get a business analyst job, then you need to update your business analysis skills, hands-on experience, cover letter, resume or interviewing skills.

  1. If you are not getting any phone calls, call backs or invitations for BA job interviews, then your business analyst resume or cover letter is weak.

  2. If you are getting business analyst interviews but not getting job offers, then your BA job interviewing skills are weak.

This post discusses how business analysis skills, hands-on experience, resume or job interviews interact while starting a new business analyst job.

Step 1 – Start With An Effective BA Cover Letter

If you are sending out resumes for business analyst jobs and you are getting little feedback, phone calls or job interviews, then you have to stop and do something different.

Start by looking at your resume and cover letter and then endeavor to answer this question honestly:

“Do I have sufficient business analysis skills and experience for the jobs I am submitting to?“

The challenge facing business analysts is that the business analyst job market is highly competitive and there are no clearly defined or widely accepted standards of excellence.

Since anyone can apply a business analyst job with or without the requisite business analysis skills and experience, you will need to go the extra mile to distinguish yourself from the pool of job applicants.

That is why you may have to follow the plan that I will share in the rest of this article …

Step 2 – Make Your Business Analyst Resume Standout

Think about this, if you live in Washington, DC and you are looking for a business analyst job without a strong business analysis background, you may end up sending your resume to hundreds of employers in the Washington, DC area.

The problem is that everyone else within Washington, DC who likes the idea of becoming a business analyst will also be sending their resume to the same employers!

Now most of these well-intentioned folks will be saying the same thing on each of their resumes, which will be something like this:

  • I can do this job
  • Give me the job please
  • I need this job to pay my bills
  • I want to become a business analyst
  • I like the idea of becoming a business analyst

Though these job applicants are well-intentioned, they are all making the same mistake of selling good intentions instead of their professional expertise!

Don’t make the same mistake of selling good intentions! Differentiate yourself by focusing on the results that you can achieve. Say something along these lines:

  • I have a lot of skills or experience in this domain or industry …
  • I have gained a lot of skills through training and real-world jobs in this domain …
  • I have done excellent work for others in this industry and I will do excellent work for you too!
  • My skills are sharp and I have been keeping up with the changes in this industry or domain …

The Hiring Manager is going to trash everyone whose resume is screaming “give me a business analysis job, please!” and only invite, interview or hire those whose resumes are saying: “I am a very capable, talented, skilled, experienced, trained, professional business analyst“.

So, before you start sending out your resume out again, first take a minute to answer the question: “does my resume demonstrate strong, up-to-date or effective business analysis skills“.

If you answered yes, then you are on well on your way to starting a business analyst job.

There are several ways of building up your business analysis resume to the level where it clearly demonstrates skill, capability, handson domain experience or professional expertise.

One of these is by getting hands-on business analysis training and the other is by getting hands-on business analysis coaching.

Step 3 – Prove Your Competency As A Business Analyst

The following is an e-mail that I received from a business analyst looking for a business analyst job in London. It has been edited for brevity and it demonstrates the point I’m making in this article:

Hi Kingsley,

I’ve recently applied for around 15 Business Analysis jobs in London and have had absolutely no feedback at all.

I have an excellent CV (as many agencies have commented) …

So I decided that I would use the covering letter which accompanies my applications as a vehicle to showcase why I would be suitable for the Business Analysis role. A ‘killer’ covering letter, if you like.

Except that 15 applications later with no feedback at all (not even a ‘thanks but no thanks’), I’m finding myself not knowing what my next step should be…

Also I now doubt very much that my Cover letter is ‘killer’, I have attached this and was wondering if its possible for you to have a look and advise me on this…

Thanks in advance Kingsley for your time and help

The business analyst cover letter discussed here demonstrates the candidate’s strong interest in the business analysis job, which is good.

However hiring managers, won’t interview or hire because of your good intentions or interest in becoming a business analyst.

They will only interview or hire when you demonstrate that you currently have the relevant business analysis skills needed to get the job done.

There is a big difference between proof and intention

Hiring managers want to interview or hire business analysts that demonstrate or prove via their cover letter, resume and business analyst job interviews; the skills needed to do the job and not business analysts who intend to learn on the job, train on the job or get mentored after they are hired!

In other words, Hiring Managers do not care about your potential to become a good business analyst or your interest in the business analyst career or your past successes in other professions.

They only care about your current business analysis skills, experience or education, period!

If you are not getting business analyst interviews or phone calls, it is because your resume demonstrates fewer business analysis skills or hands-on experience than that of other job applicants.

The only way to remedy that situation is to get more business analysis skills and hands-on experience!

Step 4 – Take Lots Of Business Analyst Job Interviews!

You need to solve the business analysis skills and hands-on experience problem before you can solve the problem of getting business analyst job interviews.

If all you are doing is just sending out resumes with the hope that someone will hire you because of your desire or interest in business analysis, change your strategy.

Your business analyst resume must stand out from the piles of resumes on interviewer’s desk.

First, increase your business analysis skills significantly, then get a lot of hands-on experience and then finally send out your resume to hiring managers … in that order.

If you follow the plan in this article, your resume will stand-out because it will demonstrate that you are actually capable of doing the job.

So, my advise is “get way from selling your intentions of starting a business analyst job” and first learn business analysis through training or coaching, then search or apply to the jobs you are qualified for do.

Practice these principles when you are in the market for a job and you will find yourself ahead of the game.


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/04/07/start-a-new-business-analyst-job-in-4-steps/feed/ 3 How To Get An Entry Level Business Analyst Job Part 1 http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/01/15/how-to-get-an-entry-level-business-analyst-job-part-1/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/01/15/how-to-get-an-entry-level-business-analyst-job-part-1/#comments Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:26:27 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=472

Entry Level Business Analyst Job

Entry Level Business Analyst Job

This article is in two parts. You are currently reading part one and you may click here to read part two of the article.

What should you do when you decide you want to become an IT Business Analyst?

You may have been a software developer, data analyst or even someone who has never worked in the Information Technology industry at all.

Perhaps you have an MBA or other business degree, but you have an interest in technology and you think IT Business Analysis is something you’d like to try your hand at.

Here are the steps that you can take from where you are to becoming a business analyst without taking a lifetime to switch your career.

First, Determine That Business Analysis is Your Dream Job

The first step is to make an informed decision that Business Analysis is your dream job. Ask yourself why you want to become a business analyst.

What is it about the career that you like?

What are the personal traits that you will be free to express as a business analyst?

Don’t choose to become a business analyst because of the money or the lack thereof.

Some people never go after their dream job because they think it won’t make them wealthy.

Being fulfilled in your career and fairly comfortable financially is much better than being wealthy and unhappy.

In addition, when you pursue a career that is in alignment with your passions, values and personal goals, you are more likely to become financially secure.

Going for your dream will require your commitment and investment of time and money, so you need to be sure that you are ready financially and mentally to pay the price.

If you are thinking about becoming a business analyst, evaluate the characteristics and skills that are necessary for being a good one.

You can always get training for your technical skills, but here are a few personal traits and skills to consider:

  • A good business analyst is good at and enjoys communicating.

  • You’ll need to be organized and able to manage large amounts of input and information coming to you from lots of different sources.

  • Are you curious and flexible? Do you enjoy learning new things on a continuous basis?

  • Do you handle conflict well? Can you be calm when others are not?

  • Can you handle conflict on behalf of others? On the job as a business analyst, you will have to be arbitrator, negotiator and peacemaker all rolled into one.

  • Are you willing to learn new technical skills such as gaining a good understanding of the software development process?

  • Do you enjoy learning new business concepts?

  • Do you enjoy research?

  • Can you help people understand new concepts? If they don’t understand it one way, do you have the skills to reword your explanation?

Take Action Now

Once you’ve decided that Business Analysis is the dream job for you, you need to laser-focus your time and energy and give everything you have to achieve your goal.

To achieve success in any endeavor, you have to apply effort and hard work.

Business Analysis is no different.

The role of the business analyst is not an “easy” IT job

It requires skill and dedication to do a good job.

Be prepared to stay the course and don’t bail out too soon.

Be patient and hang in there and you will be amazed at the results.

Stop talking about become a business analyst someday and begin to work on your dream now. Just start taking lots of action.

Take your dream out of Never Land and make it concrete by setting a timeline for your goal.

Create timeline for your goal. A goal without a deadline is just a castle in the air.


Click Here to Read Part Two of this Article


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/01/15/how-to-get-an-entry-level-business-analyst-job-part-1/feed/ 2 Become an Expert Business Analyst or Increase your BA Salary http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/01/12/become-an-expert-business-analyst-or-increase-your-salary/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/01/12/become-an-expert-business-analyst-or-increase-your-salary/#comments Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:56:51 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=452

increase your ba salary become an expert

increase your BA salary ... become an expert


If You Are Alive, You Want More Money! or you’ve been thinking of ways to increase your salary as a business analyst … yes, you have.

If you’re human and still breathing, what you get paid and how to make more money crosses your mind ever so often.

For good or bad, it is human nature to always want more.

We want more money, more love, more space, more friends and more fun.

This can be a bad thing, if it becomes an obsession that overtakes the desire to do a good job.

On the other hand, the desire for more money drives innovation and provides the motivation to become better at what we do.

The second approach could actually be considered healthy, but it is often ignored on the path to asking for a larger salary.

I have observed computer programmers and business analysts who simply focused on the dollar signs and hopped from job to job and company to company, gaining $1 – $3 per hour salary increases each time.

$3 per hour translates to an additional $6000 per year and that is nothing to sneeze at.

However, that approach is based on a sense of entitlement and neglects the fact that eventually, someone is going to take a good hard look at the value you produce and realize that you’re really not worth it.

So, unless your salary increases are matched by an equal or greater increase in the value you bring to the table or provide to your employer, you will not be able to sustain it!

Don’t Worry About Money, Focus on Expertise

A better, longer-term and more productive way to increase your compensation is to focus on increasing your expertise as a business analyst.

Begin to think in terms of increasing the value you provide to employers.

Answer this question as a reality check … what is your positive impact on the company’s bottom line?

As an employee, you represent a cost to your company: your salary, training and benefits negatively impact your employer’s bottom line unless you provide real-value over and beyond what you are paid!

If you begin to incrementally increase your business analysis expertise and responsibility, your value and expertise will increase and you will as a consequence become more valuable on the job.

As your expertise increases in quantifiable ways, your platform for asking for more money is made sure and fool-proof.

Make it your goal to become an expert business analyst and the money will follow.

What Does an Expert Business Analyst Look Like?

What does it mean to be an expert business analyst?

An expert business analyst is one who easily excels at carrying out the majority of the tasks assigned to them.

Your answer to issues on the job should be “Not a problem. I will implement it right away, 80% of the time or Give me a couple of hours, and I will have an answer for you, the other 20% of the time”.

Do you fit in with this description? If your current daily business analysis tasks and challenges do not lie comfortably within your circle of business and technical competence, you should focus on increasing your ability to solve those problems until it becomes as easy as pie. Then, ask for more money and more responsibility.

Ask yourself, if something suddenly went horribly wrong on your current project, would you have enough depth and breadth of knowledge to quickly find the solution to the problem?

How long would it take you to get the project back on track? Note that a quick turnaround is the mark of the expert business analyst.

Steps to Becoming an Expert Business Analyst

So, how do you become an expert business analyst or add more value to your organization? The key is to expand the tools and techniques you have mastery over through continuous learning.

To be an exceptional business analyst, you need to commit yourself to life-long education and training.

Be willing to run ahead of the curve to learn new techniques and master new skills. Register for Business Analyst training or Seek out mentors and coaches who can lead you into new knowledge areas or master business analyst through your own self study efforts.

If you are really interested in making more money by becoming an expert business analyst, begin by mastering the art of business analysis including:

  1. Requirements Planning
  2. Requirements Elicitation, Analysis and Documentation
  3. Elicitation Tools and Techniques
  4. Requirements Verification and Validation
  5. Business Modeling
  6. UML
  7. Business Case Development
  8. Requirements Change Management
  9. Requirements Baseline Management
  10. Agile Software Development
  11. Much more …

Click Here to Learn More About Becoming An Expert Business Analyst …


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