ITCareerCoach Training - Coaching » crm business analyst jobs 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 Career Outlook for Business Intelligence (BI) or Data Warehousing (DW) http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/12/09/career-outlook-for-business-intelligence-bi-or-data-warehousing-dw/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/12/09/career-outlook-for-business-intelligence-bi-or-data-warehousing-dw/#comments Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:15:26 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2736

Competing on Analytics

Competing on Analytics


Microsoft NET Developers are well compensated IT professionals because the workplace demand for skilled Microsoft.NET programmers outstrips the supply.

On the other hand, being a Microsoft .NET programmer can be tough because of the constant pressure to keep up with new technology!

So, this post addresses the challenges facing a Microsoft .NET Developer moving to Business Intelligence (BI) / Data Warehousing (DW):

Considering a Career Move from .NET Development to Business Intelligence (BI)?

I am currently working as a .net Developer (for the last 4 years mostly on contracting jobs).

The biggest problem I am facing is not being able to keep up with new .net components coming out everyday.

On my last project I developed in .net 2.0. Now for new positions, everyone is asking for .NET 3.5 (while 4.0 is looming on ahead).

I have a friend who is working as a Business Objects Consultant, and I am thinking of switching toward Datawarehousing / BI.

Would that be a good career move from my side. I think they get paid more and also do not need to keep reading like crazy.

However I am not sure of how will be the future of Business Objects and is there any chance beyond a report developer.

Hopefully, when the economy is better, I will be able to get a fulltime job and settled in one place.

The Career Outlook for Business Intelligence (BI) / Data Warehousing (DW)

  1. High Demand: The demand for Microsoft .NET Programmers is driven by Microsoft’s sheer marketing muscle and corporations customizing various Microsoft software products (like SharePoint and Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Office) for Collaboration, Marketing and Sales. etc.

  2. Steep Learning Curve: Microsoft .NET development has a steep learning curve, so you are not alone in feeling overwhelmed.

    .NET programmers have to keep up with multiple versions including .NET 1.0, .NET 1.1, .NET 2.0, .NET 3.0, .NET 3.5, .NET 4.0 in the works … and perhaps another sequel to .NET 4.0 in some secret Microsoft lab!

    As a Microsoft .NET programmer, you are also expected to keep up with multiple related technologies including HTML, XHTML, CSS, SQL SERVER, JAVASCRIPT, XML and more!

So, what is one to do? On one hand, you have a well compensated .NET programming career and on the other hand, you feel enslaved to the technology because you always have to be learning!

Considering all these, making a career change from Microsoft .NET Development to Business Intelligence / Data Warehousing may be in your long-term interests.

So, the question is, what are the career prospects or job outlook for business intelligence and data warehousing professionals like?

  1. Competing on Data: Organizations facing increasing marketplace pressures are turning to business intelligence (BI) projects for solutions.

    Better data and better analytics are needed for faster, more-informed decision making and that is where business intelligence and data warehousing professionals step in to help!

  2. Job Outlook for Business Intelligence (BI) and Data Warehousing Professionals: Leading industry analysts including Gartner and Forrester Research rank Business Intelligence (BI) and Data Warehousing (DW) as top technology priorities for Chief Information Officers (CIOs).

  3. In plain words, there is gold in business intelligence and data warehousing careers and you can tap into it!

  4. How to become a Business Intelligence (BI) or Data Warehousing (DW) professional: Changing careers from Microsoft .NET Development to Business Intelligence shouldn’t be too hard for you.

    Data Warehousing is built on the backbone of strong relational database design, database development and SQL skills and Business Intelligence integrates analytics, database technology and yes, some Microsoft .NET programming.

  5. Leverage existing skills; If you decide on a Microsoft BI / DW Career Path, you can still build customized BI and DW projects using your familiar Microsoft .NET Programming and SQL Server Database Development skills and if you go with other vendors, you can learn their particular Business Intelligence (BI) programming / scripting tools and their database technology, too!

The good news for you, is that you can leverage or reuse your Microsoft .NET Programming background and your SQL Server database development skills in the BI / DW Market.

I recommend that you stop looking at business intelligence (BI) and data warehousing (DW) as a reporting job because it is more than that … get a copy of the book titled Competing on Analytics, ok?

Competing on Analytics

Competing on Analytics

This post answers a challenge facing a .NET Developer changing careers to business intelligence and data warehousing.

If you have a question or a challenge facing your career, post it as a comment on this page and I will answer it for you!


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/12/09/career-outlook-for-business-intelligence-bi-or-data-warehousing-dw/feed/ 9 How To Become A CRM Business Analyst Consultant http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/29/how-to-become-a-crm-business-analyst-consultant/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/29/how-to-become-a-crm-business-analyst-consultant/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:58:56 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2600

customer relationship management business analyst

customer relationship management business analyst

This question was posted by Sri who needs advice on “how to transition careers to customer relationship management (CRM) business analysis.”

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 Sri’s questions below!

Please, send this post to your friends “Using this Link” .

Here is Sri’s Question on Becoming A Domain Business Analyst

Hi Kingsley,

The reason I wanted to move into CRM is that it being an evergreen field, thats what I feel from my understanding that for any business to be successful it must be customer centric.

And how else can a business be successful without serving its customers better through their processes which revolve around customer and thus automating those processes in order to manage their relationships with customers in an efficient manner.

Also since recession has hit an all time high thus companies have a better role to play in order to retain their existing customers by integrating Customer Relationship Management tools in their organization and realizing the benefits of it.

I wanted to do a SAP-CRM but dont know how to go about it since SAP industry doesnt take in freshers for such domains without a life cycle implementation experience.

So I would like you to advise how I can go ahead with my CRM career with or without SAP or what others tools knowlege is better in order to get into BA-CRM role.

Thanks and Regards,

Sri

How To Become A CRM Business Analyst

Recent reports suggest that the world-wide CRM market will double in a short time driven by CRM projects in every industry including Healthcare and Life sciences.

For example, the consulting firm KensingtonHouse estimates that the percentage of companies deploying, upgrading, or actively considering a CRM purchase stands at 38 percent.

Against this background, Gartner recently predicted that “25 percent of CRM projects will be postponed or canceled because of the CRM skill shortage in consultants and systems integrators.”

So, you are right in saying that there are good opportunities in the CRM Industry for business analysts.

I would like to offer you a surprise, free coaching session on “How You Can Transition To A CRM Business Analyst Career”.

Here is what your customized coaching plan will cover:

  1. Hands-On Domain Experience: how to get CRM business analysis hands-on domain experience without first getting a full-time job

  2. Resume Makeover: how to customize your resume with the relevant CRM experience

  3. CRM Skills: how to figure out which CRM tools or CRM processes you should learn based on a SWOT analysis

  4. Career Marketing: how to market your customized CRM resume or skills directly to hiring managers or clients!

I will be contacting or corresponding with you directly on the details of your “CRM Businesss Analysis Coaching plan“.

Here is some additional information for you to consider before we start your customized CRM career coaching session

What Is The State of The CRM Job Market?

The CRM Job market is divided into a demand for business analysts and system integrators who work on improving or implementing CRM packages and CRM Developers who work on customizing CRM existing packages or creating CRM software solutions from scratch.

Which CRM Tools Should I Learn?

You need to evaluate both the popularity of a CRM tool in as well as the cost of learning the tool.

Because some CRM software packages require extensive investments of time and money to learn. Other are much more affordable for the client who’s adopting it and for the Business Analyst who’s learning it.

Regardless of the CRM package you choose to learn, you need to get a clear understanding of specific CRM processes like Sales Force Automation (SFA) which can be implemented in any tool.

After learning one or more CRM Software Packages, apply for CRM business analyst jobs by emphasizing your knowledge of CRM processes over the tools except when you have strong first hand knowledge of the CRM tool mentioned in the Job opening.

Here are a few CRM business analyst career paths for you to consider:

  1. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Business Analyst

  2. Salesforce.com CRM Business Analyst

  3. Oracle (PeopleSoft CRM / Siebel CRM) Business Analyst

  4. Sugar CRM Business Analyst Business Analyst

How To Become A CRM Domain Business Analyst

Have you considered going beyond the traditional CRM business analyst career path by consulting or freelancing on CRM issues. .. this is an example of a question you need to evaluate for our custom business analysis coaching session!

You also have to ignore using a traditional job search! Prepare a marketing plan that defines who your target market is amongst other things and how you would market your resume (advertising, networking, cold calling, speaking, etc.) to them.

If you want to consider a non-traditional CRM business analyst consulting path, you should prepare a business plan that addresses questions like:

  1. Are you going to provide CRM consulting services by yourself or

  2. Hire employees, consultants or contractors to provide CRM services to clients through your business

Finally, consider using the power of the web, internet and social media to market your services.

This post answers a question on how to transition careers to CRM business analysis.

If you have a question or a challenge about your career, post it as a comment and I will answer it for you!


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/29/how-to-become-a-crm-business-analyst-consultant/feed/ 9 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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