5 tips to land more business analyst job interviews

In the IIBA Being a BA: Your Career Call-In show last week, about 50% of the questions we recieved were related to finding a new business analyst job. Dave Bieg, this month’s host, shared some great insights in addition to my own answers. It was great to have the perspective of someone who spends every day talking to existing and potential IIBA Corporate Members (read: organizations who value business analysis more than the rest of them).

Here’s a rundown of some of the suggestions we gave that can apply to a wide variety of business analyst job search situations:

1. Be current

If you are unemployed, let them know what you’ve been doing to advance yourself professionally. Volunteer work for as a business analyst in an organization, shows that you’ve been keeping busy and continuing to grow. Training and professional development shows you used the time to hone your skills. Although BA skills date less quickly than say software development skills, a strong awareness of the latest tools and practices will help you show that you are ready to achieve success for your new employer on day 1.

2. Read the BA job postings

This might seem obvious, but I can’t tell you how often I talk to people who do not read the job postings before they apply. And many of the questions we received showed a focus on job titles over job responsibilities. This is a great way to completely miss a great opportunity or to create a lot of noise in the hiring process. It’s not a great way to actually find a job.

Look closely at the job responsibilities and not just the titles. While in a purist sense, we might define a clear difference between a business analyst and a systems analyst or a process analyst and a business analyst or a business process analyst and a functional technical analyst ….and so the list could go on…the titles are used inconsistently in job postings. Reading the responsibilities and requirements will typically give you a good insight into what the job actually is.

3. Use job posting language

Many business analyst hiring managers are less informed about business analysis techniques than you might assume. And recruiters or HR representatives are often less so. By using the terms from the job posting in your resume (provided they accurately represent your qualifications) you can make it easier for a manager or recruiter to pick out your relevant qualifications and see your career history as relevant to the current position.

4. Network

We all know it, but few do it. The best success stories I’ve heard recently all come from networking. The best interviews are when someone contacts you about a job. You get to skip the whole application process completely! Getting involved in your IIBA Chapter is a first place to start. You’ll meet BAs and if you can prove to them that you are dependable and smart, they are much likely to fill you in when there’s a new opportunity in their organization.

I know this works. I recently helped connect one of our IIBA Denver volunteers with an organization and she landed her first BA position. I felt confident recommending her because she had helped me document one of our Chapter processes.

Moreover, recruiters at IIBA meetings come mostly to meet candidates. They are scoping out local talent. They are a great resource for what’s happening in your local job market and for helping you find open positions. At our last networking meeting I made a connection with a recruiter who might be able to help me find part-time contract work in 2011.

And beyond IIBA, professional associations for related roles, industry associations, job seeker groups, and any place where you’ll be in contact with business leaders can be great ways to make new contacts that might help you with your job search.

5. Break the rules

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to your job search. In answer to a question about “what’s the ideal amount of time to build a BA experience?” I said (of course) “it depends.” It could be 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months, or 2 years depending on the nature of the experience, the constraints in your work environment, and the amount of knowledge you need to accumulate to be successful. What matters most about putting an experience on your resume or talking about it with a potential employer is that you achieved a meaningful result that you can speak to with clarity. There’s not a rule, but there is a purpose or principle to consider.

In a similar fashion, you can break the rules, including those in this post. My feelings won’t be hurt. Just be sure to understand what rules you are following and what you intend to accomplish through those rules. Consider some other options. You never know when you might realize your rules are marching you consistently away from your goals.

There is no one right way to find a business analyst job….I’m just sharing what seems to work for most of us.

Looking for more information about how to implement the job search principles above? Consider the virtual workshop, Tackling the BA Job Market: How to Optimize Your Job Search or the free subscriber resources “5 Business Analyst Job Search Mistakes.”

How about the rest of you? What techniques have you used to land a business analyst job interview?

By Laura Brandenburg. Laura Brandenburg is passionate about business analysis. She's found her niche helping aspiring business analysts find transferable skills and position themselves in the BA job market. To stay up-to-date on the latest from Bridging the Gap be sure to sign-up for our free email course and weekly eNewsletter. View more blog posts by Laura Brandenburg

Related posts:

1. What are your tips for becoming a business analyst?
2. How to avoid project land mines
3. 6 Simple Tips for Building a Professional Network