Nancy, the same happens with other professions – “information architect”, for example, frequently has very different meanings depending on the organization using the title. It’s futile to try and “convince” recruiters and hiring managers that they should only use the title “business analyst” if the position fits our own perception of the role.

Like Laura said, what is really important for a BA looking for a new job is to focus on the job description to make sure the position matches his/her skills and interests, and as a hired BA to do a great job so the perception of the value of business analysis continues to grow.

I don’t think as a job candidate you are really in a position to change the marketplace perception. I see too many candidates trying to do so by applying for jobs just because the title fits even through the job description does not. Find a job you are qualified for, do a great job, and then use your influence within the organization to get the right title or help sell the value of business analysis. As a job candidate there are simply too many other things to focus on!

Laura

I received an Email from a recruiter this week for a BA job-which is in the “job title”, and these are the requirements for the position please note that I directly copied and pasted out of the Email message from the recruiter:

Business/Functional Analysis
CRM
Radiology
Pathology
Laboratory
Blood Work/Blood Bank
Clinical Systems
Healthcare/Medical Industry

Bonus:

Visual Basic
.NET
SQR/SQL
C++
Oracle
HTML
MS Word
MS Excel
Oracle
SQL Server
HL7

Thank you for the compliment, I appreciate it. About your question, what advice would I give to a professional interviewing for a BA position when he/she has training/knowledge but not experience, I think the most important thing would be to look back at your work experience (assuming you have already had previous jobs), and start a list of the experience you have accumulated that can be related to one of the BA knowledge areas (Elicitation, Analysis and Specification, Validation, Communication).

Did you facilitate meetings? Interview people about how a process works? Help your team prioritize tasks? Help the organization select a new software? All these activities represent BA-related experience that, coupled with formal or informal training, could help convince hiring managers that you are qualified for an entry-level BA job.

As I illustrated when I talked about Use Cases in a previous answer, being able to demonstrate how things you learned can be applied to real life situations can go a long way in helping prove that you are capable of translating your knowledge into real life performance (which should be your ultimate goal with any BA training).

Anyone finding trouble describing BA-related activities on their resumes and/or interviews, or creating experiences that can later be valuable to start a BA career, should seriously consider buying Laura’s eBook How to Start a Business Analyst Career, which has plenty of good advice on how to achieve these goals: http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/become-a-business-analyst/

Thank you for your kind words! It’s good to know that you share the same views, including the suggestion about customizing your resume (here is a blog post that states the opposite: http://www.cluewagon.com/2009/09/why-you-shouldnt-customize-your-resume-for-each-job-opportunity/ — some of the comments explain though how it can be important in many circumstances, including the ones you pointed out).

Nish: I’ll answer your question in my next comment – stay tuned!