“How do I get a junior level BA position?” This question is one I get often from individuals looking to become Business Analysts. Unfortunately, there is no magic pill and the path may be different for everyone. Here is the advice I have for those looking to become Business Analysts.
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Network: You need to start meeting BAs or people that hire BAs. Join your local IIBA chapter. Being part of a BA professional organization lets people know you are passionate about the role. Talk to recruiters that place BAs. Let everyone who will listen know that you want to be a BA. You’ll begin to understand what companies are looking for in a Business Analyst. You’ll also see which companies are dedicated to the role. Those are the ones you want to pursue.
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Rework your resume: I can almost guarantee that even if you have never had the title of a Business Analyst, or something close, you have performed tasks and used techniques required of a BA. Highlight the BA type skills you have on your resume.
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Get educated: There are many ways to accomplish this. You can read books, find a BA mentor, attend IIBA meetings, or find a training provider that will meet your needs.
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Look at your current company first: A great way to make a transition into a BA role is within your current company. Let your manager know that you are interested in making a move and hopefully your manager will work with you to get the right opportunities. This is how I broke into the role. I was a SME for years before I became a Business Analyst.
I would love to hear how you broke into the role and any advice you may have for others.
March 26th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
If you can work on software projects, it’s an excellent way to break into the BA role. I started as a trainer for a software company, and as I learned more about the software, I was given more assignments to write modification specifications and came naturally into the BA role from there. Volunteer for projects of any kind, especially those which require the mapping or re-working of business processes, and keep track of what you do on those projects. If your company or organisation is doing any sort of software upgrade or implementation, volunteer to help out. Working for Universities and government organisations is an excellent way to work your way up the BA ladder - they often don’t have the budget to have dedicated BAs and require functional analysts to support software. You can learn a lot by being the sole support person for a small organisation.
March 28th, 2007 at 5:20 am
Lea is right. Aspiring BAs from the business side of the fence get the best opportunity to build experience if they work on projects, usually providing subject matter expertise about local business unit processes, rules and so forth. Techies do the same thing but come in with subject matter expert experience on management of systems, but they also have the opportunity of moving across from working on detailed technical design and specifications. I have written on this topic a couple of times in the last few days. One topic is on the knowledge areas you need to develop to become or develop as a BA. The other is looking at different levels of knowledge and analysios you need to develop to do the job well. You and your readers are welcome to take a look and cmment. Cheers, Craig http://betterprojects.blogspot.com
March 30th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
I would like to go a step ahead. Ok you started off as a Junior BA then gradually moved up as a Senior BA. What is the next career ladder for a BA. While handling software projects a Project Leader goes to the next level as a Project Manager. Does a BA become a product specialist. I would appreciate if you could share your viewpoints on the same. Cheers, Nilesh Raje
April 11th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
There are multiple pathways for a BA - a product manager is an obvious one, and a project manager is another. The product manager leverages the analysis skills and the project manager leverages the project and stakeholder management skills you develop. Having worked as both a BA and a PM I have to say I am not so sure a PM is a career progression. Anyone who is a competent BA can probably work as a competent PM. The focus of the role changes from the requirements and solution design to the budget and timeline. You can also stay within the BA role - leading larger teams and working on bigger and more complex projects. My pathway would be finding people you like to work with and attack intersting problems together. The role matters less than the work.
April 14th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
I have a question regarding education vs. experience. I currently work as an administrative analyst which basically involves data analysis and database application development. I have almost completed the Bus. Analyst program at my local college. My only concern is that the only education I have obtained prior to the Bus. Analyst diploma was a secretarial certificate 20 years ago. I have worked my way up within my organization and have developed my programming skills on my own. Now I would like to branch out but the only education I can list on my resume is the Bus. Analyst diploma. Many of the ads ask that you have a university degree in Computer Sciences or Business Administration. I’m wondering if my bus. analyst diploma is going to get me anywhere (I fear even listing my secretarial diploma). Does anyone have any feedback?
April 27th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
Hey Delores,
The short answer: I wouldn’t worry too much about not having a degree in Computer Science or Bus. Admin.
Many companies in general state that they require a 4 yr college degree, but I don’t think that should hold you back. I don’t know where you are getting the BA degree so I can’t say for sure, but the BA diploma you are receiving should carry some weight. Your experience as a data analyst and developer will also prove to be very valuable.
As for the secretarial diploma I am not sure if that will help/hurt/have no impact. I graduated with an accounting degree and list that on my resume.
Take a look at our course outlines, http://www.b2ttraining.com/business-analysis-training, to see what types of tasks a BA is responsible for. Make sure your resume highlights those tasks that you have experience with evev though your title is not a Business Analyst.
I hope this helps and good luck in your search!
April 28th, 2007 at 11:15 am
The following is a link to an article which gives a highlevel idea about what a BA does. So for a new person coming into the BA track, this could well be a good starting point.
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/070107/FinancialTimes/ft320.html
My blog at http://yasasva.blogspot.com also has some BA related articles.
http://yasasva.blogspot.com/2007/04/why-business-analysis-goes-closely-with.html
http://yasasva.blogspot.com/2007/04/difference-between-business-analyst-and.html
May 2nd, 2007 at 10:20 am
I too came from the business side. As a manger in a start up it became my job to filter system changes and find solutions for the business issues. It was not until a few years later when an IT director was finally hired that I realized I was fulfilling a BA role. After some discussion with the director in question I transitioned from Manager to BA and have never regretted it. There is much more potential to influence change and being able to solve business problems is very rewarding. I do find that for many companies, although they know that a BA's responsibility is to get the requirements, most do not understand what the job entails. I like to think of a BA as the conscience of an organization, the one that says, "just a minute, are we sure we want to do this? Let's give this some thought."
May 11th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
I have to agree that the best way to be a BA is to find opportunites within the same company as you currently are. That way, you’ll have a lot more factors to help you, which in newer environments can come back to bite you and frustrate you.
And, it is very important to understand what you want to do more than just wanting to be a BA. That’s because I have come across many requirements for BAs that, if you read the deatails of, are not what ideally a BA should be doing.
July 12th, 2007 at 11:31 am
I actually did implementations for years and was recruited by a former colleague to be a BA at another company because he knew I didn't want to travel anymore… It has been a hard transition though, going from the implementation side to the development side because I always want to just take the 'customers' requirements and make them happen, rather than really analyze them to see if they are feasible/reasonable… I guess I need some BA training of sorts even though I have been a BA for 2.5 years!! Just to get the formal perspective on the process.
July 25th, 2007 at 1:11 am
Thanks for the advice, Kupe. That was very useful… just the kind of info I need right now…
Ok, so here is the deal….I have a bachelors degree in MIS so I have the theoritical knowledge of what a BA does and I’m pretty sure that’s what I wanna do.However, in my bid to gain some practical experience,I’ve worked on projects dubbed as a BA only to realise it’s totally different from what a typical BA does.I was wondering if one of you seasoned veterans out there will be willing to act as a BA mentor to me.If so, please let me know how to get in touch.Thanks!
July 26th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Hey there breakthru,
I would love to talk to you about being your BA mentor. Shoot me an email at Kupe@b2ttraining.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
-Kupe
October 3rd, 2007 at 2:24 am
Hi everyone,
I am from Melbourne and am interested in furthering my career in Business Analysis. I am looking for opportunities where I can build my skills and further my career as a BA. I am currently a BA (although I have not gained much from my current role) and have worked in application support roles (the link between the business users and the senior BA’S and IT techs). I am not a technical person and hence it is hard as many employers want experienced and technical BA’S. Any advise would be much appreciated.
Regards,
Newbie BA
April 27th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Hey Everyone! I’m new to this blog but I am currently doing research on BAs in the IT field for a training course I’m currently a part of. I’d love the opportunity to learn more about all experiences I’ve been reading about. If anyone is interested and available to give me some real on the job info it would be great! I am available for contact at Kyle.Henning@sperion.com
Hope to hear from you soon!
April 27th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
KyleHenning@technisource.com*
I apologize, this is the correct email address