Business Analysis Jobs - Interview Questions - Part One

Business Analysis Jobs - Interview Questions

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One of the most common questions I've seen on social media, from aspiring Business Analysts, is - "Can anybody send me a link to a list of BA job interview questions?".

For any job interview, preparation is a key to success.

The problem is that it is difficult to predict exactly what questions you may be asked in a given job interview. This uncertainty is one of the reasons why most people feel somewhat nervous in this situation.

Lists of generic questions are of limited use.
Much depends on the specific job that you are applying for.

So - how to prepare as best you can? This blog aims to help you.

A possible answer is - a Business Analysis approach!

Interviewers, if are doing their job properly, will not ask you questions at random. They will prepare for the interview, set some objectives and formulate some questions to ask. Three of the possible factors that they will consider are:

• Your Resume.
• The Organisation.
• The Job.

Applying a Business Analysis approach would give you these steps:

• Fact finding - your resume.
• Fact finding – the organisation.
• Fact finding – the job.
• Analysis – of requirements.
• Identification – of potential questions.

Your resume - it may seem odd to say "fact finding" here, after all you should know what's in it. But - it is worth reviewing your resume and considering what interview questions might arise.

The organisation - find out more about the company that you want to join. A common question is "Why do you want to join us". You need some convincing answers.

The job - review the job description and any associated documents such as an "ideal candidate" specification. Consider how well you match these, any strong points, any weak areas.

I'll be covering each of these steps, in turn, in more detail in future posts.

For now - to sum up - if you are looking for a Business Analysis job - why not apply your skills as a Business Analyst to help you to prepare and increase your chances of success!

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You can learn more about BA Interviews in this video on my Business Analysis YouTube channel:
Business Analysis Jobs - The Interview - Part 1 - Introduction

My online course on Udemy covers the fundamentals of Business Analysis - including a session on Business Analysis Jobs. Learn more here -
Course - Getting Started In Business Analysis

Getting Started in Business Analysis

Getting Started in Business Analysis

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I have just launched my new course on Udemy - Getting Started in Business Analysis.

Udemy is a brilliant online training platform - where course are highly interactive - informative - and fun! One great feature is that you can do a course in stages - at a time to suit you.

My course includes video lectures, slideshows, quizzes to test your knowledge and case study exercises so you can practice your BA skills.

The course is aimed at those new to BA - so will NOT suit more experienced analysts.

Anybody seeking to move into Business Analysis from an IT / technical role or a business role.
Recent graduates seeking a job in Business Analysis.
Or maybe you just want to learn more about the BA role.

So if you are just starting out and looking at a BA career - take a look.

There is a detailed course description - so you can see if it suits you..
Also some sessions that you can try out for free.

If you enrol I will provide you with help and support as needed right through the course.

If you have any queries or need more info - contact me.

I'm offering discounted places to blog readers -
 £12.99 (UK Pounds) - half the standard price.

Take a look - use the link below ......
Getting Started in Business Analysis

IIBA Global Business Analysis Core Standard

IIBA - Global Business Analysis Core Standard

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Recently published - the International Institute of Business Analysis - IIBA - Global Business Analysis Core Standard is intended to represent the core and most fundamental practices of business analysis

Subtitled - "Now we can all speak the same language." - it defines:

• Business Analysis Key Concepts.
• Core Standard Knowledge Areas.

In my opinion - essential reading for both aspiring and practising Business Analysts.
Particularly if you are working towards any of the IIBA professional certificates.
It is an abridged version of the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge which defines the full syllabus for these qualifications.

It might be less relevant to BAs studying for British Computer Society qualifications, which use a slightly different syllabus and terminology. But worth reading nonetheless.

It is free to download from the IIBA website and free to use for personal, professional, or educational purposes.

It will be particularly useful for those looking to get started in Business Analysis simply because it tells you what business analysts do. Also to some extent - how and why.

For practising analysts its maybe more of a "checklist" to identify areas that you need to study and understand more fully.

To give you a flavour - here is a short extract - from Section 1.1 - What is Business Analysis?

Business analysis is the practice of enabling change in an enterprise by defining needs and recommending solutions that deliver value to stakeholders. Business analysis enables an enterprise to articulate needs and the rationale for change, and to design and describe solutions that can deliver value.

Business analysis is performed on a variety of initiatives within an enterprise. Initiatives may be strategic, tactical, or operational. Business analysis may be performed within the boundaries of a project or throughout enterprise evolution and continuous improvement. It can be used to understand the current state, to define the future state, and to determine the activities required to move from the current to the future state.

So a simple and slightly old fashioned suggestion - take some time off Facebook and instead download, read and digest this document!

Maybe take some notes as you go along - areas that you want to learn more about, any points that you don't understand and need to research further.

You can download a copy from the IIBA website - here:
IIBA - Global Business Analysis Core Standard

As ever - any comments here are welcome - and once you've read through the Core Standard
I'll be happy to help if anything needs explaining or adding to.

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You can also connect on:

Business Analysis - Facebook Page

Business Analysis - Facebook Group

Business Analysis - YouTube

Steve McIntosh - LinkedIn

Steve McIntosh. 
Business Analyst
St Ives, Cornwall, UK.