How to Start An Entry Level Business Analyst Position? ↴

I am interested in beginning a career in Business Analysis.
I have my B.S. in Management (8 years experience in management positions) and I am currently working toward my M.S. in Training and Performance Improvement.
I have been looking into BA positions, however, most require years of experience in a BA position.
What would be good entry level positions to look for so I can begin to gain the necessary experience?

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#23.0

Question

: How to Start An Entry Level Business Analyst Position?

Answer

It would be easier for you to get entry level business analyst jobs in industries that are currently hiring.

Another place where you will find entry level business analyst jobs is in Information Technology (IT) shops that employ developers because wherever there are software development activities, there, business analysts may be hired to either streamline the software development process or make it more efficient.

Based on that thought process, one of the best industries to look into for entry level business analyst jobs in the Web Development Industry ... i.e. with web teams.
Business Analysts are needed in Web Development teams as User Interaction Design Business Analysts, User Interface Business Analysts, Web Business Analysts and E-Commerce Business Analysts.
Each of these business analyst groups specializes in a portion of Web Development that is different from the other.
But, here is the key thought:

Web Development projects are in high availability because the web is becoming the primary marketing, advertising, communication or business development unit in many organizations.

Since the late 1990s, websites and web businesses have been on the increase because most businesses either sell primarily through the web or their sales and marketing departments are assisted by their websites.

And because putting a business on the web is a highly competitive and specialized effort requiring different sorts of skills or teams of people: web analysts, software developers, project managers, software testers ... business analysts are hired to help insure that the websites or e-commerce initiatives that are being launched are tied to the corporate goals, requirements, objects and needs.

In other words, launching a successful website, even for a small business requires a lot of highly specialized skills and for bigger companies, the scope and complexity of that launch also increases.
So, I would advise you to tailor your career to web development / software development opportunities.
Just keep in mind that web development / e-commerce is a global opportunity that is available in every industry (finance, insurance, healthcare, etc.) .. So tailor your career to that industry and work towards being of relevance there ... and you will be positioned for awesome entry-level (Web / UI / E-commerce) business analyst jobs!

#25.0

Hi Coach
I came across this article and i must say a big well done for it.
I am presently a graduate desperately seeking for a job especially as a business analyst but i have never been qualified.
My questions is that, what skills can make me qualify. I graduated with an MBA as my second degree my primary degree is microbiology so i have basic skills in IT.
What courses or skills can i do to improve my chances and i presently live in Ireland.
Thanks a million

#27.25

Hi Christy,
I hope that you are not under the weather in any way? We are under a blizzard severe winter warning, right now!
Thank you very much for commending our work, I appreciate it ... here are the answers to your questions:
#1: The reason why it seems like you are not qualified is that having an MBA or a graduate degree proves that you are very smart and intelligent but it does not prove that you have business analysis skills ... which are typically not learned in graduate or under-graduate schools.
What you need to do is to learn business analysis and then to get handson experience in a specific domain of business analysis.
I would recommend that you follow the advice that I am giving to the reader who asked this original question: in terms of getting specific domain experience.
While there are many domains available to business analysts: healthcare, tele-communications, finance, insurance, automobile, etc. I would advise you to look into the Information Technology / Software Development Domain.
Just to summarize my advice, there are two (2) things that you must do in other to qualify yourself as a business analyst.
1. Learn Business Analysis
2. Get Hands-on BA Experience

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#299.0

Hello coach,
I have completed my 4 years and I have a certificate in BI. I\'m unable to get an entry level in BI, obviously because most company need hands on experience. so i decided to start applying for junior BA, still most companies need 2-4 years experience. What do i do?

#300.299

Business Intelligence (BI) Jobs require software development and/or database design & development skills along with perhaps, experience in a specific BI tool.
Software Development Experience
So, the question is: \"do you have software development experience\"? If yes, what programming languages will these be in? If no, what is your plan for getting these?
Database Design & Development Experience
Here is another question: \"do you have strong database design & development skills / experience\"? If yes, which database management platforms are you highly skilled in? If no, what is your plan for getting these database skills?
Business Intelligence Software
Since you have a certificate in Business Intelligence, what BI tools / software are you highly skilled in?

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#301.0

hi sir ...iam a btech graduate and have two years of work ex as customer service executive , what are my chances to get into entry level business analyst position if i learn BA, THANKUE

#381.0

Hi Coach,
Im a graduate student in Information system and I have bachelor degree in IT Administrative management. Im seeking Business analyst job, but my problem is I do not have experience as BA. I did training for 3 weeks so I know what is BA and what we required to do as BA , I know all the skills that I need to have to be a good BA and I have a good knowledge about all the documentations that need to be Provided by a BA. All the positions I applied for required 5 to 7 years of experience. My question is how can I start this Path if I do not have the opportunity to work with my limited experience. How can I convince any company that I can do this? I do not have any experience in any field. I just have a couple internships and school Projects with couple companies. I spend my life studying, and Staying home mom. I do not know what kind of jobs I should start with which could help reach my career goal which is BA . Having a very hard time looking for a job. Please HELP me !

#538.0

Hello I have a masters degree in accounting and experience as office assistant, would like to change my career in to better paying one like Analyst /tester. Request your help in directing me to proper courses and opportunities. Thanks

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How to Start An Entry Level Business Analyst Position? ↴

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