7 Tips for Starting Your Business Analysis Career
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If you could go back in time to share your best career advice with yourself when you started the job you have now, what would you say? We reached out on social media to ask the business analysis community to share some career advice with individuals who are just starting a career in business analysis.
We have curated their feedback to offer you our top seven tips for starting a successful business analysis career:
- Retain your curiosity and improve your skills constantly - Never underestimate the power curiosity has to move your career forward. Curious people make the best learners, and continuous learners are always gleaning new skills to use in their business analysis practice. By consistently building on and refining your skills, you’ll make yourself a more competitive job candidate and add value to every project you contribute to.
- Good. Better. Best. Never let it rest until your good is better and your better is best! - Business analysis professionals can’t afford to fall behind in their industry knowledge or let their skill set become dull. Companies are trying to keep up with the rapid pace of digital transformation, and they need competent business analysis professionals to help them. By refusing to be anything but the very best in your field, you will boost your business analysis career.
- Keep learning - Business analysis professionals are never done learning. That is why those starting a career in business analysis should make up their minds early to keep on learning. This often looks like getting business analysis certifications, attending networking events and conferences, and seeking mentorship. This piece of career advice will give you an advantage in your industry.
Watch On-Demand: What Certification is Right for You: Developing Your Career Journey
- Learn to listen - An effective business analysis professional has more than just technical skills. They also have many soft skills, including the ability to listen. They can actively seek out feedback and implement valuable suggestions. Listening is a big part of a business analyst’s role, so honing that skill, especially when starting a career in business analysis, is essential.
- Occasionally take a step back and think about the big picture - Another great piece of career advice is to not get too bogged down in details. Protect yourself from this by thinking about the big picture every now and then. Having a big-picture perspective, in addition to being detail-oriented, will help you keep projects moving forward and ensure their success.
- Strive to understand a user’s request - You can’t do your job unless you fully understand a user’s request. To get the understanding you need, open up the lines of communication by asking questions. Also, encourage the user to ask questions of you. Prioritizing communication will help you understand users’ requests and do well in your business analysis career.
- Question everything (and keep asking questions) - Starting a career in business analysis can be intimidating. The more you practice, the more confident you will be. You can also boost your confidence in your business analysis career by asking questions. By asking questions when you have even a hint of confusion about something, you will always experience clarity and understand how you can promote better business outcomes.
Interested in more tips and trends to shape your career in business analysis?
IIBA's Career Development Summary Report provides insights on how certification lends itself to career development, plus information on emerging areas of business analysis where savvy professionals can make an impact in 2022.
About The Author:
Tiffani Iacolino is a Product Marketing Manager at IIBA® and has 15+ years of marketing experience across the legal, technology, telecommunications, publishing, media, and professional services industries. She’s passionate about delivering meaningful products and solutions to the business analysis community, including IIBA’s latest offering the Cybersecurity Analysis Learning and Certification Program. Hailing from the Greater Toronto Area, she enjoys an amazing cup of coffee, running, and yoga -- between chasing her two adorable children!
