I received a message recently from a subscriber who had zero experience in business analysis but has just completed a training course and gained a BCS foundation certificate in Business Analysis. However, there was a worry about applying for BA jobs without any real life experience as most jobs advertised require at least 2 years experience.

This is the number one problem faced by entry level business analyst. What you’ll also find is that the jobs that are advertised for people with zero experience for entry level is that you have to be a graduate of some sort or be recently graduated to join a graduate scheme. As a result, it makes it quite difficult for people who have been working in other career paths to become business analysts when they don’t have the business analyst job title.

Now, I think research and statistics show that men generally are more confident in applying for jobs, where the requirements for the job is not exactly met by their experience. As women, we genuinely have this fear and do not take the chance of applying even without meeting all the requirements of the job spec.

So here’s what I can contribute in my opinion on the topic:

As a business analyst, you must have at least one to two years experience of applying the business analysis mindset and applying the business analysis tools and techniques. So technically, you qualify for applying for the role if you have any of the transferable skills and good knowledge of business analysis. It’s just about building that confidence in yourself until you’re telling yourself that you qualify for the role. Because why would you not apply if you’ve done your foundation in BA certification, you understand business analysis, you understand the standards, you understand the tools and techniques. So surely, you’re able to deliver in the role when you read the job spec. And you know for sure that you can do these things. Whether you have one to two years experience as a business analyst job title or not, please apply for it. Don’t hesitate, go ahead and apply for it. Surely somebody will give you a chance. Just believe in yourself, believe in your CV, believe in the experience that you currently have and believe in the transferable skills you can bring on to the role.

The second problem that new business analysts face is also a problem that I I faced is, the fear of speaking and asking questions, especially not knowing the questions that you’re supposed to ask, not really knowing the project or not knowing the organisation. So, by having this fear of speaking or fear of asking questions, what helps is preparation. When you start as a business analyst, there’s always a go to person that you can ask questions. I know that the problem I’m talking about is fear of speaking and asking questions. But surely you must be able to ask one person a question; your manager for instance, or the project manager, or the sponsor or the person who employed you for the role. You should be able to ask them certain questions.

What questions are you asking?

• What exactly are the deliverables expected of me in this project that I’m being assigned to?

• What does the project expect me to deliver? – What is the hard copy?

• What am I producing? – Am I producing user stories?

• Am I writing things in JIRA and Confluence?

• What is the timeframe?

• Am I writing Brd? – Is there a template?

• Who is the person that I’m supposed to speak to to gather information?

If you have fear of speaking and fear of asking questions, the only advice I can give you is to prepare beforehand, so that you can begin to have some sort of confidence before proceeding to ask the questions.T

A third problem faced by new business analysts is a tough one for me as well, not knowing if you’re doing the right things, as expected.

So you’ve been employed as a business analyst, or you have no idea what you’re supposed to be doing? It goes back to number two, you have to ask the right questions, you need to find that person that go to person to ask what exactly is the deliverable. And if you build knowledge on the business analysis standards, if you’ve done some training, you should have a bit of an idea of what you’re supposed to be doing. But as a new business analyst, I don’t know there’s still this thing, I feel like it happens to everyone, especially when you’re in a new environment and you haven’t really learned the organisation, you haven’t really learned the processes, you don’t really know the people. Give yourself time, it takes time.

I went through this not knowing if I’m doing the right things in writing Business Requirements Documents (BRD) – Am I writing the requirements in the right way? Am I asking the right questions? Who is the stakeholder? How do I begin to approach a C level stakeholder when I’m just a little person in comparison to this person that is in high place? These are all the various problems that we face as new business analysts, and even as seasoned business analysts, we probably still go through this.

So what I would advise is give yourself time and approach ‘go to’ person and ask them about the stakeholder. This will help you with your stakeholder analysis, what type of stakeholders this is so that you’re prepared before you go and have that interaction with the person. So I divert a little bit, not knowing if you’re doing the right things as expected.

Another pointer is to Ask your go to person the question, what is expected of me?

• Can you review these initial requirements I’ve documented?

• Am I on the right track?

• Is there anything any pointers you can give me so that I can do it better?

It’s okay to be vulnerable sometimes; we’re all humans at the end of the day.

Another thing that helps me when I have fear of people in high places is to understand that that’s somebody’s brother, that’s somebody’s dad, that somebody’s uncle or somebody’s friend. You’re on the same level is just job title and salary difference. At the end of the day, you’re both humans and as much as that person is somebody’s dad, somebody’s brother, somebody’s uncle; is as much as you have a dad you have an uncle, you have a brother.

To conclude, these are personal top three problems that I faced as a new business analyst and these are the things that have helped me become better over the span of my career. I hope that these pointers that I’ve given will also help you. A final thing that I like to express is if you still find that you’re struggling, find a mentor, find somebody that you can talk to openly and be vulnerable with. If it’s a colleague, if it’s an ex colleague, if it’s a friend. If you’d like a mentor, click the link in menu to book a 1:1 with me, and I can help you through your BA career worries.