How to find Your BA Job using LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the largest professional networking site with 700+ million users. Even at a conservative estimate of 1% of professionals being keen on business analysis, that's a whopping 7 Million (7000000+) business analysts on LinkedIn.

Many of these professionals are BA/hiring managers looking to hire business analysts for their organization.

Undoubtedly, LinkedIn has become 'the place' to find your BA job!

So how can you land your first BA job or a much better BA job on LinkedIn?

Here is the 5-step process.

1. Enhance your LinkedIn presence

• Update your LinkedIn Profile

Your LinkedIn profile reaches your possible employer much before they meet you. Your selection for the interview depends on your prospective employer's impression of your LinkedIn profile.

Try to make sure that all the information you provide is honest and correct. It will bode well to keep your LinkedIn profile comprehensive in all sections such as work experiences, certifications, volunteering activities.

LinkedIn provides an All-Star rating – try to achieve the same. Utilize online resources like LinkedIn profile builder or LinkedIn profile editor to create a great LinkedIn profile.

• Join Business Analysis Groups on LinkedIn

There are quite a few large BA groups on LinkedIn where people put up BA jobs. Do become a member of these groups. A few notable ones are:

• • IIBA
  • Adaptive US
  • BA times
  • Modern Analyst

• Subscribe to Business Analysis Jobs Hashtags

There are quite a few BA job tags on LinkedIn that people tag for BA jobs; a few are #bajobs, #businessanalysis, #businessanalyst. Do subscribe to these tags.

• Participate in Business Analysis discussions

There are many senior business analysts active on LinkedIn. When you are active on the platform, your activities will bring your profile to their notice. When they get to know opportunities, they will keep you in mind.

• Be a LinkedIn Premier Member

Being a LinkedIn premier member, you get access to a large number of short courses which you can utilize to enhance your BA skills.

2. Be open to jobs that are close to BA job

• Look for related jobs such as Business Process Analyst, Quality Analyst, MIS Analyst, etc.

Many jobs share several commonalities with the BA job. Do consider them as such experiences will help you get a BA job in the near future.

• Look for Internships

An internship acts as a segway between the academic and professional world. It's a great career choice that helps ease your Canadian BA job market entry. An internship helps build workplace experience, practical skills, and better industry knowledge.

• Look for Startup Jobs

Startups require intelligent people who can tackle problems and are willing to go the extra mile. Many startups are small and might require you to send an email or a LinkedIn message to connect with a decision-maker. You will gain the necessary experience and learn the nuances of your job by working at a startup.

• Volunteer

Volunteering helps keep you engaged, connects you to members of your professional network, and opens doors to job opportunities.

• Network

Be part of the physical BA forums and groups. Participating in these forums and conferences events will help connect with other business analysts who may be potential employers. Most experts will agree that only about 30% of all new jobs are advertised. Therefore it is essential to grow your professional network by attending events, volunteering, and joining your local Chapter.

Become a member of local IIBA/BA chapters in your area and choose to volunteer. This will help those looking for opportunities to connect with other professionals and make a difference while waiting for their ideal job.

3. Get trained in business analysis

• Learn the Business Analysis process

Business analysis activities follow a standard process. The best resource for this, which is available free, is the Business Analysis Core Standard from IIBA. It is a short 50-page document, but it is very informative. This will give you a good idea about how business analysis is performed.

• Learn Modeling and Diagramming tools

Business Analysts need to be technologically proficient. Like most business professionals, business analysts also use a plethora of tools as part of their projects. BAs mainly have the following requirements to be fulfilled by using their tools.

1. 1. Managing requirements
   2. Modeling requirements wherever feasible
   3. Collaboration tools

Learn business process modeling, state modeling, and use case modeling tools. Microsoft Visio, a very popular tool, has a free trial version in many organizations. You also get other free tools such as Lucid chart, BizAgi, Business process modeler.

4. Learn about the domains of your interest

It is necessary to be familiar with the domain in which you seek employment. There are plenty of good resources available on the internet about almost all domains. Look for a handbook of the domain of your interest that will give you a reasonably good idea about how the domain functions.

Understanding your domain makes it easier to understand the organization's needs, which increases your responsibility and acceptance as a business analyst.

You can obtain a high-level overview of most of the domains at APQC.org   

5. Hone your Behavioral skills

BAs need to have a combination of hard and soft skills.  These are some of the soft skills you will need to acquire/hone over the years to be a better Business Analyst professional:

• Negotiation Skills
• Communication Skills
• Analytical Thinking Skills
• Facilitation Skills
• Decision Making Skills
• Problem-solving Skills
• The ability to show empathy and appreciate others
• The ability to see the bigger picture
• Good interpersonal skills
• The ability to influence without authority

6. Get certified

Earning a business analyst certification is important to be a preferred BA and increase your chances of success. Certification will widen market opportunities, improve overall performance and remove uncertainty. Organizations also recognize the hard work and commitment the candidate has put into studying and clearing the certification exam.

IIBA certifications are helpful in this respect. IIBA certifications give a rock-solid foundation for getting into the BA profession and also help with global certification. The most appropriate certification for new business analysts is the Entry Certificate in Business Analysis (ECBA).