Top 3 Beginner Business Analyst Questions

Here we answer the top 3 Beginner Business Analyst questions we’ve recently received. We work with a lot of people who are in the process of transitioning into a career as a Business Analyst.

Here are 3 of the popular Beginner Business Analyst questions they ask:

1. Does a Business Analyst need specific technical skills to be successful?
2. What software skills should I have as a Beginner Business Analyst?
3. Will I get a Business Analysis job if I have an ECBA™ certificate?

Let us discuss some of the answers to those questions below.

1. Does a Beginner Business Analyst need specific technical skills to be successful?

The official answer is “no” if you look at the definition of Business Analysis and you are looking for a non-technical business focused role as a Business Analyst. I am a non-technical business focused Business Analyst and have been for years.

However, I do want to also point out that any technical skills you might have will most likely come in useful. This could become useful during an interview if the company you are interviewing with is specifically looking for those technical skills as well as Business Analysis skills or perhaps in a future project.

2. What software skills should I have as a Beginner Business Analyst?

The general guideline here is that you should be proficient in using the MS Office suite (MS Word, MS Excel and MS Power Point) as a starting point. You will use these basic tools to prepare proposals, business case contributions, requirements definitions and presentations.

You should also be proficient in collaboration tools like Teams or Zoom and be able to use these tools to collaborate with stakeholders. In most companies’ software tools such as JIRA (issue management system) and Confluence (web-based document management system) are widely used to manage and document requirements and other project related documentation.

And finally, you should be able to use diagramming tools such as Creately, MS Visio, LucidCharts or Gliffy (add on to Confluence). These are some of the most used diagramming tools in corporations but there are many alternatives in the market.

3. Will I get a Business Analysis job if I have an ECBA™ certificate?

Here the answer is: maybe. The reason I say “maybe” here is that having an ECBA™ certificate under your belt and having it displayed on your resume and professional profile may contribute to a decision to hire you. It is however unlikely that having an ECBA™ would be the only consideration and you should use this certificate as means to demonstrate to potential employers that as a beginner Business Analyst you are serious about your new career choice and serious about professional development. It will also be a great way for you to learn the fundamentals of Business Analysis and be able to confidently speak during the interview using the correct terminology and be able to discuss common business analysis concepts.

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