I have been working in the medical and spa industry for over 10 years. It seems every position I have involves some BA type duties from rewriting policy and procedure manuals to doing efficiency studies. I need to find a mentor to assist me in turning all this random experience into a BA career. I feel like I have the skills and the desire, even a natural aptitude; I just need some direction. I hope that you can help me with this. I feel like I’m wasting my potential.

Aaron’s reply:

Don’t mistake your “random” experience as just jobs because each of those experiences is a stepping stone to your Business Analysis career.  It is up to you to take charge of your career and drive it in the direction that you wish. I have done so and have been driving my personal career into the business analysis arena for the past several years.

There is no single way or roadmap to develop a business analysis career; each of us got here from different starting points and on different paths.  Some have come from the business side of the organization and others have come from the technology side.  The fact that the reader is requesting a mentor to assist them in developing their career shows that they are ready to take charge of their career and drive it in their desired direction, and not that of whichever job or task may come their way at any point of time.

Some ways to find a valuable mentor:

Look for a Business Analyst Mentor Inside Your Organization

The best mentors may be ones that you can meet with on a face-to-face basis and that you have access to on a daily or weekly basis.  Look for someone in your organization that exhibits the characteristics you would like to develop.  Look for someone that the rest of the organization considers the “go-to guy” when it comes to solving business problems.  This is not to say that a “virtual” mentor would not add value; and it really depends on the type of help for which you are looking.  A mentor that “sees” your work habits and interactions with stakeholders will be in a better position to give you work experience advice.

Look  for a Business Analyst Mentor in the Community

Another great place to find a mentor for career advice is in the business community.  They are still local and know that community in which you wish to develop your career.  One of the best places to find a mentor in your business community is in your local IIBA® chapter.  Connect with your local chapter and get to know other BAs within your local community.

Look for a BA that is active within the chapter and others go to for answers and advice.

Look for a Business Analyst Mentor Online

There are BAs that write many of the articles and blogs dedicated to helping professionals get started in a business analysis career or continue developing their career.  Stay abreast of the information these mentors create here on Bridging the Gap, or on BATimes.com, TheBAMentor.com, BusinessAnalysisMentor.com, ModernAnalyst.com, PracticalAnalyst.com and more.  

There are also individuals that will mentor new BAs virtually, such as our own Doug Goldberg, who gives advice over the internet to those individuals who seek him out.  They can give you the advantage of their years of BA experience.

Get the Book

In How to Start a Business Analyst Career, you’ll learn how to assess and expand your business analysis skills and experience.

This book will help you find your best path forward into a business analyst career. More than that, you will know exactly what to do next to expand your business analysis opportunities.

Click here to learn more about How to Start a Business Analyst Career

The issue for many people is that ‘networking’ sounds scary. It stirs up images of ill-fated cocktail parties and other awkward forced social situations. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way!  Networking can be easy and fun as well as productive.  Here are some tips:

1. Plan and commit to networking opportunities:

If you are interested in expanding your network, the first step is to find some relevant networking opportunities.  A great place to start is your local chapter of the IIBA – they may well hold monthly events where you can meet other professional analysts.  Alternatively, depending on the type of person you are hoping to meet, there may be another professional organisation relevant to your specific domain.  Once you’ve identified a networking opportunity, mark it in your diary and commit to it.  If you are a nervous networker, you might be tempted to back out.  By making a commitment, and making time in your schedule, you are more likely to make sure it happens.

2. Carry the right tools:

To make the most of your networking opportunities, you will want to carry the right tools.  It is good practice to carry a supply of clean, up-to-date, crisp business cards.  Remember that first impressions last, so don’t be tempted to rely on an out-of-date creased business card with your old job title on it!  If your employer doesn’t supply business cards, consider having your own personal contact cards printed.

3. Meet new people:

When going to networking events, it can be tempting to spend time speaking to people you already know.  Remember your aim, and make sure you speak to people you haven’t met before. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to people –  I find a smile, handshake and brief introduction such as, “Hi, I’m Adrian, I don’t think we’ve met yet,” can often be an easy way to strike up a conversation.  You might also want to consider how you introduce yourself, and some networkers advocate using an ‘elevator pitch’ (a short polished summary of your role and/or strengths).  Either way, the important part is to be confident and genuine.

4. Exchange cards and build your address book:

When you meet new people, be sure to exchange cards or contact details.  After each networking event, store the business cards you have been given carefully, or even better put the details into your address book.  You might also want to add a few lines describing the person/their role to help remember them in future.  Make sure you do this as soon as possible, else you will end up with a stack of business cards with no idea of who was who, particularly if you meet several people with the same job title, first name or from the same company.

5. Be genuine:

Networking should be a fun professional activity.  Unfortunately, some people use it as an opportunity to immediately sell their services, or to ask for a favour.  My view is the best type of networking happens when neither party has any immediate gain.  That way, a professional relationship can build over time, and perhaps at some point inthe future business might be conducted.  It is also better to think about what you can give to your network, rather than what you can get from it.   If you act genuinely and invest in your network, you’ll find you won’t even need to ask your network for help – they will offer it when they find out you need it.

6. Stay in touch:

Professional relationships strengthen over time, so make sure you stay in touch with your network.  If you see an article that a colleague might like, ping them over an e-mail.    If you see an opportunity that someone in your network might be able to bid for, let them know.  There are many ways to stay in touch, and you might prefer to use a professional networking site like LinkedIn.   Online social networking is a very useful way of supplementing real-world networking, but it certainly doesn’t replace it!

In summary, as BAs we can benefit greatly from networking with our peers in other domains and industries.  This allows sharing of information and best practice, and building a strong network is a great way to protect your career stability.  It is one area of professional development that can definitely be fun.

>>Networking as Part of Your BA Job Search?

Our BA Job Search Process covers the entire lifecycle of finding a new BA job, from getting started to accepting the offer.

Click here to learn about our BA Job Search Process

Do you tell your business stakeholders what they are doing right?

Catch Your Stakeholders Doing Something Right

Let me share a short story with you about giving positive feedback to a stakeholder. This particular stakeholder was a manager and the first time I met with her and one of her direct reports to learn about their IT requests, my head was swimming with details and clicks and process and procedure. But I got enough to get a preliminary list of enhancements that I could talk through in a more measured pace.

During the second conversation the manager seemed to tell me just what I needed to know. Every explanation started just early enough in the process and had just enough context that I could very easily wrap my head around it.

Before ending the meeting, I looked the stakeholder in the eye and sincerely thanked her for everything she had shared and let her know how helpful it was that she was able to explain things all the way through.

She beamed with pride. I started forming a positive partnership and cultivating trust with that one sincere compliment.

Help Your Stakeholder Help You

But it gets better. A few days later I was working through the details of some of the higher priority requests with her and her direct report. Her direct report kind of jumped into the middle of the process. The manager stopped her and asked her to explain this and that. She was helping her employee become a better stakeholder and I really believe this was a direct result of the positive feedback I gave her.

So, I ask you, do you tell your stakeholders how they are being helpful? Are you aware of what makes them more helpful or do you just gripe about what makes them difficult? How amazing do you think you could be if you put your “manager” hat on as a BA and try to catch your stakeholders doing something right?