Claire wrote Hi, I am a fresh graduate, with Master of Commerce, major in Business Information System, just graduated this July from University of Sydney. I am wanna to put my feet in BA career. As I don't have much experience except the academic knowledge gained in uni. Could anyone give me some suggestions, -- I am now searching for my first full-time job, -- where should I kick off my career, I mean, what kind of job I should apply for.   I tried to apply for BA, but they all need related several years BA working experience. what kind of position can be an entrance level for me to apply, in order to develop my career on the way to BA?  As, my background is not IT, or traditional IT, I am more in business side.  And I had some pt working experience in finance part. Need ur help. thx :)

Hi Claire,

First of all, congratulations on your Masters Degree!

The first question that I would like to ask you is what do you have a passion for?  What industry or vertical market are you interested in?  I'm assuming commerce and finance but that may not be the case as may people get one degree yet they pursue of a very different career.

Once you figure that out, here are some thoughts on what you can do and the type of opportunities to look for (of course there are many more possibilities);

• Look for a junior Business Analyst position,
• Look for a position in the desired industry with a company which creates software for that industry and try to find a sales position.  Sales?  Yes - sales!  Software sales in a given industry will allow you to both get familiar with the industry as well as to learn the software and get closer to IT.  For such companies, the sales associate is the first person that interacts with the client and gathers the initial requirements for customization of the product,
• Create yourself a functional resume (focus on your skills, knowledge, and training) and highlight that your strengths that would make you a great business analyst,
• Don't try to find a job by searching for the opportunities yourself... well you can do that if you want but I would highly recommend going through a staffing/recruiting agency that specializes in business analysts.  It doesn't cost you anything and it will increase your chances of getting the job you want.

Keep us posted of your search and any other questions that you may have.

In the meantime, learn as much as you can about the role of the business analyst and the tools used by business analysts.  Check out the article repository on this site.  Also you may want to consider joining a local IIBA chapter.

Wishing you success in your job search!

- Adrian

Hi Claire

I am based in Melbourne.  I don't have any quick answers and the regular ones are here to read. 

If you want to get in touch for a phone conversation and some specific info you can mail me via the following form.

1. http://erinaconsulting.com.au/contact.html

and if that doesnt work (ie I get back to you smae/next day) tr this one

2. http://optimiseit.com.au/component/option,com_contact/Itemid,3/