Career Forums

 
  Modern Analyst Forums  Careers  Ask a Recruiter...  Practice your pitch
Previous Previous
 
Next Next
New Post 11/5/2009 2:21 AM
User is offline Craig Brown
560 posts
www.betterprojects.net
4th Level Poster




Practice your pitch 

Below is a standard 'project' business analyst job description I lifted from a job site.

For those of you in the market, and those of you thinking about changing jobs in the future I invite you to submit your 'pitch' which is to say your application letter and resume.  Submit your application' in a reply to this thread and keep coming back to see what feedback you get and what others also post.

Feedback will come from me, but will also be offerred by others.

Now; as this is pertend you don't have to make all the details real.  What you are prcticing is the art of applying.  You can make up names and details in yoru 'applications'.  Again, this is a practice and what we want is to see how you would apply and offer feedback.

A last rule for this thread; all feedback should be polite and positive. Asshole comments will be flagged and deleted.

 

***Job description***

***Senior Business Analyst, Blue Chip company, CDB***

This is a key role with a large Blue Chip business that is undertaking a major program to implement an end-end, enterprise level Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.

It is a complex engagement and they are looking for an experienced professional who can support the successful delivery of this technology enabled business solution.

Responsibilities:

  • Work closely with stakeholders to analyse information needs and functional requirements.
  • Gather requirements through a range of approaches - including interviews, workshops, document analysis, surveys, site visits, use cases, task and workflow analysis, business process descriptions.
  • Evaluate information gathered, reconcile conflicts and help distil high level information into detailed requirement specs.
  • Liaise between business units, technology teams and support teams.
  • Work with developers and subject matter experts to establish the technical vision and analyse any tradeoffs between usability and performance needs.
  • Conduct system testing and support User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

Skills and Experience:

  • 4 years minimum business analysis experience in enterprise level IT projects.
  • Experience as a business analyst across the full lifecycle of at least one CRM implementation.
  • Broad experience across both business and IT
  • Ability to drive requirements gathering and associated documentation.
  • Strong skills in stakeholder management.
  • Analytical and project management skills.
  • Proven ability to interpret customer needs and translate them into application and operational requirements.
  • Excellent communication skills and the ability to interact with a diverse range of people.

 

***end of job description***

Okay people, let's see your best work.

 
New Post 11/16/2009 11:35 AM
User is offline Tony Markos
493 posts
5th Level Poster


Re: Practice your pitch 

Craig:

Here in the states (beautiful Cleveland, Ohio), we often refer to "our pitch" as our "15 Second Commercial".   It is what we would say (pitch) to a person of influence in our career field if we only had 15 seconds to do such.   (Some expand this to a "30 Second Commercial".)

The essence of the 15 Second Commercial is to answer the question: "Why should I hire you?".   Or, even more to the point: "What makes you unique?"   For example:  My ptich is:   I utilize very  innovative  rigorous modeling techniques on large scale business systems projects to formally identify the scope of the project.    I also use such models to document all current and future  processes.   - and especially - to systematically capture all the inputs to and outputs from each of the  processes.   

When I verbally give my pitch, I place special vocal emphasis upon the bolded words.

An important concept is that the 15 Second Commercial then becomes a critical  intellectual framework in which we would then use in creating cover letters and resumes.

Tony

 

 
New Post 11/16/2009 11:46 AM
User is offline Tony Markos
493 posts
5th Level Poster


Re: Practice your pitch 

 

Rats!   I forgot to include the word "Agile"!     I have got to edit my 15 Second Commercial to include the word "Agile" at least three times.  

Tony

 
New Post 11/17/2009 8:25 PM
User is offline KJ
243 posts
6th Level Poster


Re: Practice your pitch 

 

My pitch: “I think for people and I walk on water! If there is no water I will help you build a dam and fill it with water so that you could walk on water as well”.
 
I say this in a “matter of fact” tone of voice. The prospect/client is either totally gobsmacked at my temerity or enjoys the profundity of the moment. In most cases I get the assignment. As a self-employed consultant I think job hunting should be fun.
 
I agree with Tony, my pitch is just too modest I need to weave Agile into my spiel; as Agile encompasses everything that is “almost”.
 
warm regards,
K
 
Previous Previous
 
Next Next
  Modern Analyst Forums  Careers  Ask a Recruiter...  Practice your pitch

 






 

Copyright 2006-2024 by Modern Analyst Media LLC