I'm assuming that you are looking for a "Business Analyst" position, right?

First of all, if you browse through many posts in the forum you'll see a theme: It is hard to get an entry level business analyst position.

Why? Most employers want to get value right away from new hires and, therefore, want a candidate with previous experience.

So now we have the chicken and the egg problem!  How do you become a business analyst if you don't have experience as a business analyst?

The best way is to look for opportunities/roles which are related to Business Analysis such as:

• Junior Project Manager,
• Associate Consultant,
• Programmer/Analyst,
• Project Coordinator,
• Systems Analyst.

In your case - my gut feeling is that you have a "killer" resume; that is your resume contains information and skills that kills the deal.  If you are not even getting interviews you might want to review and revise your resume.  If you are trying to get a BA position then only include those skills and experiences which might be of benefit to you as a BA.

I do have to ask: why have you been managing a retail manager for the past 2 years?

Here are some more suggestions:

• Get some specialized business analysis training,
• If you enjoy retail, get involved in a business/systems analysis project in the retail space,
• Ask a recruiter to review your resume and provide you feedback on how suitable your resume is for a Business Analyst position.

Hope this helps!

- Adrian

Nothing is irreparable... Taking the ISEB certification should help you greatly. In addition, as I mentioned earlier, consider applying for a related position such as project manager/coordinator. As a retail manager, I'm sure you had to organize things, manage projects, keep schedules, track to dos, improve the business operation, etc.

You should re-write your resume to showcase those types of skills. You resume should be a functional resume with your skills at the top: describe your skills outside the scope of a specific job. Remember - you probably have many skills that you have acquired from your education. For those which are relevant to Business/Systems Analysis - put them on top of your resume. For example: critical thinking, problem solving, logical design, pseudo code, data analysis, project management, issue management, etc. Of course - don't put anything on your resume if you are not ready to tell the recruiter/employer at least some details about that skill.

The resume could then include your education - there you might want to even list relevant courses which relate to business analysis: programming, analysis & design, business, marketing, accounting, etc.

Lastly, you can list your actual work experience. Don't forget to also include part time and internship type jobs if any.

- Adrian