Hi Rama03,
So I take it you are applying for a job, rather than giving the interview?
I am a BA Manager and I typically give the following advice for any of my team that want to apply for other BA roles. Most BA interviews follow this format:
- A run through your CV - the Interviewer will pick out bits which relate to the role you are applying for, so maybe in your CV you may have a role that worked with a Mobile Phone company. Equally they will ask questions if anything interests them or they don't understand themselves.
- They will then ask you generic BA Interview questions. 99.9% of BA roles will contain the same interview type questions. They differ slightly depending on the methodology they use, but things like:
- explain the difference between a Use Case and a User Story
- whats the difference between a functional requirement and a non-functional requirement
Look on this forum under the 'Careers' section and you will see a whole heap of questions. I have posted 3 in there if you want to see my favourite.
3. The Interviewer will then ask you some questions relevant to the role. Typically, these are just testing to see if you have any prior knowledge in the sector, Don't lie if you don't. You will soon be found out. Be honest and open, "No, I don't have any relevant experience of working in the Telecoms sector, but its an area that really interests me". The questions will be about areas relating to the role itself. A good tip here is to look at the job advert. Often the key things that are asked in this section of the interview are mentioned in the job advert. Do some homework and write some notes. There is nothing wrong with referring to notes in a interview. I personally would say 'well done foe making the effort'.
4. Is questions about the company. Here the interviewer is looking to see what you know about the company. This is easy to answer but requires you to do some homework. Look up the company website the day before the interview, go to their 'About Us' section and they will hopefully have some information about the company history. Make some notes, especially key facts "We have 1500 employees across 3 sites" for example. When in your interview you are asked what you know about the company, rattle of these facts. Its an easy win, but requires you to put in some effort before hand.
5. They may give you an exercise to carry out during the interview. These should be easy for a BA who has done the role before. Typically they are about understanding requirements but can vary.
6. Lastly, and most key its the chance for you to ask some questions. Its amazing how many people say they don't have any. This is a cardinal sin. Its like saying to the Interviewer "I don't really care about this role". ALWAYS have at least 3 questions. Examples could be, "What site am I going to work at?", "What methodology do you use?" or "What sort fo size projects do you typically have?" DONT ask things like "What salary am I going to be on?" or "How much annual leave will I get?" You want to display that you are interested in the role/company. Its not about you, its about the role. Make sure you have at least three and when you get the answer try to tie in any relevant experience. So for example, if you ask what methodology they use, and they reply Agile Scrum, try to go back "Oh that's good, I have previous experience of that methodology in my previous role at ABC Inc." The idea is that you can link your question and their answer back to previous experience you have. This shows that you are a good match for the role. Don't lie, if you don't , then don't try and fudge it.
With regards to specific questions that a Telecoms company may ask. It depends on what is important to the Hiring Manager. I tend to look for someone who will be a good fit into my group/team. I don't expect a BA to have 100% experience of the sector. They can learn that. But general BA skills, and the willingness to learn are key to join my team. I suspect that you may find the same is true for your role.
Let us know how you get on if you haven't had your interview yet (assuming you are having one).