Hiya ~ We have whittled our candidate list down to a few finalists and are not able to make a decision for our enterprise-level BSA open position. What kinds of interview techniques have you used in this kind of situation? I'm noodling on the concept of providing a case study and having each candidate somehow 'audition,' but nothing really ideal comes to mind. We're specifically looking to test which candidate has the best combination of BSA skills, enterprise-level leadership potential, and ability to work autonomously.
Does anyone have any suggestions or experiences to share?
Thanks!
Christy Manager, Business Systems Analysis
You've weeded out the maybees, couldbees etc. So put their names in a hat and pick one.
Alternatively, state some additional criteria and let an external party make the assessment. One of the criteria should be how this person fits into the organization and your team. You might pick a leader and all hell breaks loose because your team needs a worker! Just a thought
warm regards,
K
When all other factors are equal ask yourself if you could work with this person on a day to day basis for the next 3 years? The one you "like" is the one you want because unhappy relationships over shadow the productivity/competency when all things are (more or less) equal.
Tom
Christy:
I suggest focusing in on the most essential requirement for the position like a laser and then asking behavioral based questions to determine who best fits the bill. Case studies will not work; someone who is real good at demonstrating his/her capabilites by zeroing in on a case study for an hour or two is a very different person from someone who has the stamina to work to higher levels of abstraction for prolonged periods of time. Very different mindsets!
What is the most essential? Hints: An enterprise-level BA is largely a BA whose scope of analysis is especially broad. And the primary purpose of a business analyst is to come up with a comprehensive, integrated understanding of a systems essential functionality - and most importantly, how those functions interrelate (most typically the data flows between them).
Tony
brought to you by enabling practitioners & organizations to achieve their goals using: