One of the most important considerations when interviewing for a business analyst position is the perspective of the hiring manager. This person is most often the person in the hot seat to decide whether or not you are hired.

Hiring managers can have varying perspectives. Their point of view will depend on:

• The scope of their responsibilities—do they oversee just BAs or multiple areas of responsibility?
• Whether or not they have been a BA before.
• The pluses or minuses of previous people they’ve hired into a BA position.
• The strength or weakness of the business team.
• The strength or weakness of the technology team.

Oftentimes you can read into job descriptions to find hidden information about perspectives. Lines like “will ensure we stay on scope” or “will keep the development team on track with requirements” often brush over some of the core issues the manager is trying to solve by hiring a new business analyst or filling an open role.

As an interviewee, you’ll do well to treat all hiring managers differently. Look at the descriptions carefully for information. Research your hiring manager’s background, job title, and anything else you can find. Talk to people who might know the manager or the company culture. If you are being placed through a recruiter, spend some time pumping them for information about their relationship to gauge how the manager deals with people.

Another key factor is whether the hiring manager would be considered on the business side or the technical side. A hiring manager on the IT side is going to look for a BA who will play a critical role in the business’s perception of IT by setting realistic expectations, asking questions, and doing the analysis that ensures IT can deliver on its promises. A hiring manager on the business side will often be looking to ensure you can understand their perspective and speak for them in planning sessions with the tech group. They might be facing the “it’s a requirements issue” excuse from IT and be looking for you to solve that problem for them.

Also consider whether this is a new position (and new department) or a filling an existing one within an existing department. A hiring manager filling a new position for a new department is going to be looking for someone who can handle ambiguity in the process, work through better practices for the organization, and often present some flexibility. A hiring manager filling an existing position on an existing team might expect you to work within an established process.

Learn more about preparing for the business analyst interview in my eBook How to Start a Business Analyst Career.

About the author:

Laura Brandau is an independent business analyst consultant and hosts Bridging the Gap between Business and IT to craft business analyst practices to solve business problems.