Picture yourself in an interview for your dream business analyst job. You are confident in your qualifications. You have prepared for the interview by researching the company, the hiring manager, and anyone else with whom you are meeting.
The manager asks you a few questions about your experience with a focus on business analysis. You answer confidently about how your team accomplished exactly what they were asked to do. You give an example. But the manager still looks at you a bit puzzled and probes for more information. She or he doesn't seem to fully trust your answer.
One possible cause of this situation is that you are using "we" in your answers instead of "I". You are a team player. You know that as a business analyst you help teams achieve great results. You focus your answers on what the team accomplished. This is a great way to look at your day-to-day work. But in an interview situation, the hiring manager is interviewing you not your team. Answers talking about "we" seem vague, are ambiguous, and can leave the impression that you are avoiding the questions.
From my own personal experience as a hiring manager for business analysts, one particular candidate among the many I interviewed with the "we" tendency, stands out among the rest. I share his story to help the other candidates out there who may unknowingly be facing his same challenges.
The candidate's answers to my questions revealed a strong team orientation and other professional qualities that I respected and desired, but when it came to his BA qualifications, I couldn't quite nail him down. In answer to every question about every project, he started the answer with "we". We created a requirements document. We came up with an elegant solution. We implemented a successful project. We, we, we.
Truly liking the individual, I started probing and prodding then finally asked, "I understand what your team accomplished and that's great. It's important for me to understand what you contributed. What did you do, specifically, to help the team accomplish that success?" Unfortunately the candidate failed to come up with an answer and defended his "we" stance: "My contributions were only part of the team. That success was impossible without the whole team." Although my gut said he was a good candidate for the position, I couldn't validate his BA qualifications with any hard evidence. He was not hired.
I want to help you avoid this same shortfall. The difficulty is that his answer is true and valid. We accomplish more as part of a team. No matter how we think about it, we are not solely responsible for the outcomes we achieve as part of a group. But the career-defining questions remain unanswered: What did you do? Why should I hire you? Why should I believe that you will make a contribution on one of the teams in this organization?
In preparing to speak about what your team accomplished and what you contributed to help your team succeed, it can be helpful to keep a catalog of your projects and accomplishments. For example, let's consider a requirements document. There is no doubt that significant project documents, such as a business requirements document or functional specifications, are the result of contributions from many individuals. When evaluating this experience for your contribution, think about the following activities:
- Did you author the document? Alternatively, did you edit a document started by someone else?
- Did you solicit feedback on the document and collate comments and reviews?
- Did you elicit the requirements and ask the questions that ensured the document was complete?
- Did you facilitate the meetings, pointing out disparate input or conflicting requirements?
- What else did you do?
While the document you produced is the collective output of the team, it's likely you had a very distinct role in that accomplishment. Catalog your specific contributions and be prepared to speak about them in detail.
Alternatively, if you were part of a BA team, you might consider quantifying your part in that team. For example, if the team collectively produced 50 use cases, maybe you drafted 20 of those use cases and provided critical feedback on the other 30. Can you think of an example where your feedback addressed a problem no one else had considered? Maybe you owned a part of the review or approval process. Maybe you owned the use case list and model.
Another way to think about this concept is to answer the following question: What hole would have been left if you had been plucked from the team? Looking at the team trying to achieve its objective without your efforts, analysis, and influence can help you see the situation with a fresh set of eyes. It can help you identify your slice in the team's overall effort.
It's also possible to use this approach to explaining your experiences while still showing you are a team player. One of the line items on my resume talks about a career experience from my early days as a QA engineer. I entered into a situation where developers across two different locations were often at odds with each other about the root cause of defects and who should fix them. I partnered with the developers from the other location, began testing their output directly, and helped drive more effective communication between the groups.
In my resume, I speak about breaking down communication barriers to reduce the length of time it took to resolve a particular category of defects. Of course, I did not single-handedly fix the issues, nor was I the only contributor to the improved success of this group of people. Every member of the team had a critical role in that improvement. But I am confident in calling myself out as the catalyst and talking about my role in bridging the communication gap, an accomplishment that helped carve my path into the business analysis profession.
So I ask you. What do you have to say for yourself and your career? Are you a career casualty to the ambiguity of "we"? If so, I challenge you to start a catalog of your recent projects and think long and hard about your contributions. This is a great step to take to advance your business analyst career.
Don't forget to leave your comments below
Laura (Brandau) Brandenburg of Clear Spring Business Analysis is a business analyst consultant, author, and mentor. She recently published How to Start a Business Analyst Career, an eBook guiding professionals in exploring the profession and finding a business analyst job. She also hosts Bridging the Gap, a blog to help business analysts advance their careers.
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written by Angela Wick, November 10, 2009
Great article, I could not agree with your thoughts more! I have had the same expeirences interviewing BAs and understanding the unique contrbiutions is key to getting the right fit in the BA role and validating the specific skills the candidate brings to the team.
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written by Laura Brandenburg, November 10, 2009
You wrote "those of us who are really dedicated to collaborative work can have some difficulty promoting ourselves above the group." I would challenge you to consider using the word "within" instead of "above". Self-promotion doesn't mean you have to be better than everyone else. It means you consciously acknowledge your contribution WITHIN the group.
Interesting point about the cultural differences. I hadn't considered that. I'd be interested to hear some other readers viewpoints on cultural differences as they relate to self-promotion.
Laura
http://www.bridging-the-gap.cp,
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written by Nilesh Somaiya, November 10, 2009
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written by Karen Dowling, November 10, 2009
I was just asked to develop some training on what I'll call "self-promotion". This has definitely provided some food for thought.
Thanks!!
Karen D.
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written by Sam, November 10, 2009
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written by Chris Hansen, November 10, 2009
Incidentally, these types of interactions and questions are the same levels of expertise that a seasoned BA should be actively demonstrating. Failing to recognize that pattern for what it is is a pointer to a larger issue. Remember, of course, that different cultural norms (both corporate and social cultures) dictate those automatic responses. In my organization, no one want an individual to be successful, and there is a fixed "herd" metality. This results in people being uninvited to participate in the effort if they are specifically giving their thought leadership and effort to make someone else look successful. I like to call it "applied socialism".
In some cases, social culture is to be trained to be an enabler. This is common with overseas candidates working in the US. Unfortunately, in this type of role, it's not a recipe for success.
Another potential tact is to do mock scenarios and ask the candidate to interview you to capture business requirements and then pace that through the larger exploratory exercise and information management lifecycle. Use the exploratory dialog to get granular.
However, that being said, a BA role is business-facing and needs to be a go-getter and dynamic. They need to think on their feet quick enough to know when a requirement is staring them in the face, and if you're asking them about their spcific contribution and they're not able to clearly articulate something, then chances are they're not right for the role.
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written by Laura Brandenburg, November 10, 2009
Nilesh, It sounds like you've shared a similar experience and found your way through it successfully. Congrats!
Karen, I think you have a great point. Understanding your contribution is equally important, yet even more delicate, when talking about your performance with your manager. I'll be interested to hear how your training goes. We had a presentation at the Denver IIBA recently that might be useful to you. Check out "Selling Your Value as a BA": http://denver.theiiba.org/presentations
Be134, I think in an interview situation, you (the candidate) are the show. You can avoid being perceived as a show stealer by not talking down your teammates or claiming you accomplished things all by yourself. You may want to think about talking about your team's accomplishments and then describing your role in those accomplishments. That might help.
Chansen14, I definitely try open-ended questions first in an interview to see what direction the candidate takes the answers. But when I am not hearing what I'm looking for and I sense there might be a disconnect on perspective like this, I definitely give the benefit of the doubt and try to lead in more strongly. But you can't expect that as a candidate. Hiring managers are busy people and tend to make quick decisions.
Laura
http://www.bridging-the-gap.com
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written by Peter Rankin, November 18, 2009
This is excellent....i am one of those people who always speaks of "we" instead of "I"...I had a similar experience where the interviewer finally asked, "I understand the project and the project team...but where did you fit in? what did YOU do?"
One of the techniques that I always try to do in an interview situation is using STAR...Situation, Task, Action, Result...this helps focus on what"i" did, rather than the team...however I always ended up with the Result being team based rather than by me.
Your suggestions on how to approach this type of question is really useful. Since reading this I am definately writing down a list of all the things that "I" have done in my current project, and, imprtantly, what the impact would have been it "I" wasnt there (that way i can flip it around in an interview - ie this was the result of me doing this...)
Pete
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written by John Talbot, November 19, 2009
Thanks for this very timely article! I work in a government agency with a self-assertive culture so it is essential to link success with personal performance if you wish to advance in any way. I had already written my self-assessment with this in mind but I took some of your hints to strengthen the emphasis on what I had achieved, just as Peter K-Star describes. This worked out well and I got a good outcome in qualitative and quantitative terms.
KarenD’s comments are especially valuable and it looks like chansen14’s organizational culture is almost opposite to mine! I don’t want to be seen to be stating the obvious but, especially in an outfit that values modesty and even self-deprecation (which for the record I dislike), regular and realistic feedback concerning the work and ideas individuals produce can help those people arrive at a justifiably positive self-assessment. I’m fortunate – my team leader does this and I’m sure that this feedback does no harm to the projects the BA’s are working on.
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written by Alagammai Subramanian, November 19, 2009
Indeed, this is a Gr8 article!!..hats off to u. I certainly agree with your point that certain situations in life do demand self promotions..especially a job interview.
But, at a personal level, I am a bit apprehensive that, if the candidate starts speaking out using I instead of We, Wont the candidate be mistaken for a non team player.
Would like to share about my project..may be u can help out!!.. In my project, I am the only Business Analyst in the team, we dont have a BA group as it is, so I take care of the requirements and specifications, now when i go for a job interview, I should be using 'I', as it was me who did the tasks, but the outcome depends on teamwork, say my peer developers who convert the requirements into a product. So now, how should i face the interview without being mistaken for a non team player??
Would be gr8 if you could put some light into this..:-)
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written by Laura Brandenburg, November 21, 2009
Pete, I'm glad you found the suggestions helpful! I definitely agree that it's important to focus on results. It can be a challenge to separate your personal results from those of the team. If you can speak both to the results of your team and the results you achieved, I think you'll be a big step ahead!
John, congrats on your positive performance review. I am sure it was well-desrved.
Alagammai, I suggest you consider what contributions you made to help form and build the team. How did you act as a team player. Using "I" is not about taking credit for all outcomes, it's about acknowledging your contributions toward those outcomes. I feel that most managers expect candidates to talk about themselves, so I wouldn't worry about using "I" language. You can show that you are a team player by describing how you interacted with others, how you helped others, or how you recognized the contributions of others. Team attitudes also show through your demeanor, how you treat people in an interview, and the kinds of questions you ask.
Best,
Laura
http://www.bridging-the-gap.com
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written by Steven A Jones, November 22, 2009
I will say that it is much easier to focus on your own responses when its a one-on-one interview. My last 5 interview meetings (up to 3 for one position) were with at least 2 people where it was difficulat to answer any one question completely before the other would ask a follow-up question... meaning the original question was only partially answered and both expected the new question to be answered. Tag-team questions somehow make it easier to answer "I".
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written by AICHA, November 24, 2009
Therefore, I agree that BAs need to understand when to use 'I' vs 'we'. It's just a matter of good timing. Besides, don't we all have performance objectives to write once or twice a year! This is the time to practice using 'I'.
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There can also be cultural barriers to this self-promotion. In many cultures it is considered extremely rude. I don't have that excuse myself (notice I'm getting better at saying "I") but I think those of us who are really dedicated to collaborative work can have some difficulty promoting ourselves above the group.
But your point is well taken, and I must say I'm getting better at it. :-)
Good post, and good timely reminder.
Andrew Midkiff
http://www.linkedin.com/in/amidkiff