Interview questions for a Business Analyst (With a large Internet search engine company):

• Can you go through your resume starting with your academics?
• If the end user doesn’t know what his specific requirements are or he has a big picture of requirements how you as a BA will drill down to the exact requirements.
• If I provided you with a workflow of events starting from kickoff of the project to UAT/training, explain me as a BA what role will you have in each phase and what timeline will you set for each phase?
• Have you dealt with difficult business users or How do you deal with difficult end users?
• What was your role in the last project / Explain me your last project.
• Have you worked with out-of-box solutions or implemented them?
• Do you have any exp. with document management systems?
• Was the end product in your last project a web based application or inhouse solution?
• How do you think you will gather requirement for our project?
• All your projects were year long, how will you deal with a fast paced project.
• Do you like projects on a short timeline?
• If there are multiple SMEs in a JAD session that disagree on a particular requirement how will you come to a closure?
• Sometimes JAD sessions can go on for hours together, how do you make sure that you control the sessions and achieve the desired result?
• How technically oriented are you?
• What’s your role with the development team?
• Explain to me what is in a FRD?
• What kind of domains have you worked on?
• Have you come across a situation where you didn’t meet the end users requirements and the UAT failed? How did you tackle the situation?
• Sometimes end user has a picture in mind of how the system/screen should look like but the end solution comes out to be different, how will you make sure that this doesn’t happen?

Thank you note:

I think sending a small “thank you note” to the person who interviewed you is very effective method in many ways. Firstly, They (The client) are interviewing not only you but also 10 other Business Analyst for the same position. You want them to remember you over the other 10 they interviewed that day. The best way is to get their e-mail address after you are done with your interview and send them this short e-mail:


Dear Mr. Last Name:

I wanted to say "Thank You" for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk to me about the Business Analyst position with Bank of America’s Internet Service Group. I appreciate your time and consideration in interviewing me for this position.

After speaking with you and the group, I do feel that I would be a perfect candidate for this position, offering the quick learning and adaptability that is needed for a diversified position.

In addition to my enthusiasm for performing well, I would bring the technical and analytical skills necessary to get the job done.

I am very interested in working for you and look forward to hearing from you once the final decisions are made regarding this position.

Please feel free to contact me at anytime if further information is needed. My cell phone number is (415) 555-1234

Thank you again for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Malik Prabu
Business Analyst
(415) 555-1234

Requirement Gathering

Requirements analysis, in systems engineering and software engineering, encompasses all of the tasks that go into the instigation, scoping and definition of a new or altered system. Requirements analysis is an important part of the system design process; whereby requirements engineers, business analysts, along with systems engineers or software developers, identify the needs or requirements of a client; having identified these requirements they are then in a position to design a solution.

In short Identifying the needs for a new project i.e. the main job of a BA or the most vital part of the whole deal is to gather the RIGHT requirements, thus it should be done with utmost care and precision. If there is a mistake in this process the end product may also end up screwed.

Different Types of requirements :

• Feasiblitly
• Schedulable
• Affordable
• Legality
• Ethical issues

Requirement Gathering Techniques:

Interviews- Involves interviewing stakeholders and all the people involved, it may result in interviewing a lot of people but will help gather sound requirements and understand customer needs.

Requirement workshops - To bring the main stakeholders in the system together in order to analyse the system and develop the solution. These workshops are more properly termed Joint Requirements Development (JRD) sessions, where requirements are jointly identified and defined by stakeholders

Contract-style requirement lists - One way of documenting requirements has been contract style requirement lists. In a complex system such requirements lists can run to hundreds of page, but it will provide a general checklist of requirements

Software Requirements Specification - A software requirements specification (SRS) is a complete description of the behavior of the system to be developed. It includes a set of use cases that describe all of the interactions that the users will have with the software

Prototypes A.K.A. Mock up's
Prototypes are mock ups of the screens of an application which allow users to visualize the application that isn't yet constructed. Prototypes help users get an idea of what the system will look like, and make it easier for users to make design decisions without waiting for the system to be built

Brainstorming - This involves identifying as many ideas as possible and ranking the ideas into those considered most useful by the group

Use Cases - This is a picture of actions a system performs, depicting the actors. It should be accompanied by a textual description and not be used in isolation of other requirements gathering techniques

Practical UML: A Hands-On Introduction for Developers

Note: This information was taken for reference/learning purpose only. Please visit the appropriate website to learn; just click on the above link.

The heart of object-oriented problem solving is the construction of a model. The model abstracts the essential details of the underlying problem from its usually complicated real world. Several modeling tools are wrapped under the heading of the UML™, which stands for Unified Modeling Language™. The purpose of this course is to present important highlights of the UML.

At the center of the UML are its nine kinds of modeling diagrams, which we describe here.

• Use case diagrams
• Class diagrams
• Object diagrams
• Sequence diagrams
• Collaboration diagrams
• Statechart diagrams
• Activity diagrams
• Component diagrams
• Deployment diagrams

Some of the sections of this course contain links to pages with more detailed information. And every section has short questions. Use them to test your understanding of the section topic.

Why is UML important?

Let's look at this question from the point of view of the construction trade. Architects design buildings. Builders use the designs to create buildings. The more complicated the building, the more critical the communication between architect and builder. Blueprints are the standard graphical language that both architects and builders must learn as part of their trade.

Writing software is not unlike constructing a building. The more complicated the underlying system, the more critical the communication among everyone involved in creating and deploying the software. In the past decade, the UML has emerged as the software blueprint language for analysts, designers, and programmers alike. It is now part of the software trade. The UML gives everyone from business analyst to designer to programmer a common vocabulary to talk about software design.

The UML is applicable to object-oriented problem solving. Anyone interested in learning UML must be familiar with the underlying tenet of object-oriented problem solving -- it all begins with the construction of a model. A model is an abstraction of the underlying problem. The domain is the actual world from which the problem comes.

Models consist of objects that interact by sending each other messages. Think of an object as "alive." Objects have things they know (attributes) and things they can do (behaviors or operations). The values of an object's attributes determine its state.

Classes are the "blueprints" for objects. A class wraps attributes (data) and behaviors (methods or functions) into a single distinct entity. Objects are instances of classes.

Use case diagrams

Use case diagrams describe what a system does from the standpoint of an external observer. The emphasis is on what a system does rather than how.

Use case diagrams are closely connected to scenarios. A scenario is an example of what happens when someone interacts with the system. Here is a scenario for a medical clinic.

"A patient calls the clinic to make an appointment for a yearly checkup. The receptionist finds the nearest empty time slot in the appointment book and schedules the appointment for that time slot. "

A use case is a summary of scenarios for a single task or goal. An actor is who or what initiates the events involved in that task. Actors are simply roles that people or objects play. The picture below is a Make Appointment use case for the medical clinic. The actor is a Patient. The connection between actor and use case is a communication association (or communication for short).

Actors are stick figures. Use cases are ovals. Communications are lines that link actors to use cases.

A use case diagram is a collection of actors, use cases, and their communications. We've put Make Appointment as part of a diagram with four actors and four use cases. Notice that a single use case can have multiple actors.

Use case diagrams are helpful in three areas.

• determining features (requirements). New use cases often generate new requirements as the system is analyzed and the design takes shape.
• communicating with clients. Their notational simplicity makes use case diagrams a good way for developers to communicate with clients.
• generating test cases. The collection of scenarios for a use case may suggest a suite of test cases for those scenarios.

Class diagrams

A Class diagram gives an overview of a system by showing its classes and the relationships among them. Class diagrams are static -- they display what interacts but not what happens when they do interact.

The class diagram below models a customer order from a retail catalog. The central class is the Order. Associated with it are the Customer making the purchase and the Payment. A Payment is one of three kinds: Cash, Check, or Credit. The order contains OrderDetails (line items), each with its associated Item.

UML class notation is a rectangle divided into three parts: class name, attributes, and operations. Names of abstract classes, such as Payment, are in italics. Relationships between classes are the connecting links.

Our class diagram has three kinds of relationships.

• association -- a relationship between instances of the two classes. There is an association between two classes if an instance of one class must know about the other in order to perform its work. In a diagram, an association is a link connecting two classes.
• aggregation -- an association in which one class belongs to a collection. An aggregation has a diamond end pointing to the part containing the whole. In our diagram, Order has a collection of OrderDetails.
• generalization -- an inheritance link indicating one class is a superclass of the other. A generalization has a triangle pointing to the superclass. Payment is a superclass of Cash, Check, and Credit.

An association has two ends. An end may have a role name to clarify the nature of the association. For example, an OrderDetail is a line item of each Order.

A navigability arrow on an association shows which direction the association can be traversed or queried. An OrderDetail can be queried about its Item, but not the other way around. The arrow also lets you know who "owns" the association's implementation; in this case, OrderDetail has an Item. Associations with no navigability arrows are bi-directional.

The multiplicity of an association end is the number of possible instances of the class associated with a single instance of the other end. Multiplicities are single numbers or ranges of numbers. In our example, there can be only one Customer for each Order, but a Customer can have any number of Orders.

This table gives the most common multiplicities.

Multiplicities	Meaning
0..1	zero or one instance. The notation n . . m indicates n to m instances.
0..* or *	no limit on the number of instances (including none).
1	exactly one instance
1..*	at least one instance

Every class diagram has classes, associations, and multiplicities. Navigability and roles are optional items placed in a diagram to provide clarity.

Packages and object diagrams

To simplify complex class diagrams, you can group classes into packages. A package is a collection of logically related UML elements. The diagram below is a business model in which the classes are grouped into packages.

Packages appear as rectangles with small tabs at the top. The package name is on the tab or inside the rectangle. The dotted arrows are dependencies. One package depends on another if changes in the other could possibly force changes in the first.

Object diagrams show instances instead of classes. They are useful for explaining small pieces with complicated relationships, especially recursive relationships.

This small class diagram shows that a university Department can contain lots of other Departments.

The object diagram below instantiates the class diagram, replacing it by a concrete example.

Each rectangle in the object diagram corresponds to a single instance. Instance names are underlined in UML diagrams. Class or instance names may be omitted from object diagrams as long as the diagram meaning is still clear.

Sequence diagrams

Class and object diagrams are static model views. Interaction diagrams are dynamic. They describe how objects collaborate.

A sequence diagram is an interaction diagram that details how operations are carried out -- what messages are sent and when. Sequence diagrams are organized according to time. The time progresses as you go down the page. The objects involved in the operation are listed from left to right according to when they take part in the message sequence.

Below is a sequence diagram for making a hotel reservation. The object initiating the sequence of messages is a Reservation window.

The Reservation window sends a makeReservation() message to a HotelChain. The HotelChain then sends a makeReservation() message to a Hotel. If the Hotel has available rooms, then it makes a Reservation and a Confirmation.

Each vertical dotted line is a lifeline, representing the time that an object exists. Each arrow is a message call. An arrow goes from the sender to the top of the activation bar of the message on the receiver's lifeline. The activation bar represents the duration of execution of the message.

In our diagram, the Hotel issues a self call to determine if a room is available. If so, then the Hotel creates a Reservation and a Confirmation. The asterisk on the self call means iteration (to make sure there is available room for each day of the stay in the hotel). The expression in square brackets, [ ], is a condition.

The diagram has a clarifying note, which is text inside a dog-eared rectangle. Notes can be put into any kind of UML diagram.

Collaboration diagrams

Collaboration diagrams are also interaction diagrams. They convey the same information as sequence diagrams, but they focus on object roles instead of the times that messages are sent. In a sequence diagram, object roles are the vertices and messages are the connecting links.

The object-role rectangles are labeled with either class or object names (or both). Class names are preceded by colons ( : ).

Each message in a collaboration diagram has a sequence number. The top-level message is numbered 1. Messages at the same level (sent during the same call) have the same decimal prefix but suffixes of 1, 2, etc. according to when they occur.

Statechart diagrams

Objects have behaviors and state. The state of an object depends on its current activity or condition. A statechart diagram shows the possible states of the object and the transitions that cause a change in state.

Our example diagram models the login part of an online banking system. Logging in consists of entering a valid social security number and personal id number, then submitting the information for validation.

Logging in can be factored into four non-overlapping states: Getting SSN, Getting PIN, Validating, and Rejecting. From each state comes a complete set of transitions that determine the subsequent state.

States are rounded rectangles. Transitions are arrows from one state to another. Events or conditions that trigger transitions are written beside the arrows. Our diagram has two self-transition, one on Getting SSN and another on Getting PIN.

The initial state (black circle) is a dummy to start the action. Final states are also dummy states that terminate the action.

The action that occurs as a result of an event or condition is expressed in the form /action. While in its Validating state, the object does not wait for an outside event to trigger a transition. Instead, it performs an activity. The result of that activity determines its subsequent state.

Activity diagrams

An activity diagram is essentially a fancy flowchart. Activity diagrams and statechart diagrams are related. While a statechart diagram focuses attention on an object undergoing a process (or on a process as an object), an activity diagram focuses on the flow of activities involved in a single process. The activity diagram shows the how those activities depend on one another.

For our example, we used the following process.

"Withdraw money from a bank account through an ATM."

The three involved classes (people, etc.) of the activity are Customer, ATM, and Bank. The process begins at the black start circle at the top and ends at the concentric white/black stop circles at the bottom. The activities are rounded rectangles.

Activity diagrams can be divided into object swimlanes that determine which object is responsible for which activity. A single transition comes out of each activity, connecting it to the next activity.

A transition may branch into two or more mutually exclusive transitions. Guard expressions (inside [ ]) label the transitions coming out of a branch. A branch and its subsequent merge marking the end of the branch appear in the diagram as hollow diamonds.

A transition may fork into two or more parallel activities. The fork and the subsequent join of the threads coming out of the fork appear in the diagram as solid bars.

Component and deployment diagrams

A component is a code module. Component diagrams are physical analogs of class diagram. Deployment diagrams show the physical configurations of software and hardware.

The following deployment diagram shows the relationships among software and hardware components involved in real estate transactions.

The physical hardware is made up of nodes. Each component belongs on a node. Components are shown as rectangles with two tabs at the upper left.

More interview questions in .pdf format: Click Here

Behavioral Interviewing Strategies for Job-Seekers

Note: All these interview questions are either taken from different websites or from personal experiences. All there appropriate references are given by their link. Click on each link to visit the resources.

Behavioral interviewing is a relatively new mode of job interviewing. Employers such as AT&T and Accenture (the former Andersen Consulting) have been using behavioral interviewing for about 15 years now, and because increasing numbers of employers are using behavior-based methods to screen job candidates, understanding how to excel in this interview environment is becoming a crucial job-hunting skill.

The premise behind behavioral interviewing is that the most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in similar situations. Behavioral interviewing, in fact, is said to be 55 percent predictive of future on-the-job behavior, while traditional interviewing is only 10 percent predictive.

Behavioral-based interviewing is touted as providing a more objective set of facts to make employment decisions than other interviewing methods. Traditional interview questions ask you general questions such as “Tell me about yourself.” The process of behavioral interviewing is much more probing and works very differently.

In a traditional job-interview, you can usually get away with telling the interviewer what he or she wants to hear, even if you are fudging a bit on the truth. Even if you are asked situational questions that start out “How would you handle XYZ situation?” you have minimal accountability. How does the interviewer know, after all, if you would really react in a given situation the way you say you would? In a behavioral interview, however, it’s much more difficult to give responses that are untrue to your character. When you start to tell a behavioral story, the behavioral interviewer typically will pick it apart to try to get at the specific behavior(s). The interviewer will probe further for more depth or detail such as “What were you thinking at that point?” or “Tell me more about your meeting with that person,” or “Lead me through your decision process.” If you’ve told a story that’s anything but totally honest, your response will not hold up through the barrage of probing questions.

Employers use the behavioral interview technique to evaluate a candidate’s experiences and behaviors so they can determine the applicant’s potential for success. The interviewer identifies job-related experiences, behaviors, knowledge, skills and abilities that the company has decided are desirable in a particular position. For example, some of the characteristics that Accenture looks for include:

• Critical thinking
• Being a self-starter
• Willingness to learn
• Willingness to travel
• Self-confidence
• Teamwork
• Professionalism

The employer then structures very pointed questions to elicit detailed responses aimed at determining if the candidate possesses the desired characteristics. Questions (often not even framed as a question) typically start out: "Tell about a time..." or "Describe a situation..." Many employers use a rating system to evaluate selected criteria during the interview.

As a candidate, you should be equipped to answer the questions thoroughly. Obviously, you can prepare better for this type of interview if you know which skills that the employer has predetermined to be necessary for the job you seek. Researching the company and talking to people who work there will enable you to zero in on the kinds of behaviors the company wants. (Click here to see a list of typical behaviors that employers might be trying to get at in a behavior-based interview.)

In the interview, your response needs to be specific and detailed. Candidates who tell the interviewer about particular situations that relate to each question will be far more effective and successful than those who respond in general terms.

Ideally, you should briefly describe the situation, what specific action you took to have an effect on the situation, and the positive result or outcome. Frame it in a three-step process, usually called a S-A-R, P-A-R, or S-T-A-R statement:

1. situation (or task, problem), 2. action, 3. result/outcome.

Click here for a sample S-A-R statement. It’s also helpful to think of your responses as stories. Become a great storyteller in your interviews, but be careful not to ramble. See also, STAR Interviewing Technique for more information.

It’s difficult to prepare for a behavior-based interview because of the huge number and variety of possible behavioral questions you might be asked. The best way to prepare is to arm yourself with a small arsenal of example stories that can be adapted to many behavioral questions. Despite the many possible behavioral questions, you can get some idea of what to expect by looking at Web sites that feature behavioral questions, including:

• Sample Behavioral Interview Questions
• Behavioral Interviewing
• How to Behave in a Behavior-Based Interview

Knowing what kinds of questions might be asked will help you prepare an effective selection of examples.

Use examples from internships, classes and school projects, activities, team participation, community service, hobbies and work experience -- anything really -- as examples of your past behavior. In addition, you may use examples of special accomplishments, whether personal or professional, such as scoring the winning touchdown, being elected president of your Greek organization, winning a prize for your artwork, surfing a big wave, or raising money for charity. Wherever possible, quantify your results. Numbers always impress employers.

Remember that many behavioral questions try to get at how you responded to negative situations; you'll need to have examples of negative experiences ready, but try to choose negative experiences that you made the best of or -- better yet, those that had positive outcomes.

Here's a good way to prepare for behavior-based interviews:

• Identify six to eight examples from your past experience where you demonstrated top behaviors and skills that employers typically seek. Think in terms of examples that will exploit your top selling points.
• Half your examples should be totally positive, such as accomplishments or meeting goals.
• The other half should be situations that started out negatively but either ended positively or you made the best of the outcome.
• Vary your examples; don't take them all from just one area of your life.
• Use fairly recent examples. If you're a college student, examples from high school may be too long ago. Accenture, in fact, specifies that candidates give examples of behaviors demonstrated within the last year.
• Try to describe examples in story form and/or PAR/SAR/STAR.

To cram for a behavioral interview right before you're interviewed, review your resume. Seeing your achievements in print will jog your memory.

In the interview, listen carefully to each question, and pull an example out of your bag of tricks that provides an appropriate description of how you demonstrated the desired behavior. With practice, you can learn to tailor a relatively small set of examples to respond to a number of different behavioral questions.

Once you've snagged the job, keep a record of achievements and accomplishments so you'll be ready with more great examples the next time you go on a behavior interview.

Sample Behavioral Interview Questions

One of the keys to success in interviewing is practice, so we encourage you to take the time to work out answers to these questions using one of the suggested methods, such as the STAR approach. Be sure not to memorize answers; the key to interviewing success is simply being prepared for the questions and having a mental outline to follow in responding to each question. For more tips, read our article, Behavioral Interviewing Strategies.

Looking for some sample excellent answers to behavioral interview questions? Then go to our Job Interview Questions Database, where we have traditional, behavioral, and mixed interview questions for both experienced job-seekers and college students and recent grads.

Here is one list of sample behavioral-based interview questions:

• Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way.
• Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills.
• Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.
• Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it.
• Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone's opinion.
• Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree.
• Please discuss an important written document you were required to complete.
• Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.
• Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were required to prioritize your tasks.
• Give me an example of a time when you had to make a split second decision.
• What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example.
• Tell me about a time you were able to successfully deal with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa).
• Tell me about a difficult decision you've made in the last year.
• Give me an example of a time when something you tried to accomplish and failed.
• Give me an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead.
• Tell me about a recent situation in which you had to deal with a very upset customer or co-worker.
• Give me an example of a time when you motivated others.
• Tell me about a time when you delegated a project effectively.
• Give me an example of a time when you used your fact-finding skills to solve a problem.
• Tell me about a time when you missed an obvious solution to a problem.
• Describe a time when you anticipated potential problems and developed preventive measures.
• Tell me about a time when you were forced to make an unpopular decision.
• Please tell me about a time you had to fire a friend.
• Describe a time when you set your sights too high (or too low).

Common Interview Questions: Click Here

Q: Tell me about yourself.
(The interviewer is really saying "I want to hear you talk")
A: This is a commonly asked question designed to break the ice. Spend a maximum of five minutes to describe your qualifications, career history and your range of skills. Emphasise those skills that are relevant to the job on offer.

Q: What have been your achievements to date?
(The interviewer is saying, "Are you an achiever?")
A: Again this is a common question so be prepared. Select an achievement that is recent. Identify skills you used in the achievement and quantify the benefit.

Q: Are you happy with your career to date?
(The interviewer is really asking about your self-confidence, your career aspirations and whether you are a positive person)
A: The answer must be 'yes' but if you have hit a career plateau or you feel you are moving too slowly, then you must qualify the answer.

Q: Tell me the most difficult situation you have had to face and how you tackled it? (The interviewer is really trying to find out your definition of "difficult" and whether you can show a logical approach to problem solving)
A: Select a difficult work situation that was not caused by you. Explain how you defined the problem and what solution you applied to overcome the problem.

Q: What do you dislike about your current role?
(The interviewer is trying to find out whether the job on offer has responsibilities you will dislike)
A: Be careful with this one. Don't be too specific as you may draw attention to weaknesses. One approach is to choose a characteristic of your present company such as its size, its slow decision making process etc. Give your answer with the air of someone who takes problems and frustrations in your stride, as part of the job.

Q: What are your strengths?
(The interviewer wants a straightforward answer as to what you are good at and how it is going to add value)
A: This is one question you will certainly be asked, so there's no excuse for being unprepared. Concentrate on discussing your main strengths. List three or four explanations of how they could benefit the employer. Strengths to consider include technical proficiency; ability to learn quickly; determination to succeed; positive attitude; team focus and your ability to work autonomously.

Q: What are your greatest weaknesses?
(The interviewer is asking about your self-perception and self-awareness)
A: This is another standard question for which you can be well prepared. Don't say you don't have any. We all have weaknesses. Either use a professional weakness such as a lack of experience (not ability) on your part in one area that is not vital for the job, or use a personal weakness and show the steps that you have taken to combat it. An example would be," I'm not very good at delegating but I'm learning to pass work on to colleagues by sitting down on a weekly basis and splitting the workload".

Q: What kind of decision do you find most difficult?
(The interviewer is really saying, "I need someone who is strong and decisive but who has a human side")
A: Try to focus on decisions you have made without sufficient information. This will show your positive side. For example, "I like to make decisions based on sufficient information and having alternatives. When you have to make quick decisions you have to rely on "gut feeling" and experience.

Q: Why do you want to leave your current employer?
(The interviewer is trying to understand and evaluate your motives for moving)
A: This should be straightforward. State how you are looking for more challenge, responsibility, experience and a change of environment and explain why you feel you are no longer receiving these things from your current role. For example, " I have been with my company for four years and feel I have learnt as much about their x function as possible and there is no opportunity for a more senior role at present".

Business Analyst Interview Questions for the Banking Domain: Click Here

Handy if applying for business analyst intern positions. These questions are more of behavioral, so very good for the first round and for the behavioral interview of the second round.

My key observations for internship interviews at investment banks can be summarized as follows:

• Investment banks look for team work spirit and enthusiasm in the interns more than any technical skills.
• These questions, when read, look pretty easy and it always appears that you don't need to prepare for them. (which ofcourse is not true)
• Since these questions have no set answers, whatever you says directs what question will be asked next.
• If you have thought of the event to mention then you just need to concentrate on framing it elegantly.
• If you prepared for these beforehand, you never come out of the room regretting that you had a better example to quote if had been given more time to think.
• Sample space of such questions is exhaustive though the same question may be framed in many ways.

No one can have the questions that will be asked before hand but preparing for questions like these below helps in framing the answer well at interview as we already have in mind what we want to say. Remember, the worst one can do in an interview is to come for it unprepared.

Tip: Something I found very helpful in my interviews was that, while answering questions, I tried to use the same phrases and words as mentioned in the requirements of the job in the job description. You may call it a psychological treatment but it tends to indicate that you have exactly what they want. And I got calls from companies wherever I used it so I have evidence that it works!! :)

1- What's is the hardest thing you have ever done?

2- Can u give an example of a time when u came up with a creative solution?

3- Why do u want to work for this industry?
Very specific; based on what company one is interviewing with. This gives the candidate an opportunity to show why is he interested in this company above all others in the same industry. It reflects how much research did the candidate do on the company before coming here and that is an indicator good enough to measure his interest.

4- Why do you want to work in investment banking?
This was asked in all the interviews I gave till date. They wanted to know why one would prefer working for an investment bank and not a completely "tech" firm. I guess they expect the candidate to have some interest in finance even if he is going to the technical end though they don't expect any formal course work or previous experience in finance.

5- What exactly do investment managers do?

6- Present a chapter from your favorite finance book.
This looks like a tough birdie

7- Walk me through your resume?
Two of my interviews started with this question. They don't expect us to memorize our resumes but give us an opportunity to highlight the points of the resume we want to and choose the tentative topics for further questions. Effectively they say, "the ball is in your court".

8-Why should we hire u?
An indirect question that asks your strengths directly.

9-what types of activities where you involved in college?

10- Why this firm?
Same as question 3 above.

11- An example of a project that involved heavy analytical thinking?

12- If made CEO what changes will u make?

13- Favorite website?

14- Example of teamwork where the team was successful. One example where the team was unsuccessful. Why? What lesson did you learn from it.
Two of my behavioral interviews were centered most of the time around this question. I was first asked to go through the objective of the team and then how it worked or how didn't work right.

15- The most striking article in wall street journal

16- Project you enjoyed most.
Again they are asking you " From where do you want to me to ask the next question". Make sure you mention a project through which illustrates teamwork, self-initiative or something that you can stress upon later because after this the next question will be why did u enjoy this one most. And for investment banks , jut saying that you liked it because of the extensive coding it required won't get you anywhere. It is indirectly measuring that you really meant the reasons you gave for Question 4 or not.

17- Given internship, if not hired finally, give 3 reasons why this could happen and how can u prevent this.

18- If I call a person who knows you well, what will he say about you?

19- What motivates you?

20- An example of experience of failure.

21- You don't seem like a driven person. how will you handle a job in banking?

22- An accomplishment you are proud of?

23- Favorite course, least favorite. Why? Grades in each.

24- How have you modeled qith equations in the past.

25- Can you tell me a time when u handled many things at the same time?

26- Example of leadership. (Any academic or non-academic examples are equally good)

27- Example where you were not the leader of the team but you took some major initiative?

28- Questions for the firm.
This is a very important part of the interview and usually has the last 5 minutes devoted to it. The person on the other side of the table always give you a chance to ask questions partly to clear your doubts and partly to again give you an opportunity to show your interest and zest for internship in the company. Preparing for this merely requires 15-20 minutes reading the profile of the company and the dept. you are applying to.

More Business Analyst Interview Questions:

Note: All these interview questions are either taken from different websites or from personal experiences. All there appropriate references are given by their link. Click on each link to visit the resources.

Few points to do and expect.

1.) You can ask the interviewer the content of the interview, ask them if you need to prepare anything for the interview?; what is the interview process?; how long will it be?, etc... the interviewer will give you some details but not all the details, they will propably tell you it's a one-on-one interview or it's a group exercise, depending on which round of interview you in.

2.) If it's the first round interview, it nothing hectic, if you ask them what's it about? They will say, this interview is for us (the company) to know you better and also give you an opportunity to know the company. So go to their website, look at their brochure, know the company information.

Prepare for:
• Why would you like to join our company?
• Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years time?
• What can you offer to the company? Skills, personality, etc....
• You areas of interest, why are you interested in finance, etc....
• Very important, I think, also prepare some questions to ask the interviewer, this shows that you are enthusiastic and keen for the job.

3.) Second round interviews, probably some kind of group exercise where the group get given a case study and need to work through the case study and discuss the solution. This is to see how well you do in a group environment, or it could be just a one person case study. Again you can ask the interviewer the content of the interview to be more prepared.

Prepare for:
• If it's really a group exercise, try take the leading role, if that fails, try take the secondary role, if all that fails, at least show that you are active in the discussion and enthusiastic about the discussion, etc....
• Nothing else you can really prepare for really, comes with experience.....

Round 3, 4, 5 again different content, could be contract negotiation, etc..... Know how to negotiate your paycheck!

Business analyst interview questions: Click Here

You never know what you will be asked on a job interview. The following sample of interview questions for business analyst will help you prepare. You need to be able to answer all questions truthfully and professionally. Here are the business analyst interview questions:

Q. Can you tell me why are you considering leaving your present job?
A. Regardless of the reason, do not bad mouth your current employer. Negativism will always hurt you. Good answers include: “There is no room for growth at my current employer. I am looking for a company with long term growth opportunities”. “Due to a company restructuring, my entire department is relocating to Florida. I was give the option of moving, but do not wish to relocate”. “My current company is not doing well, and has been laying off employees. There is no job security there, and more layoffs are expected”.

Q. How do you handle stress and pressure?
A. “I find that I work better under pressure, and I enjoy working in an environment that is challenging.” “I am the type of person that diffuses stress. I am used to working in a demanding environment with deadlines, and enjoy the challenges.”

Q. We have met several business analyst’s. Why are you the one we should hire?
A. Give definite examples of your skills and accomplishments. Be positive, and emphasize how your background matches the job description. Mention any software packages and spreadsheet software you are familiar with. Also let them know if you have advanced knowledge of any of the software.

Q. What do you know about our company?
A. This question is used to see if you have prepared for the interview. Candidates that have researched the company are more appealing. Companies like prepared, organized candidates.

Q. What are your greatest strengths?
A. Be positive and honest. “My greatest strength is maximizing the efficiency of my staff. I have successfully lead numerous teams on difficult projects. I have an excellent ability to identify and maximize each of my staffs strengths.” Give examples.

Q. Tell me about your greatest weakness?
A. It is very important to give a strength that compensates for your weakness. Make your weakness into a positive. “I consider myself a 'big picture' person. I sometimes skip the small details. For this reason, I always have someone on my team that is very detail oriented.” Another good answer: “Sometimes, I get so excited and caught up in my work that I forget that my family life should be my number one priority.”

Q. What are your goals for the future?
A. “My long term goals are to find a company where I can grow, continue to learn, take on increasing responsibilities, and be a positive contributor”.

Hopefully these typical business analyst interview questions will help you. It is important to customize the answers for your specific background and experience.

Now that we have gone over the interview questions for business analyst, you need to be aware of important resources that can make your job search easier and more thorough.

Business analyst interview questions: Click Here

Note: All these interview questions are either taken from different websites or from personal experiences. All there appropriate references are given by their link. Click on each link to visit the resources.

You never know what you will be asked on a job interview. The following sample of interview questions for business analyst will help you prepare. You need to be able to answer all questions truthfully and professionally. Here are the business analyst interview questions:

Q. Can you tell me why are you considering leaving your present job?
A. Regardless of the reason, do not bad mouth your current employer. Negativism will always hurt you. Good answers include: “There is no room for growth at my current employer. I am looking for a company with long term growth opportunities”. “Due to a company restructuring, my entire department is relocating to Florida. I was give the option of moving, but do not wish to relocate”. “My current company is not doing well, and has been laying off employees. There is no job security there, and more layoffs are expected”.

Q. How do you handle stress and pressure?
A. “I find that I work better under pressure, and I enjoy working in an environment that is challenging.” “I am the type of person that diffuses stress. I am used to working in a demanding environment with deadlines, and enjoy the challenges.”

Q. We have met several business analyst’s. Why are you the one we should hire?
A. Give definite examples of your skills and accomplishments. Be positive, and emphasize how your background matches the job description. Mention any software packages and spreadsheet software you are familiar with. Also let them know if you have advanced knowledge of any of the software.

Q. What do you know about our company?
A. This question is used to see if you have prepared for the interview. Candidates that have researched the company are more appealing. Companies like prepared, organized candidates.

Q. What are your greatest strengths?
A. Be positive and honest. “My greatest strength is maximizing the efficiency of my staff. I have successfully lead numerous teams on difficult projects. I have an excellent ability to identify and maximize each of my staffs strengths.” Give examples.

Q. Tell me about your greatest weakness?
A. It is very important to give a strength that compensates for your weakness. Make your weakness into a positive. “I consider myself a 'big picture' person. I sometimes skip the small details. For this reason, I always have someone on my team that is very detail oriented.” Another good answer: “Sometimes, I get so excited and caught up in my work that I forget that my family life should be my number one priority.”

Q. What are your goals for the future?
A. “My long term goals are to find a company where I can grow, continue to learn, take on increasing responsibilities, and be a positive contributor”.

Hopefully these typical business analyst interview questions will help you. It is important to customize the answers for your specific background and experience.

Now that we have gone over the interview questions for business analyst, you need to be aware of important resources that can make your job search easier and more thorough.

One-on-one interview for a Business Analyst Position with the Project Director for an Insurance Company:

• The Project director explained the job initially and then she went over my resume.
• She had highlighted bullets from my resume and started asking how did you do this, how did you do that.
• Most of it was general BA stuff, with reference to the project I had done.
• How did you use RUP framework to implement change?
• Did you ever have to complain to the higher management because somebody wasn't co-operating to give out info?
• How do you get information, when people are not willing?
• What if there is no one to hold your hand and let you know what your job is?
• How do you figure out what you job is?
• Did you quit any of your previous jobs?
• Will you quit if you don't have enough direction?
• How do you design the process?
• What was the change that you handled from any of your jobs? and how did you do it?

Top 10 Interview Questions

To help you get started, here are 10 probable questions that you will be asked during the interview process, along with some suggestions on how to answer each. But first, some general tips: 1) don't feel as though you need to literally answer the question; 2) be brief in your response, yet be prepared to expand should you be asked to do so, or should you judge it a good opening for a more complete response; and 3) be positive in your responses, even when the question is negative.

1. Why did you send me your resume?

Suggestions: Emphasize what you can do for them versus what you want from them. Shape your response along the lines of, "I sent my resume with the belief that my skills of A, B and C, along with my experience of X, Y and Z, would prove a valuable resource to your company."

Example: "I sent you my resume, highlighting my technical talents in IT along with my managerial experience, confident that you would see me as a valuable resource. Allow me to be more specific as I learn more about your immediate needs."

2. Tell me about yourself...

Suggestion : It is tempting, with such a question, to tell your life story. Resist this temptation. Respond with a quick overview highlighting your skills and accomplishments, and flavor your answer with a comment about your style and personality.

Example: "My career is a balance between the technical and managerial. Early in my career, I focused on providing technical solutions to business problems, and, more recently, on providing solid leadership in the re-engineering of the IT department. Beyond my many skills and experience, I believe my success is due largely to my ability to quickly engage others, motivate team members and clearly communicate."

3. How can you help us?

Suggestion: If there are identifiable corporate needs, than address them; if not, then be careful not to go out on a limb saying you can do certain things that may not be of interest. Rather, turn the question and response from what you CAN do, to what you HAVE done.

Example: "Not knowing the particulars of your current situation, allow me to share with you some recent successes which are representative of my talents. (give an example and quantify) With that said, may I ask how that begins to address your needs?"

4. What are your strengths?

Suggestion: Be selective of your many strengths and choose three or four that directly relate to the position or identified corporate needs. Sometimes a mere listing of skills has high impact and is most effective. Yet, be prepared to expand and give examples if prompted.

Example: "Three strengths or skills quickly come to mind: namely, 1, 2 and 3. (pause) I mention these particular skills or strengths because they have served me well throughout my career and, I believe, would prove valuable to your company as you address issues of A, B and C."

5. What are your weaknesses?

Suggestion: Minimize your response. Even though the interviewer might ask for "weaknesses," give just one at a time. Make it realistic, yet don't give ammunition to fire back at you. Mention some "weakness" that in a different context might be considered a strength.

Example: "I'm tenacious and I hate to give up, yet I do realize the value of time and the importance of not taking decisions to halt an effort as a personal failure."

6. What types of problems do you like to deal with?

Suggestion: Not all problems are negative. Sometimes it might involve fixing something that is broken, although it could also involve capitalizing on an opportunity. Reflect for a moment on the position and why that position exists, then reference some responsibilities and activities in which you thrive and which you believe would contribute to that company's productivity, grow and profit.

Example: "I enjoy a mix of problems, both the quick daily problems that I can address based on my knowledge and experience, as well as larger problems that involve input from many sources, careful analysis and strategic thinking. My preference, too, is toward quantitative issues that can be resolved in a matter of weeks."

7. How do you motivate others?

Suggestion: Think for a moment about human behavior and your philosophy of managing; then comment on your style of encouraging and supporting others toward completing a common goal. Be prepared with concrete examples.

Example: "Ultimately, a person can only motivate himself/herself. The role of the manager is to understand what motivates individuals and provide the support for that person to be successful. It takes patience in listening and understanding others, an expressed confidence in the person and a reinforcement of that person's progress toward a goal."

8. What would your boss say about you?

Suggestion: Although we have all been criticized from time to time, be positive and highlight some of your qualities and strengths. If your relationship with your boss is strained or negative, generalize the response to bosses you have had over the years and the compliments that they have paid you. Once again, choose comments that reinforce your candidacy for the position for which you are interviewing.

Example: "I've had the good fortune of having bosses who are very supportive of my work. They have commonly complimented me on my analytical and problem-solving skills. In addition, they recognize my leadership abilities and willingness to push myself and others toward concrete results."

9. What do you hope to be doing in three years?

Suggestion: Indicate that you would be first looking to do an outstanding job in the position under discussion. As to the future, show your ambition, yet be realistic and avoid mentioning positions by title. Be careful not to set yourself up as a competitor with the interviewer.

Example: "First, let me say that I would certainly look forward to being part of your team and am confident that I could do an outstanding job. As to the future, I think my success would bring other responsibilities. So, regarding your question, I would see myself playing an increasingly important role in the company's leadership and growth."

10. Why should I consider hiring you over other candidates?

Suggestion: Emphasize that, while not knowing the other candidates, you are confident that you have the skills, experience and demonstrated accomplishments that have prepared you for such a role and that assure your future success. This question provides a perfect opportunity to close by asking for feedback and the interviewer's full support in moving forward.

Example: "I have been in your position of making hiring decisions, and I have always asked the question, 'Who is skilled, motivated and most likely to fit with the team?' From our discussion, I hope I have clearly conveyed my skills and experience, and my strong desire to be part of your team. Bottom line, I am confident I can get the job done for you in a timely and profitable manner."

Detailed Change Control Procedure

Note: This material is copied from http://www.construx.com/survivalguide/detailedchangeproc.htm

Top-Level Contents

Revision Chart
Contents

1. Life Cycles of Work Products

2. Goals of a Change Control Procedure

3. Formative Development

4. Acceptance

5. Proposing Changes

6. Assessing Impact of Changes

7. Approving or Rejecting Proposed Changes

8. Change Control Board

9. Defect Tracking System

10. Approval Signatures

---

Detailed Contents

---

Revision Chart

This chart contains a history of this document’s revisions. The entries below are provided solely for purposes of illustration. Entries should be deleted until the revision they refer to has actually been created.

The first time an organization adopts a change control procedure, the review cycles listed below might all be needed. After the change control procedure has been in place for awhile, each new project can probably just reference an existing change control procedure document, or a document with minor modifications, rather than creating its own.

Version	Primary Author(s)	Description of Version	Date Completed
Draft	TBD	Initial draft created for distribution and review comments	TBD
Preliminary	TBD	Second draft incorporating initial review comments, distributed for final review	TBD
Final	TBD	First complete draft, which is placed under change control	TBD
Revision 1	TBD	Revised draft, revised according to the change control process and maintained under change control	TBD
Revision 2	TBD	Revised draft, revised according to the change control process and maintained under change control	TBD
etc.	TBD	TBD	TBD

Contents

List the document contents by page number

List of Figures

List the figures in the document by page number.

Life Cycles of Work Products

Within any given project, each work product developed during the project will progress through a series of stages from initial concept to final release.

Work product lifecycle.

Note that the work product initially begins life in a state of formative development. As the work product develops, changes are made informally and work progresses using revision control. When the work product reaches an expected state of completeness, it undergoes formal review and acceptance. Once accepted, the work product enters a state of acceptance where changes are no longer permitted to the item without formal change control (which this document describes). Finally, after final acceptance, the work product is frozen in preparation for being released.

Note the distinction being made between informal revision control and formal change control. Informal revision control refers to the use of tools which allow changes to a rapidly evolving work product to be sequentially captured and retraced, if necessary. This allows a work product to undergo rapid development while retaining the safety of backup copies and some measure of control. Formal change control refers to a procedure by which changes to an accepted work product are carefully proposed, assessed, conditionally accepted, and applied. Formal change control provides a measure of stability and safety beyond that of the underlying revision control tools in use.

Goals of a Change Control Procedure

An effective change control procedure should:

• Provide a mechanism for accepting changes that improve the product overall while rejecting those that degrade it.
• Facilitate changes to work products during their initial formative development while avoiding unnecessary overhead or formality.
• Provide revision control and backup safety for work products during their formative development.
• Allow for formal acceptance (approval) of work products after their initial formative development has been completed.
• Facilitate efficient changes to work products after their initial acceptance, recognizing that the impact of a change to a work product is dramatically different after the work product has been accepted.
• Allow all parties materially affected by proposed changes to accepted work products to assess the resource, schedule, and/or product impact of the changes.
• Allow changes to accepted work products to be proposed and evaluated, schedule and quality impact assessed, and approved or rejected into work products in a controlled manner.
• Notify interested parties on the periphery of development regarding change proposals, their assessed impact, and whether the changes were approved or rejected.
• Provide an historic trail of the development of work products, including all proposed changes.

Formative Development

During this initial stage of creation, the work product is undergoing frequent and rapid change before it becomes stable. At this stage, it is inappropriate to apply formal change control to the work product since the overhead of controlling changes merely obstructs efficient creation of the work product. However, this stage of development may comprise a significant body of work which would be quite costly to lose. Therefore, an informal determination will be made on the part of the developer(s) of the work product as to when to place the work product under revision control. Revision control differs from change control in that it provides automated support for saving and restoring versions of project work products such as documents and computer source code without the burden of a formal change process.

We expect the following procedures to provide adequate control during formative development of work products:

• Work products will be placed under the control of a revision control tool (such as PVCS, RCS, or Visual Source Safe).
• All work products under revision control will reside on a master project file server (which itself is under a formal backup schedule to secondary off-line media).

Since change control at this stage of development is informal, it is the responsibility of each developer to use prudent judgment and professional practice to store revisions of the work product at appropriate intervals and to be diligent in maintaining master sources of the work product on the project file server.

Acceptance

At the close of formative development, each work product reaches a stage where it represents a complete body of work. The determination of this point in the development process is best performed by the developer(s) of the work product (guided by the project milestones and deliverables identified by the Software Development Plan). At this point, the work product undergoes a formal acceptance procedure which includes:

• Review of the work product content to determine whether it is complete and fairly represents the needs of its customers. (The determination of who will review each work product is made by the Change Control Board.)
• Formal sign-off of the work product by the Change Control Board and any additional persons which the board determines are appropriate.

At this point, the work product is said to have been "accepted" (thereafter known as an accepted work product) and enters into formal change control. That is, subsequent changes to the work product must undergo review by the Change Control Board as described below.

Proposing Changes

Whenever any party determines that some aspect of an accepted work product should be changed, then that party submits a change proposal to the Change Control Board via the defect tracking system. The change proposal:

• Identifies the work product in question.
• Describes the aspect of the work product that the party feels is in need of change.
• Includes a description of the impact, from the submitting party's point of view, of leaving the work product as-is compared with incorporating the suggested change. This gives the Change Control Board a better understanding of why the change is being submitted and what importance it has from the perspective of the submitting party.

Assessing Impact of Changes

Once a change proposal has been submitted to the Change Control Board, the change proposal is circulated to those parties that the Change Control Board identifies may be impacted by the change. These parties are responsible for producing an estimate of the effects of implementing the proposed change. Proposed changes should account for:

• Additional management effort to revise the schedule and notify affected parties
• The distraction of the affected parties from their primary work while they assess the impact of the proposed change
• Impact on the user manual
• Impact on on-line help
• Impact on product specifications
• Impact on product design documents
• Impact on product source code
• Impact on product test procedures and source code
• Impact on installation program or procedures
• Impact on training materials (including tutorial program, if any)
• The general tendency of quality to degrade with change
• The dramatically increased cost of change at later stages of the project

In the interest of efficiency, the Change Control Board may decide to queue a series of change proposals to be processed as a group. This will depend upon the frequency and importance of change proposals as determined by the board.

Approving or Rejecting Proposed Changes

Once the impact of the proposed change to each area is assessed, the Change Control Board must make a decision whether to accept or reject the proposed change. The Change Control Board may reject a proposed change out-of-hand if it determines that the cost of formally assessing the impact of the change outweighs its perceived benefit. Since defects are treated like all other change requests, the Change Control Board selects for correction only those defects which represent an acceptable benefit/risk trade-off based on the phase of the project and the distance from the next important milestone.

If accepted, the assessed impact on the development schedule must be incorporated into the existing schedule and a new schedule produced. If the Change Control Board deems it necessary, trade-offs between time, function, and manpower may be made in an attempt to mitigate the effects of change to the existing schedule. However, in no circumstances will changes be approved without sufficient consideration of their associated schedule implications.

Regardless of whether a change is approved or rejected, the following information is recorded by the defect tracking system and made available to the party submitting the change proposal (and any other interested parties that desire to monitor the progress of the work product):

• The date, description, and party submitting the proposed change.
• The estimated impact of the change on the development areas listed above.
• The date when the change was accepted, rejected, or deferred.
• If accepted, the overall impact on the project schedule (which includes the effects of any mitigating strategies and their descriptions).
• If rejected, the reason for rejection.

It is suggested that those parties who have a stake in the development of the product may register their interest with the Change Control Board. The Change Control Board will then put a mechanism in place (probably by memo, e-mail, or intranet web page) to provide notification of meetings and their agenda and to disseminate the results of its actions. Interested parties may elect to attend the Change Control Board meeting in order to represent their interests.

Change Control Board

In order to manage the change control process in a fair and stable manner, a Change Control Board is established. The Change Control Board serves as the focal point for change management and retains the authority for deciding which proposed changes actually get incorporated into a work product.

For any particular project, the Change Control Board includes the following individuals:

• Executive Sponsor
• Customer/End-User Representative
• Marketing Representative
• Program Manager
• Project Manager – also serves as change-board coordinator
• Quality Assurance Manager
• Engineering Lead
• Quality Assurance Lead
• Documentation Lead

It is expected that the board will meet either on a periodic basis or whenever a key change or group of changes requires consideration. The Project Manager will act as its facilitator and will serve as the focal point for collecting change requests, coordinating change board meetings, and the like.

The change control board will be considered to have a quorum if the Program Manager, Project Manager, Engineering Lead, and Quality Assurance Lead are present. These meetings may take place in person or over the telephone.

Other individuals may participate in Change Control Board actions at the discretion of the board.

Defect Tracking System

A commercial defect tracking system will be used to gather and manage information relating to requested modifications of work products under formal change control. This tool will provide a central data base which contains important information as described in the preceding sections and facilitates efficient queries of the captured data in order to gain visibility over the state and number of changes to a given work product.

Approval Signatures

We, the undersigned, accept this document as a stable work product to be placed under formal change control as described by the Change Control Procedure document.

Person	Person's Signature	Date Signed
Executive Sponsor
Customer/End-User Representative
Marketing Representative
Program Manager
Project Manager
Quality Assurance Manager
Engineering Lead
Quality Assurance Lead
Documentation Lead