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New Post 2/18/2009 12:42 PM
User is offline Adrian M.
764 posts
3rd Level Poster




Do you have a Business Analyst portfolio? 

I've recently saw somebody else ask this question "Do you have a Business Analyst portfolio?"

Given the current economic conditions this is a great question since now is the time for all of us to build our brands and to distinguish ourselves from the rest of the bunch.

So what would a "Business Analyst Portfolio" look like, here are some thoughts:

  • Medium: this could be anything from an addendum to your resume, a personal website/blog, a power point presentation, a professionally designed printed portfolio, etc.
  • Content: this is where you need to get creative, but the portfolio should most definitely include the types of projects you've worked on along with examples of the actual deliverables you've created in the past.  It should also include details on specific skills/tools/techniques/methods relevant to a business analyst such as: Data Flow Diagram, Sequence Diagram, BPMN, Agile Analysis, Enterprise Analysis, etc.
  • Level of Detail:  the portfolio would be the place where you would provide more details than what you would normally put in a resume.  This is where you should probably be very careful to only include those skills and projects which you can demonstrate and articulate in an interview.  In the portfolio make sure you specify your level of experience/familiarity with a given topic (ex: trained in, experienced in, proficient in, can teach others, etc.)

What do you guys think?

- Adrian


Adrian Marchis
Business Analyst Community Blog - Post your thoughts!
 
New Post 3/10/2009 4:47 PM
User is offline Jenny Nunemacher
3 posts
No Ranking


Re: Do you have a Business Analyst portfolio? 

(Crickets chirping...)

Actually, this sounds like a very effective way to represent yourself before, during, and between interviews.  Given that a resume so rarely is able to capture a candidates true value, it seems to me that a tool like this would be a great way to really expand the static information that is available to other parties who are interested in what you do. 

I wish I had though to be building a portfolio of my best work throughout the years.  The thought of building one now for a job search that I'm trying to manage concurrently with 2 part-time jobs is almost overwhelming.

I'd like to hear from recruiter-types to see if they think a pared down resume plus an addendum (such as a link to a website) to the candidates portfolio would be useful and effective.

 
New Post 3/11/2009 4:25 AM
User is offline Craig Brown
560 posts
www.betterprojects.net
4th Level Poster




Re: Do you have a Business Analyst portfolio? 

Today, as soon as a resume hit's my inbox I check them out on linkedin.  I look to see if they know anyone I know and scan the feedback they've received.  I'll also check out their websites if they have any.

My experience with resumes that pass through recruiters is that they can often have the applicant's pesonality filterred out (by changing the content and format of the application to a generic standard.  So it is great to be able to see past what gets 'sold' to me.

 
New Post 5/26/2009 9:57 AM
User is offline fizz
16 posts
9th Level Poster


BA Portfolio 

 Adrian,

Good and timely suggestion. I'm paranoid enough about my memory, never knowing when I'll forget what projects I worked on or what my role in a certain project was, that I've always maintained a list of work done in the organizations I've worked for. Some of this has slowly found its way into my resume under the Achievements section following a brief profile for each role, but its impossible to do your own work justice. A lot gets eaten up or simply never stated and its impossible to remember every project you've done.

Putting it on paper for me serves as a reminder, and essentially, this is my porfolio. I'm not sure if publishing this on a blog would be a good idea - you may offend former employess perhaps? Not sure.

Craig, excellent point about Linkedin. I have found it to be an invaluable tool. In the same way that would look at a candidates online profile after viewing their resume, I would also review the profile of the person I'm due to interview with. On occassion this has helped me ask the right kind of question and set a good impression.

 

 
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