Benefits Analyst

This is a must to ask. By asking the candidate to tell you what they see as their day to day responsibilities, you will get a great idea of how well they will fit to the role. If they think they will be running the marketing department as an entry level analyst and refuse to accept why they wouldn’t be given the chance, you can assume they are a bit out of touch and may be a problem to manage later on. If you let them know politely though that they are a bit off and they take it in stride and with unflagging enthusiasm for the opportunity, there is a good chance you’ve found a winner.

Answer this one head on. The hiring manager is trying to assess your soft skills, particularly your communication and collaboration abilities. Working with people from different areas of the company and perspectives is an area where nontechnical skills are key.

A business analyst must possess fundamental skills such as elicitation skills, problem solving skills, communication and management skills. Alongside, he must have knowledge of IT skills, Software development understanding and domain knowledge regarding the domain he is working in.

This one seems obvious but it’s important to ask. You’d be surprised how many candidates can’t really answer this question, or answer it in a way that underwhelms such as “I need a job and this was hiring.” Candor is a plus, and in situations like this is a huge benefit. It gets bad candidates in and out the door faster.

The elicitation strategy depends upon the type of the project.

One can take advantage of direct collaboration with client and have facilitated workshops, interviews and observe the end users. In conjunction, we can use techniques that provide us with more precise information like prototype and scenario building.

Cite the specific tools and how you've used them. If you have used a system the company employs, mention your experience to the hiring manager. If you're not familiar with the technology the employer uses, discuss how you plan to get up to speed quickly.

This question is a variation of “Why should I consider you for this role?” However, it is usually so unexpected that the responses are pretty telling. You quickly see what candidates value in their own experiences and gain a little more insight.

Your lingo acumen is being tested when you get one of these types of questions. Explain that the system design document (SDD) is a middle step separating business users and developers.

The following are the best practices that are followed to write a clear and well documented use case:

☛ Capture both functional and non-functional requirements in a use case.

☛ Include use case diagrams along with the use case.

☛ Include the UI details/notes in the use case.

Your candidates’ responses can tell you a lot about their current work situation and the likelihood that they will accept a new offer. This question even provides insight into the possibility of a counter offer from their current employer.

If candidates have worked for the company in the past, hiring managers will need to check rehire eligibility.

Asking this question helps hiring managers understand the level of responsibility that candidates are comfortable with, and will ultimately allow them to determine if their management style matches candidate expectations.

Again, the hiring manager wants reassurance you have the skills to get the job done and know case, activity and sequence diagrams.