Common Business Analyst Interview Questions

1. Tell me about yourself

This needs to be short and to the point. Don’t tell your life story. Give a 30 second elevator
pitch.

2. What brought you to apply for the position?

You can name drop here if you heard from someone that works there. Otherwise, share what
grabbed you about the position and the company.

3. What do you know about the company?

This is where your research pays off. Tell them what you learned about their goals and mission.
Make a tie to the company about what intrigues you about them

4. What are your strengths?

Be credible and share your true strengths. Don’t make up what the employer wants to hear.
With that being said, if you can mention a strength that ties to a need from the job posting, all
the better.

5. What are your weaknesses?

BE CAREFUL! This question is usually not for you to divulge your secrets, but to instead
determine if you are an honest person. Best to have up to two weaknesses that you have
identified and talk about how you are working to improve them. Do not say, you don’t have any
weaknesses. Also, do not say getting along with people or taking direction, as that throws major
red flags.
6. What is the number one skill someone needs to be a Business Analyst?

There are two ways to go with this based on what you know about the company. You can never
go wrong with communication (oral and written). Talk about how they interact with many
facets of people and need the ability to talk with each person at their level.

Or you can go the route of taking initiative. If you know the role will be less task based and
more identifying issues and putting solutions in place to solve them.

7. What do you do when two stakeholders have conflicting requirements?

This answer should talk about how you attempt to sit down with them and negotiate. You dig
deep into both requirements to understand the roots. Try to find a way to come to a resolution
that works for everyone.

8. What are you looking for in a new position?

Be specific and make sure it ties to the job description you are applying for.

9. What do you like to do outside of work?

This may seem like an odd question, but they are trying to see if you will fit into their culture. Be
open here, but steer clear of non-professional responses on how you get really drunk, etc.

10. How do you show leadership without having authority?

You need to discuss how you can rally a group of people by building relationships with them.
Have team members understand you have their best interest in mind so they trust your
decisions.

11. Has there been a time you disagreed with a decision at work? Tell me about it.

Utilize one of your scenarios where you utilized a disagreement and spun it into a positive
situation. Whether you were able to positively affect the situation or by compromising you
were able to build a productive working relationship.
12. Can you describe the Waterfall / Agile / SCRUM / Iterative / Prototyping / JAD/ RAD
mythology?

This is where you need to have done research into the different methodologies and have a high
level understanding of each. You should find clues in the job posting that tell you what they use,
so be sure you have a deeper understanding of that one.

13. What modeling techniques are you aware of / have you used in the past?

They are looking for activity diagrams, Use case, process flows, ERDs, etc. Do your homework.

14. What is your typical approach to a project?

They are determining that you know the first steps in a BA process and ensuring you are a bit
flexible. Talk high level here and start with 1) understanding the needs 2) identifying
stakeholders 3) plan the project (schedule, budget, etc.) 4) determine gaps between “as is” and
“to be” processes 5) begin eliciting and documenting requirements …. This should give plenty
of information to show you know what they are looking for.

15. When are requirements complete?

This is validating you don’t get into analysis paralysis and never complete the requirements
phase. The key here is to say you have finished gathering requirements when you have clear,
concise, and approved requirements that encompass the business need.

16. What software are you familiar with?

Be open and honest here. Don’t stretch and talk about software you don’t know. If you are not
familiar with software that was mentioned in the job description, you should have spent time
before the interview to at least get acquainted (many have free trial downloads).

17. How do you handle changes to requirements?

1) Prioritize the change 2) Scope the impact 3) Understand effect on timeline, budget, and
resources 4) Evaluate if it should be handled now, in future, or not at all 5) Get agreement of
the project sponsor
18. What are some common ways you elicit requirements?

They are ensuring you know the different techniques; documentation review, interviews,
requirement workshops, surveys, etc.

19. What does the Business Analyst role of X usually do?

Review the main roles of a Business Analyst and have a general idea of what they are
responsible for.

20. What questions do you have for me?

This is one of the most important questions of the interview. Use your prepared questions to
help solidify your interest in the position and the company.