How to Hire a Business Analyst

When recruiting for a business analyst, you must take into account whether you’re looking to hire for a new project or for existing projects as the types of Business Analyst that you’ll need will vary.

If you’re looking to recruit for existing projects then I’d advise that you don’t really need someone with a lot of experience. They’ll be coming into a project that’s already been overseen by project and product teams, so a more junior option would be fine as they will save you money on salary and package, whilst learning some new things on the job! They will also gain some decent exposure to be able to kick off their own projects in the future.

If you’re looking to kick off a new project, then I’d advise a more stringent hiring process and looking into more experience business analysts, in the field that you operate. These types of candidates will have worked for multiple companies and be able to offer expertise, experience and productivity that is like no other. These types of candidates come with a heavier price tag (upwards of £50k) however the cost saving skills that they will bring, along with the speed that they will be able to deliver they will be sure to recoup their price along with making a lot of capital for you in the long run.

Another suggestion when recruiting for a business analyst would be to submerge yourself in the community, whether that be online on LinkedIn or attending in person meetups (there’s loads!). This will really allow you to gage who’s great at what they do in the field, and almost allow you to draw a short list in your head of people you’ve met. If you’re connected on LinkedIn and you advertise what you’re recruiting for, you may be surprised to find that the candidates will come to you based on your meetings/dealings with them in the past. Its basic psychology that people are more likely to reach out to warm connections, rather than people that have maybe sent them one cold email in the past. So I suppose the key bit of advice here is, network!

Lastly, do your research! Business Analyst salaries and packages can vary from company to company as they don’t usually have a huge need for them like they do with developers. You may find one company is paying upwards of £50k where as another is paying around £70k mark, this all comes down to years of service, experience and the responsibilities the roles cover. The simple thing to do is ask around, ask us, ask other recruiters, even ask Business Analysts themselves! This will give you a good understanding on what you need to offer to be competitive, as at the end of the day this is a candidate led market.

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