Last Updated on 10 months by Anoob P T
Business Analyst Jobs: Are Business Analysts in Canada in demand? What qualifications do you need and how do you find a good business analyst job? Lets find the answers!
Even if you are a business analyst earning a full time income, it might be a good idea to start a business on the side to have some passive income.
Table of Contents
Who is a Business Analyst?
Business Analysts look for the changes and upcoming trends across various aspects of business. With such an analysis, he/she will be able to help a business organisation to cope up with the demanding changes.
The system practiced by a business organisation needs to be properly understood, studied and evaluated by a business analyst. Only with such ready-hand knowledge, he/she is able to bring up changes without compromising the profits and benefits acquired by the company.
As a Business Analyst, you will have to communicate between the internal departments and the external stakeholders. You are also required to have thorough knowledge in the industry trends and apply it to bring necessary innovations in the company.
Not only the solutions are based on the working processes, but it also should be in every field handled by the company, including technological and technical. The important part in the job of a business analyst is to learn and understand the company and its system, and to work for its progress.
The main tasks for you as a business analyst will be strategic planning, business model analysis, process design and system analysis.
What are the Ideal Qualifications for the Job of a Business Analyst?
As of educational qualifications, a degree is desirable for the job of Business Analyst. You can take up a degree in business or finance subjects like business administration, finance, or accounting.
Apart from the degree subject, you might also need to have good knowledge in the technological field. The digitalization of businesses has increased the demand for computer skills in employees. Hence, you will appear as a potential candidate with some extra skills on computer and alike.
The Master’s degree in business subjects can also add value to your resume. Even though it is not mandatory, your employer would be satisfied about your specialisation in the subjects. You can also go for an advanced certificate programme, either offline or online.
Some of the courses you can choose for post-graduation or a certificate program are courses in business data analytics, operations research, project management, database analytics, and predictive analytics.
The job of a business analyst also requires some soft skills that can boost up your career. Your degree certificates matter only if you possess the skills required for the job. You are in the role of an analyst who need to bring changes in the current systems and strategies of the company. There needs to be effective communication and technical skills for your plans to sound potential and beneficial.
It is important for you to have both hard and soft skills.
Soft Skills Required for Business Analysts
Some of the essential soft skills you need to develop for this job are:
Communication Skills
As a business analyst, you need to have strong written and spoken skills. The communication aspect is important in the job.
You will have to communicate, discuss and negotiate about the company policies and alike to the external stakeholders. In addition, you also have the role of making inter-departmental communication about the necessary changes.
The digital charts showing the working progress as well as the initiatives for company benefits, all are to be presented and convinced by a business analyst with strong leadership qualities.
Critical Thinking
Even with a deep knowledge of business trends, you will have to decide what is best for the company. The complete analysis and evaluation to incorporate the recent trends without affecting the company progress can be made only by critical thinking. You will have to understand the roles of different individuals as well as different departments to employ effective strategies.
Technical skills
Technical knowledge is also important for the job of Business Analyst. You are required to present flowcharts, diagrams, and hence need knowledge about in diagramming, data crunching, wireframing, management of requirements, and for presentation of results. You can also widen your computer skills in computer programming, big data mining techniques, database management, and systems engineering.
What does a Business Analyst do?
Mainly, your job as a business analyst involves evaluating and analysing data related to the company.
In this way, you can look for better options to increase the efficiency of the firm. In addition to looking at company growth and policy researches, the analyst can also attempt to do surveys, workshops and tests to arrive at conclusions.
It is important to communicate between the employer, employees and different departments in order to understand the entire working process and to come up with beneficial plans.
As a business analyst, he/she has to also communicate, discuss and negotiate with external stakeholders on company plans and projects.
The requirements of the company have to be understood and studied in detail in order to employ alternative or modified plans.
Also, the different ideas, projects and solutions you provide have to be presented with detail work charts and diagrams to convince your employer or the management.
Tips to get a Business Analyst job in Canada
Besides the hard and soft skills mentioned above, you can easily find your path to Business Analyst jobs in Canada by doing:
Work in a Start-up/ Internship
There are many start-ups in Canada looking for young and inexperienced people for the role of Business Analysts. As they are small firms, you can learn some of the basics involved in the job through these internships. You will gain experience, practice, knowledge and can develop your skills by working in such firms.
Learn an advanced certificate programme.
You can learn for certification courses both offline and online. This will widen the scope of your job opportunities in Canada. It increases your performance and the knowledge in subject. You will also be preferred by employers for your hard work in learning the specialised courses.
Salary of Business Analyst in Canada
A Business Analyst earns an average salary of $58,805 per year. Even though there are less chances of an increment in salary after 5-10 years, you will be working in the position of a Business Analyst mostly for 1-4 years.
You are often promoted to the positions of project manager and as such in the subsequent years depending on your skills and experience.
Best Sites to find Business Analyst Jobs in Canada
- Indeed.com
Link: https://ca.indeed.com/Business-Analyst-jobs
- Workopolis
Link: https://www.workopolis.com/jobsearch/business-analyst-jobs/ontario-canada
- Randstad
Link: https://www.randstad.ca/jobs/q-business-analyst/
Link: https://ca.linkedin.com/jobs/business-analyst-jobs?position=1&pageNum=0
- Glassdoor
Link:https://www.glassdoor.ca/Job/canada-entry-level-business-analyst-jobs-SRCH_IL.0,6_IN3_KO7,35.htm
- BA Jobs
Link: https://www.bajobs.ca/en/
FAQs on Business Analyst Jobs
Are business analysts in demand in Canada?
Canadian market has a high demand for Business Analysts. If you are a resident looking for Business Analysis as career option, you can be successful. As per the most recent IIBA survey, it has been found that business analysts are one of the most ‘in-demand’ professionals in Canada.
What is the next position after Business Analyst?
After three to five years, you can be positioned to move up into roles such as IT business analyst, senior/lead business analyst or product manager.
Can a business analyst become CEO?
Yes, you can become the CEO. However, the responsibilities of a business analyst and CEO are quite different. The position of CEO involves delegating more than analysing.
What are the required soft skills for a business analyst?
The key skills required are communication, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Is an MBA mandatory for being a business analyst?
MBA is not a mandatory qualification for the job. You can be a business analyst if you have the required analysing abilities, soft skills and technical knowledge.
One of my close friends is a Senior Business Analyst in Canada so if you have any further questions on Business Analyst job in Canada, do let me know, I will try to answer them for you!
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