Tag: Business Analyst

The right balance of information and technical knowhow is needed for a Business Analyst to successfully complete his job in any sector. This dictum applies to the Insurance sector as well.

A Business Analyst should be well versed with the information that is needed for any Insurance professional to work in the Insurance domain. Since he has to analyze the processes and then help in the development of essential software for the projects in the Insurance sector, he needs to have both the information required of an Insurance professional and the technical knowledge required for the establishment of software designed for this sector.

Insurance as is known is generally divided into three major divisions: Life Insurance (dealing with safeguarding life and the risk of mortality and critical illnesses), General Insurance (dealing with the risk of damage to immovable property, motor, cargo, marine, household, and fire insurance), health insurance (dealing with risk of illness and disease, and thus covers reimbursements, medical claims, operation of panel doctors, cashless hospitalization, co payment etc.) The level of knowledge and range required is different in each stream and hence a Business Analyst has to have a certain demonstrable understanding of the workings of the particular streams in the sector and also desirably, adequate level of experience in the sector.
Functional Knowledge of Insurance applications is also essential, like new business, channel management, policy servicing, claims management, underwriting, reinsurance and finance. Along with knowledge of the business processes of the particular client company, a brief and thorough understanding of the requirements given by the regulatory authority of the Insurance industry is also mandatory. The terminology is varied for the Insurance sector, with changes even within the sector, for the different streams of the sector. Knowledge of these unique terminologies will help the Business Analyst to understand the client who is the end users expectations and he will be able to draft them better into requirements efficiently.

Once functional requirements are known, the technical knowhow is also essential for any good Business Analyst to communicate to his software developers team about the client users expectations from the project. The Business Analyst should be aware of the basic MS- Office tools like Microsoft Word, Ms PowerPoint, MS Excel, MS Visio, MS Access, and MS Project). These help in collating data and presenting it in proper format. Then knowledge of relational databases is also important for understanding the technicalities of Querying and Support. Basic programming languages that are used by software developers should also be known to the Business Analyst so that he can understand the developers problems or point of view. These programming languages could be ASP, Dot Net, JAVA, J2EE, XNL, HTML etc.

In addition to these, knowledge and experience in insurance business applications, content management systems, portals, data warehousing tools can give any Business Analyst that extra edge over others standing next to him.
Thus, its quite clear that a Business Analyst in the Insurance domain needs to know both sides of the coin the knowledge of insurance business processes and the relevant Insurance software packages.

Looking for a new business analyst job can be intimidating whether you are a seasoned business analyst looking for a challenging business analyst position or you are applying for entry-level business analyst positions.If you do not handle your business analyst job search correctly, you may be passed over for positions that you are really qualified for or your resume may never get to the desk of the hiring managers or you may get discouraged by the lack of interest in your resume from potential employers. Whatever your situation, what I am about to say next may help you find your ideal business analyst job quickly, fast track your business analyst career or help you become a star player in the business analyst industry, so, pay attention!

Why Do I Need A Cover Letter and a Resume?
One of the things that can set you apart from all the other business analysts out there is your cover letter. This statement may be unexpected because most of us assume that recruiters and human resources departments receive so many resumes that your cover letter barely receives a cursory glance. However, this is no reason not to send out a great cover letter with your business analyst resume. You need a cover letter for the following reason; a cover letter shows that you put extra effort into introducing yourself to the company by creating a customized letter describing your business analyst training, business analyst skills and business analyst experience. Without the cover letter, the company assumes that you may be applying to every single business analyst job out there rather than taking the time to apply to specific business analyst position that matches your skill set and background. Your cover letter helps recruiters to select you from the hundreds of candidate’s resumes they receive. The recruiter scans your cover letter to see if anything jumps out to grab him and if your cover letter is memorable, he or she will move your resume over to the “Read” pile instead of the “Toss” pile.

A Good Cover Letter Will Help You Get Hired Fast!
Your resume will probably look much like that of other candidates who have the same business analyst education, skills, and training. This is why I highly suggest the use of a cover letter when applying for a business analyst position if you want to make a favorable first impression. Even if you dont have much prior business analyst work experience a cover letter highlighting your business analyst education & business analyst training gives you the means to show the hiring manager that you still have what it takes to do the job well. You should showcase your applicable characteristics even if they are mentioned on your resume. This shows that you took the time to create a unique cover letter that specifically addresses the company you are applying to. Note that you may not reuse the same cover letter over and over, as each cover letter must be unique and customized in order to stand out from the other candidates.

How To Write An Awesome Business Analyst Cover Letter!
You have decided to apply for a business analyst job posting and you have read the rest of this article, so you are ready to write a cover letter that makes your resume stand out. Here is what you must do. Read the job description and then use your cover letter to position you for the business analyst job opening. If the job opening is for a Business Analyst with Agile Methodology experience, mention that. If the resume requires Rational Unified Process (RUP) experience, mention that or else mention that you have Rational Unified Process (RUP) Training. List the key, measurable business results you have been principal to achieving. List all UML Training, Agile Training, Use Case Training, Requirements Analysis Training, skills and job experience. Mention any Fortune 500 corporations, business consulting experience, or experience in any industry aligned with that of your potential employer.
Finally, make sure your cover letter matches your key business analysis skills, training, certifications or job experience with the qualifications or requirements of the business analyst job posting.

Get the Attention of the Hiring Manager
How do you get noticed from a cover letter? The answer is getting the hiring managers attention right from the beginning of your cover letter. The introduction of your cover letter should be concentrated on grabbing attention in order to interest the reader into reading the letter through to completion. In the introduction you can tell of how you became interested in the business analysis industry, any formal experiences you may have in gathering business requirements, your successes, and your passion for being a business analyst. Then get into some of your previous business analyst projects and the results of the projects. Continue on by filling in the details about the business analyst skills you have mastered and the experience that makes you the better choice for the position. Accentuate how those learned skills will help the company to accomplish its objective of requirements gathering.

How To Format A Business Analyst Job Search Cover Letter
When writing your business analyst job search cover letter stay close to the straight and narrow path in formatting the letter. Use normal business conventions in the opening paragraph, when addressing the business analyst job position, and in the closing paragraph of your cover letter. This will apply to cover letters that you send to business analyst job postings by email, fax, snail mail or business analyst jobs posted on job boards like Monster.com, Dice.com, etc. Be courteous and business-like. Formality will not take away from you if you have something interesting to say, so keep the cover letter short by being focused and getting straight to the point. The entire cover letter should not be more than four paragraphs. Avoid starting out with to whom it may concern., that is old school If possible, you should use the name of the recruiting manager mentioned in the business analyst job posting. Do not use slang, cute phrases, emoticons or graphics. Make sure your spelling and grammar are correct. Use a spell-checker and if possible, get a friend or mentor to proof-read the cover letter before you send it out.

Finally, remember that your cover letter presents you with an opportunity to get your ideal business analyst job. It is your opportunity to connect with and capture the recruiters or hiring managers attention, tell your professional story and stand out from the crowd. It may take hard work to create great business analyst cover letter, but it is worth the effort, when you land that great business analyst job while others wonder why they are not as lucky as you.

I wish you success with your business analyst job search.