Financial Job Information

A business analyst (BA) is someone who does just what the title implies: analyzes the business. The business analyst is essentially an internal consultant with the job of improving the business system in some manner. This often involves analysis of the organization, design and functioning of the business—often by examining, and suggesting improvements to, the existing business model. Some business analysts analyze a specific area such as operations, strategic planning, business model, business process or business design, while others consider many or all of these areas in their analysis. Another definition of a business analyst depicts the BA as a someone that bridges the gap between the business and IT sides of a company. This is a common position but this meaning is less common in the financial industry. Business Analysts can also serve as project managers in many cases, acting to not just develop the project plan, but to manage the implementation of the project as well.

Banks and other financial institutions seek out business analysts for a broad range of purposes, but frequently BAs are charged with the task of increasing the return on investment by:

• Reducing unnecessary spending / minimizing wasteful behavior
• Improving overall efficiency
• Ensuring assignments and projects are completed on time
• Documenting correct requirements and escalating issues
  appropriately

The business analyst may identify the problems, suggest solutions, and in some cases actually help in the implementation of such solutions.

Also take a look at a Business Analyst Job Description if you are looking for a sample of what a business analyst does.

Professionals become business analysts in a variety of ways, but in the finance world, they often share some core competencies. Business analysts are often experts in a particular field, and have excellent analytical skills, but may also maneuver among industries due to the level of abstraction required in much of their work. Accordingly, it is common for the requirements for a Business Analyst position to be specific to the job, e.g. a Business Analyst working with test plan lifecycle will likely need quality assurance skills. In fact, we receive requests for business analysts with everything from derivatives, to marketing, to statistics knowledge. However, regardless of the speciality, we have found that top investment banks strongly prefer business analysts with a general knowledge of finance and the financial industry.

If you are beginning your search for business analyst jobs, here are some frequently seen job titles: Business Analyst, Project Manager / Business Analyst, Senior Business Analyst, Business Analyst II and III, Account Business Analyst, Non-IT Business Analyst, and Junior Business Analyst.

There is no perfect set of steps to follow to get a business analyst job, but there are certain things one can do to increase the chances of obtaining a position in the compliance sector. If you orient your education and work around analytics and finance (as indicated above) you will have a much better chance at landing a business analyst position. It may also be helpful to become an expert in a particular field of finance. Though keep in mind it is possible, and sometimes beneficial, to change sectors. Also make sure to be knowledgeable about finance and the financial industry in general. Overall, having a solid financial background with some specific skills and knowledge of a particular area is going to make you an attractive candidate.

Wall Street Services can also help you get a business analyst job—we receive job requests every day! We work with some of the most respected names in finance who know our impeccable reputation and trust us to deliver the finest business analyst employees.

Submit your resume now to be considered for business analyst jobs through Wall Street Services. We receive finance jobs in NYC every day!

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