A person who likes problem-solving and using IT skills may consider a career as a business systems analyst. This sort of employment will require a college degree emphasizing information technology skills as well as skills in management, business, marketing, and the necessary supporting background in math, economics, accounting and related topics. Most with a really successful business analyst career will go to a master's degree as well.

A job as a business analyst can be very difficult. The position can require a person to spend a lot of time traveling. The pay scale for the position attracts people to the job. A starting wage for the job can be as much as $75,000 per year. Salary varies by location. You need to have confidence when entering this occupation because the job will require much on the job training, even for graduates of top degree programs.

The only way you're going to realize the dream of having a business analyst career is to actually get yourself hired in the field. A current trend is for employers to conduct initial telephone interviews in order to reduce the number of candidates to reasonable numbers before conducting live interviews. Because of this practice, it is critical that job applicants prepare themselves thoroughly in advance for this telephone interview.

Take time to thoroughly prepare for a telephone interview. These interviews are typically done at you home number or possible your cell number. List your work hours when writing your cover letter. The interviewer should be clear on what times are best to contact you. Allow adequate time for the interview. You want to take your time to answer all questions, without appearing rushed. Many interviews last more than thirty minutes.

It is best to use a land line telephone to avoid poor reception or a dropped connection, but if not make sure you have great reception before starting. During the interview, do not take any other calls and have the area you are in free of distractions. If you have the feature of call waiting or holding, it may best to ask the interviewer if you can call back so that it can be disabled. It is impolite to eat or drink during the call or do anything else that you normally wouldn't do when being face to face, such as smoking or chewing gum

You need a pad and pen to jot questions and should be logged on to the company site or whatever resource you wish, and you need your resume in front of you to be sure you say what it says! Practice common questions well in advance, such as inquiries about your strengths and weaknesses, your long and short term goals, why you think you are the best for a given position, and questions about specific projects or accomplishments you have under your belt.

Keep your answers short, and enunciate your words carefully. When others can only hear your voice, they cannot pick up on your body language, but smile when you're talking to add a positive tone to your speech. Many people believe you should stay focused by standing up during the interview. You may be asked to elaborate on some of your answers, so make certain that you can. One telephone call can make or break your career as a business analyst.