Business and systems analysts fill an interesting role in IT organizations: They straddle the gap between the users and the IT department, taking an active role in the development of IT solutions without performing much of the hands-on work of the users or the IT team. BAs and SAs often catch a lot of heat from the IT department for “not knowing what we do,” and users often point the finger at them when the IT department’s solution is well executed but does not meet their needs.

Navigating this interaction between IT and users can be a huge challenge for BAs and SAs. But hiring someone to fill that job can be equally challenging. While technical know-how and experience are a big help, it can be difficult to determine what will be useful for the job and what won’t. The same can be said for understanding the business end of things.

TechRepublic Premium presents 10 tips and interview ideas to help you pick the best BA or SA candidate for the job.

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8: Basic skills

I have been quite surprised by the lack of basic skills in many BAs and SAs I have worked with. By this I mean things like the ability to put together and conduct a presentation, use calendar systems to set up meetings properly, and understand video conferencing software. These basic tools are the bread-and-butter of the BA and SA role. An “analyst” who can’t use a spreadsheet to perform data analysis is about as useful as a carpenter who doesn’t know how to use a hammer. Don’t be ashamed to give prospective BA or SA candidates a simple computer literacy test to ensure they can handle the job.

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