so im job hunting in the face of impending reduncency.
getting a bit depressed as by the descriptions of whats required i can’t
see how i ever got my own job in the first place let alone anything bigger and better.. everyone is asking
for total perfection.please can anyone refresh me with some real
ad requests versus what they really need to do each day!!
cheers!

They can ask for perfection but, at the end of the day, it comes down to selecting the best candidate. That person may not fulfill all (or many) of the criteria but hey, there’s no harm in them asking 🙂

Just assume you have at least as good a chance as anyone else.

And good luck!

As I put in a previous thread…..

https://jobs.civilservice.gov.uk/company/nghr/jobs.cgi?SID=b3duZXI9NTA1MDAwMCZvd25lcnR5cGU9ZmFpciZqY29kZT0xMzg3Mjk5JiZyZXFzaWc9MTM4NjAyMDU5NS1mYjE0ZDkxNDE5OGUxYWZhOWZkOGNjODU5MmQ2NDg4ODgxNTY4ZmNl

Sounds simple?

Go on, fill your boots!

I interviewed a new grad for a business analyst role the other day, the case study HR gave me involved them advising a CEO on how to update their field engineers methods of working by implementing a work flow management system.

When I get new grads on my team, generally I’ve got them doing conditional formatting on an excel document or something. Down to earth with a bang. Or at least an IF formula.

Edit: as the poster above said, I’m generally looking for the best person out of the selection in front of me…. the questions are more to find out how someone thinks rather than to see if they know the ‘answer’.

IT job adverts are great for this: I’ve frequently seen them demand 5 years experience with a product that’s only been on the market for 2 (NoSQL and Big Data are current favourites for this), or are simply a wishlist of current buzzwords. Nobody really expects you to have them all, a reasonable subset is enough.

Oh, and avoid anywhere that says it’s a “fast paced”, “dynamic” or “challenging” work environment.

Ewan – Member
I interviewed a new grad for a business analyst role the other day, the case study HR gave me involved them advising a CEO on how to update their field engineers methods of working by implementing a work flow management system.

That seems a little flawed to me, as well as a tad grandiose as you’ve pointed out.

A business analyst should be analysing the business. Does what it says on the tin. They should be interviewing the CEO and his field engineers to find out how they work in reality, and then consolidating that into requirements for a new work flow management system. Not telling the CEO how to run his business.

Are you sure your HR is getting you the right people? 🙂 As an architect it amazes me when I sit with clients to actually implement their system, and I find out the requirements bear little resemblance to what they actually want.

A business analyst should be analysing the business. Does what it says on the tin. They should be interviewing the CEO and his field engineers to find out how they work in reality, and then consolidating that into requirements for a new work flow management system. Not telling the CEO how to run his business.

Business analyst is probably a tad misleading a title. They’re fresh grads into the grad recruitment scheme. Our bottom level is called analyst – if we were actually doing it, we’d certainly be doing what you suggest!

Ask for perfect and get best of what is available, when there are a lot of people looking for jobs you can aim higher and be fussy. If you think you can apply do it.
On the other hand think how many employers finally meet the face behind the CV and realise that it may be a little over blown and claiming 5 years experience when there is only 2 etc.

I am currently recruiting and know damn well that I won’t get someone to tick all the boxes. However when creating the advert in the first place you have to cover off everything that the perfect candidate would have should they ever come along. It’s then a case of finding who had the best mix of the skills rather than having them all.
The one that really annoys me is when they say “must have a degree” really? Seriously, if you don’t have a degree you are ruled out? Madness in my opinion, scares some good candidates off.

I have recently got a job with no professional experience but showed a huge passion for that role. My new employers saw that and liked that I wanted the job more than some others and I got the job.

That’s excellent btb, also shows what kind of company they are as well.
Should ever lose sight of the fact that they need someone as much as you need the job, well maybe not quite as much in some instances, but bear with me. Always good to remember that you could be in that job a long time and make an effort to decide if you really like what you are hearing from them not just the other way round.