How do I Become a Business Development Analyst?

To become a business development analyst, you must first obtain a bachelor's degree in a subject that will instruct you in important business and analytical topics. The nature of the business development position differs depending on the company, but usually includes finding new business partners for the company, creating and maintaining a marketing plan for a new product, or drumming up new sales leads for the company. These essential skills needed to become a business development analyst are obtained not only through education but also through real world experience, such as an internship.

The vast majority of business development analyst positions require that candidates have at least a bachelor's degree in subjects such as business, operations, accounting, or analytics. Some companies do not have a strict major requirement, and instead concentrate on finding candidates with high quantitative analytical skills. Concentrating your college studies on courses which teach quantitative analytics, such as math and finance, will help you become a business development analyst. Learning how to produce statistical models and interpret financial statements and figures will also be helpful in landing a job in this field.

A business analyst should have detailed knowledge about the business dynamics in his field and geographic area. This information helps determine which potential business partners to reach out to and which target audience will be most receptive to a company's new product offering. You should seek every opportunity during college to learn more about the business world, whether through classes offered by your school's business and financial department, extracurricular clubs which develop future business leaders, or special seminars and events that bring influential business leaders to campus.

Taking sales and marketing classes as an undergraduate could also be very useful to those who wish to become a business development analyst. Knowing how to identify a potentially lucrative market sector is one of the key skills of a good business development analyst. University courses provide a way to learn a great deal about sales and marketing in an ordered and controlled environment. Marketing professors are usually very open to giving practical advice to students who are willing to learn more about the field.

An internship may help you to learn more about the business development field. If you are in college, look at business development summer internships offered to college students. For those who are already working professionals, you could volunteer to do a business development job for a non-profit or similar organization in order to gain experience.