Career Pathway: Business analytics

Start by making an appointment with Zhang Career Center, which can assist you in discovering your career interests and values. The business analytics industry includes employees who tend to be investigative, conventional and enterprising. They value achievement, recognition and working conditions according to O*Net. Find out if your work preferences match careers in analytics by taking the Focus2 assessment.

What is business analytics?

Technical skills are part of the proficiencies that are required for a job and may be developed in your major coursework. Analytics-oriented technical skills desired are understanding of social media and internet dynamics, Adobe Creative suite, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft programs, ERP software and front-end programming languages.

Interpersonal skills enable you to succeed and are often developed outside of the classroom. These include social perceptiveness, persuasion, active listening, complex problem solving, negotiation, service orientation, collaboration, systems analysis and evaluation.

What careers involve these business analytics skills?

There are many different ways to acquire an internship, online or in person. Visiting the Internship Catalog and the Career Outcomes Report can help you learn about the companies that have previously employed business analytics students.

Handshake is WMU’s employment website. All students should set up an account and publish a resume. Resumes made public by the student are searchable by employers.

Students use their Handshake accounts to view internship and full-time job opportunities posted by employers and sign up for on-campus interviews. For more information, visit the Zhang Career Center.

Business analytics student groups include Business Analytics and Information Technology (BAIT). Other groups include Business Association of Mentors, DECA at WMU, Delta Sigma Pi, Leadership and Business Strategy, Phi Chi Theta and Women's Business Network.

Events supporting the business analytics major include the following:

• Business Career Day

The Zhang Career Center at the Haworth College of Business empowers learners to launch successful business careers by engaging them in innovative programming focused on professional readiness, while developing partnerships with global, regional and local leaders who hire students. As pioneers in career readiness programs and experts in customer service, staff members in the career center strive to meet the needs of all students and employers.

Career readiness competencies include:

• Career and self-development
• Communication
• Critical thinking
• Equity and inclusion
• Leadership
• Professionalism
• Teamwork
• Technology

Visit the NACE competencies online to learn more.