Recruitment Stories - Anika's Experience at Brain Station 23

Anika Tabassum is currently working as a Business Analyst at Brain Station 23, where she is responsible for requirement analysis, process improvement, and workflow documentation.

She has more than 4.5 years of experience in Business Analysis and has previously worked at TechnoNext Software Limited and Southtech Limited in various Business Analyst roles. Starting her career as an Intern and Junior Business Analyst, she gradually progressed into a full-fledged Business Analyst position.

Her professional experience includes:

Requirement gathering and analysis
Preparing BRD, SRS, and user stories
Process mapping and workflow analysis
UAT support and validation
Cross-functional team collaboration
Client communication and training sessions

Throughout her career, she has worked closely with development, QA, UI/UX, and business teams to ensure smooth project execution and proper alignment of requirements.

Academically, Anika completed her MBA from East West University and earned her B.Sc. in Information and Communication Engineering (ICE) from Bangladesh University of Professionals.

In addition to her technical and analytical expertise, she places strong emphasis on communication, problem-solving, and continuous learning. She enjoys identifying process improvement opportunities and developing solutions that enhance efficiency for both users and businesses.

Anika applied for the Business Analyst position at Brain Station 23 through LinkedIn after coming across the job posting on the platform. Following a review of her profile and CV, the HR team contacted her and informed her that she had been shortlisted for the recruitment process.

The recruitment process consisted of several phases.

Phase 1: Initial Interview

After applying, Anika received a call from HR informing her that her CV had been shortlisted. An initial online interview was then scheduled, which lasted approximately 30 minutes.

During this interview, she was asked questions such as:

Introduce yourself
What kind of Business Analyst-related work do you do?
What is your knowledge of Waterfall and Agile methodologies?
Why do you want to join Brain Station 23?
Why are you leaving your current company?

To prepare for this stage, she focused on reviewing fundamental Business Analysis concepts, methodologies, and terminologies. Since it was an initial screening interview, she concentrated on strengthening her understanding of the basics.

Phase 2: Assessment

The next stage involved an on-site assessment at the company’s office, which lasted approximately three hours.

As part of the assessment, a business scenario was provided, and she was required to:

Create process flows based on the scenario
Identify gaps in the existing solution
Suggest possible improvements
Prepare a PowerPoint presentation summarizing her findings

The written analysis and presentation were closely related, with most of the presentation content derived from the written assessment.

For preparation, Anika reviewed the job description and practiced different types of Business Analyst assessments using AI tools. Since she did not know the exact format of the assessment beforehand, she used AI-generated scenarios and exercises to strengthen her analytical and presentation skills. This preparation significantly boosted both her confidence and readiness.

Phase 3: Team Interview

The assessment submission and team interview took place on the same day. After submitting her assessment, she attended the team interview.

During this phase, she was asked to:

Explain the process flows she had created
Justify the reasoning behind her proposed solutions
Present her PowerPoint presentation
Answer scenario-based questions from the team
Discuss her current responsibilities and scope of work

Her preparation using AI-generated assessment scenarios proved valuable during this stage. She also practiced mock interviews using AI tools, which exposed her to various scenario-based questions and helped improve both her communication and analytical abilities.

Phase 4: BA Lead Interview

The next stage was a one-on-one interview with the BA Lead.

Topics discussed during the interview included:

Self-introduction
Reasons for wanting to join Brain Station 23
Professional experience and project background
Scenario-based questions related to Business Analysis activities

To prepare, Anika revised Business Analysis concepts, methodologies, and terminology while also revisiting the materials she had studied for the earlier interview stages.

Phase 5: HR Interview

The BA Lead interview and HR interview were conducted on the same day.

During the HR interview, discussions focused on:

Salary expectations
Company benefits and policies
Reasons for joining Brain Station 23
Long-term career goals

For this stage, she prepared her expectations in advance, enabling her to discuss compensation and career aspirations confidently and clearly.

Phase 6: Client Interview

The final interview stage involved a meeting with the client, attended by both the client and members of the project team.

This interview focused heavily on:

Communication skills
Scenario-based decision-making
Handling client situations
Discussion of the assessment presentation and written solutions
Feedback on her presentation and overall approach

The team also asked several questions regarding how she would handle client-facing responsibilities and real-world project challenges.

Before the interview, the team had provided her with some background information about the client. Based on this information, she continued practicing with AI tools. However, she found that her real-world work experience and practical communication skills played a much greater role in this stage, as the interview primarily assessed how she approached problems, communicated ideas, and made decisions in realistic business situations.

Following the client interview, there was a brief salary negotiation discussion with HR over a phone call. Shortly afterward, Anika received the offer letter and successfully joined Brain Station 23 as a Business Analyst.

Special thanks to Anika Tabassum for taking out the time to share her recruitment experience with me. If you have any queries, feel free to contact her at anikatabassum0204@gmail.com