How to Prepare for an Interview

Learning how to prepare for an interview will increase your overall career success rate. But to use your new found skills you also need to learn how to get more interviews scheduled. A tip to job interview success is to understand where the sources of new hires come from. In March of 2011, CareerXRoads released their 10th annual Source of Hire study. The findings of the study are important for you to know, as they should influence where you spend your time looking for opportunities. The findings are similar to those published in my post Do you know the Source of Job Hires? published last June.


Significant findings from the 2010 CareerXRoads study are:

1. 50.3% of all job openings were filled by internal candidates. This is almost identical to last year’s number. In “normal” conditions this number would be about 35%. I expect that it will take a few years for hiring patterns to return to “normal”. So the competition for open positions will continue to be fierce.
2. The following graph highlights the sources of external hires.
3. 71.2% of all external hires are attributed to just three sources: Referrals (27.5%), Job boards (24.9%), Company Career Site (18.8%). Based on my experience in working with job candidates, I find that too many rely primarily on job boards, like Monster and CareerBuilder, for their job search. It is important to expand one’s options and consider ALL those available.




4. Referrals account for the largest percent of external hires at 27.5%. This is a slight increase over last year. To be referred you must learn how to network. Networking is a skill that few take the time to understand let alone master. Learning how to network effectively will pay huge dividends in a job search campaign. Many jobs are never advertised, so the only way to learn about them is through talking with others in the know. Learn more about The Networking Game.
5. The number of hires from career job boards rose significantly in 2010. This figure had been flat for years and most hiring companies have previously reported that they were reducing their reliance on career boards. The key point here is that you cannot rely on only a single strategy for your job search. Diversify or you will miss out on most of the quality job opportunities.

Again, the source of the above data is the CareerXRoads 10th annual Source of Hire study. CareerXRoads is a staffing strategy consulting firm.

Technorati Tags: How to Prepare for an Interview, source of hire study, Tips for Job Interview Success