You should do more interviews.
If you're like me, you've probably heard this advice a lot, especially in the tech industry.
"Go do more interviews, even especially if you're not actively looking."
And they're right, here's why.
You have higher leverage in negotiation when you're not desperate. You'll be more confident and can take up more risks.
Maybe you've been dreaming about working in a remote team, but you never had the chance to discuss it and now you're stuck in an office job.
Maybe you want to try new things. You've always wanted to learn more about crypto or even AI. And now you see companies involved in those industries are hiring.
Or maybe you're wondering what's the true value of your work, what's the upper ceiling? You've negotiated your offer but you were playing it safe and didn't ask enough. Now you won't know how much more you could've made.
And understandably, you didn't do anything about it. You like the idea of making more money (duh) or working in a remote team, but it seems like a hassle. You still remember how miserable it was when you were trying to land your current job.
Plus your current job is decent enough. It's not your dream job but it's getting food on the table and you're comfortable there.
But if you're curious to see and wanna try to go for more interviews, keep on reading.
First of all.
Be clear on why you're doing interviews.
If you're happy at your current job, it might be difficult to figure out why you want to go for interviews.
I mean, you're happy with the money you're making, your boss is amazing, the benefits are great, and you're learning and growing a lot, so why are you going for interviews?
Well, things could always be better. You'll never know what's out there unless you look for it.
And that is precisely the answer – you want to see what's out there.
Sure things are great now, but what if somewhere out there, you could be making double your salary, significantly better work-life balance, have an equally amazing boss, and you can work remotely?
Sounds fantastic right?
Sure, the grass seems to be always greener on the other side. But what if it is greener?
You think it's too good to be true but what if it's true? What if you're one interview away to find that opportunity? Well, you'll never know unless you go look for it.
So go ahead, apply for that job, you're just browsing anyways.
You're not gonna accept the offers if it's just slightly better. It's not worth the time and effort. You're already content at your current workplace.
However, you need to remember.
Honesty is key.
Being honest is by far the most important thing here. If you're applying for jobs to explore what's out there, you can't pretend to be super committed as if you're planning to move.
Just imagine you're in the recruiter's shoes. You've spent weeks, potentially months, interviewing candidates just for them to say that they're not actually looking to move at the last minute.
Wouldn't you be angry?
Candidate sourcing is hard. Conducting interviews is hard. Don't make it harder on them by not being upfront.
At best, you could get away from it because they didn't bother enough to call you out.
At worst, you just burned a bridge. That's the last thing you want. It's the exact opposite of what you want.
Going for interviews to learn more about the opportunities is a good thing but you need to be transparent about it.
And you need to understand that being transparent does not mean that you are entitled to that interview.
Employers have as much right as you are to withdraw from any interview.
Would you still go for the interview if the recruiter said they are not interested in hiring and they don't have any open vacancies? Instead, they just want to help their HR to polish their recruiting skills and stay up to date with the talent market.
You probably won't do it. It's a waste of time. Right?
Unless...
What if the recruiter is from a FAANG company? (Or your dream company if FAANG is not your thing.)
That will change things up, probably.
If it were me, I would kill pay to get on that interview so I can get my foot in the door.
I'll learn so much even if I failed the interview. Plus, I've just expanded my connections with someone from my dream company.
Sure they are not hiring right now, but who's to say they won't be hiring for a long time?
They might have some openings a few months from now and if I aced the interview and be on top of their mind, they might approach me directly.
That is highly possible because they know me already, I've done their assessment and they think I'm good enough before. It was just not the right time.
I can also get in touch with them again if I'm at the stage where I'm actively looking. Getting referrals from people is highly valuable right now. Employee referrals are 5x more likely to be hired.
While you may think you're not planning to move from your current job anytime soon, it's a good idea to build up for referral network while you're there.
If you're still not convinced, go watch this video after you finish reading this. He does a better job of explaining the current job market in 2023.
The Reality.
Being loyal and putting your trust 100% in your current company is commendable, but your job might not be as safe as you think.
You've probably read the news about companies doing layoffs right now, even companies like Google and Facebook.
Have a look at this report by TechCrunch – "A comprehensive list of 2023 tech layoffs". More than 188,000+ employees have been laid off this year (2023) alone. What makes you think you are safe from being the statistics?
Look, companies would not hesitate to lay you off if they find out that layoffs would make them more profitable. So you need to be ready for that and take care of yourself.
You're not "cheating" when you go for interviews, it's just business. Don't feel like you're doing something wrong by taking care of yourself. If you feel that way, your employer probably told you that and you need to get rid of that belief ASAP.
Conclusion
To recap, going for interviews while having a job is a great way to do it better.
You're not desperate for jobs.
You can take more risks.
You might find better opportunities.
It's generally good for your career.
But you need to do it properly. You'll risk burning down bridges if it went wrong. So remember:
Be clear on why you're doing interviews.
Honesty is key.
Getting a new job is a bonus, networking and exploring is the goal.
Your job is not as safe as you might think.
I hope you have a clearer understanding of why and how to do interviews while having a job.
The next step is to go on LinkedIn and just have a look, something might catch your eye.