GHDC: You Should Recreationally Interview
Misconception #14: You Can’t Recreationally Interview
We live in a society where monogamy is the expectation for serious relationships. Well, life is different when we’re talking about work. Your partner or spouse can’t fire you because you wrote a stupid tweet. They can’t dock your pay because they aren’t making as much money as they expected this year. They can’t furlough you. They don’t keep a file on you with annual performance review notes.
So, be polyamorous with your work life. Interview for other jobs, even if you have no intention of leaving your job. It keeps the interviewing skills strong and helps you stay aware of the opportunities that are out there. Remember: The best time to look for a new job is when you don’t need one.
What to Do
Well, this should be obvious: Apply for jobs even when you don’t need one.
You’re not in a monogamous relationship with your employer. Heck, how many people have “side hustles” nowadays? If employer-employee relationships were truly monogamous, no one would be “cheating” with a side-hustle and no one would be getting fired for trivial, inexplicable reasons.
You don’t need to tell anyone you’re recreationally interviewing. You don’t have to say it in your cover letter. You don’t have to tell your manager. You don’t have to share with your friends. Just apply for jobs that sound interesting to you. What’s the worst that can happen, you get an offer for something interesting?
There are so many advantages to recreational interviewing. First, you can test your cover letter and resume writing skills. Second, you can test your interviewing skills. Third, you can test your negotiation skills. Fourth, you can get some insights into your market value. Fifth, you can use the new offer letter as leverage with your current employer or you can say “no thank you” to the offer and feel like a god.
In the past, I’ve recreationally interviewed for jobs I had no intention of accepting just so I could get some interview practice. Comedians and musicians employ a similar practice. They’ll perform under pseudonyms at small clubs to test new material, get paid to rehearse in front of a crowd, and get their act ready to go on the road.
Don’t cheat yourself from the opportunity to practice. If your company needs to get rid of you, they will. You don’t owe them anything more than they owe you.
Ellis has something to say:
I have turned down a number of job offers in my day, and it makes me uncomfortable every single time. I hate doing it — I feel bad turning it down, like I’ve wasted a lot of people’s time, even if I know that it’s the right choice for me. I hate how disappointed everyone sounds.
I know everyone says that business isn’t personal, but I tend to agree when Michael Scott says: “Business is the most personal thing in the world.”
This probably holds me back from interviewing recreationally more often. If you’re like me, join me in working to harden our hearts only so far as to unapologetically do what is best for us, because everyone knows no company will.
Key Takeaways
Apply for jobs even when you aren’t looking.
Interview for jobs even when you aren’t looking.
See number 1.
Repeat until you retire.
