Don’t Wait Until You Need a New Job to Interview

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redible, because as a young guy on the dating scene back in the day, I <i>never</i> had that kind of power. I was the dating equivalent of a job interviewee who was currently unemployed.</p><p id="173e">That’s why you do yourself a disservice by not interviewing at least once a year. Don’t ever assume that the good times are never going to end at your job and that you’ll be there for years and years, because the odds are not in your favour on that one. If you wait until you’re unhappy and desperate to get out of there before you start looking for work and interviewing, you’ll have that faint scent of desperation that an unemployed person looking for a job has. It will cause you to get unhappier at work, which will make subsequent interviews more desperate.</p><p id="0967">Like many things in life, looking for a new job is best done from a position of strength. Here’s why:</p><ul><li>You’ll be more confident. When you’re interviewing and don’t have a job, you’re so focused on not saying the wrong things that it’s all you can think about. When you don’t need the job, you don’t worry about that, and instead have the confidence to say the <i>right </i>things.</li><li>You can negotiate. When you interview without a job, there’s an irrational fear that saying no to anything will kill the deal, which means you end up taking far less than you deserve. When you don’t need the job, you naturally demand what you want, and you’ll often get it or pretty close, because they know you hold the bargaining power.</li><li>You’re not nervous. Which isn’t the same as being more confident. You don’t have to worry if the interview doesn’t work out, because you’re comfortable where you are. You don’t have to think with desperation that if this isn’t the one, you’ll face another seemingly endless wait until you get another shot. You don’t <i>need</i> another shot, you just want one. There’s a world of difference.</li></ul><p id="3872">There’s also another reason you should interview: loyal employees generally get the screw job when it comes to pay and conditions. There is plenty of research to show that people who move every few years to a different company earn <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/small-business/the-consequence-of-be

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ing-a-loyal-employee-20161013-gs17ga.html">between 19 and 30 percent more</a> than people who stay at the same place. I don’t know about you, but the thought that my employer is taking me for a ride is enough on its own to go out and test the market.</p><p id="1441">So my advice to all of you (if you want it, that is), is to start thinking about where you want your next career step to be, and then start looking outside of where you are right now. You might very well find that you’re well paid, your company is great and you don’t want to leave. Awesome! More likely, you’ll find out that you’re paid well below the market, which means you can either take another, higher paying job, or ask for more where you are.</p><p id="772d">If nothing else, go and interview for the feeling of power and confidence you’ll get. I promise you, it will make you feel almost giddy. Do it so you can learn the position you <i>should</i> negotiate from. Too many of us live lives where we are in the weak position all the time, you deserve to feel strong for once. Believe me, the demeanor of the interviewer changes significantly when you’re the ideal candidate but you’re already happy where you are.</p><p id="e743"><a href="https://readmedium.com/7-obnoxious-job-ads-that-deserve-to-go-in-the-bin-3270ea23b754">Related: 7 Obnoxious Job Ads That Deserve to Go in the Bin</a></p><p id="e52a"><a href="https://readmedium.com/remote-work-will-never-replace-offices-9c95616d8305">Remote Work Will Never Replace Offices</a></p><p id="d62a"><a href="https://readmedium.com/dont-use-your-power-to-hold-people-back-c20712c0eaf4">Don’t Use Your Power to Hold People Back</a></p> <figure id="07d4"> <div> <div> <img class="ratio" src="http://placehold.it/16x9"> <iframe class="" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fupscri.be%2F27f2b2%3Fas_embed%3Dtrue&dntp=1&display_name=Upscribe&url=https%3A%2F%2Fupscri.be%2F27f2b2&key=a19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=upscri" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="400" width="800"> </div> </div> </figure></iframe></div></div></figure></article></body>

Be in a position of strength, rather than desperation

Most people hate job interviews. The experience is usually one of awkwardness, trying to find the right things to say whilst not coming across as desperate in the hope that they put their best foot forward. After it’s all done, the desperate waiting game begins, hoping that you get that job offer. God, I can remember it like it was yesterday. When I left the army I had no job because I flubbed a number of interviews in the lead up to my discharge. After that, every interview for me got worse as I felt more and more desperate. It’s a horrible feeling to have.

Contrast this with interviews I’ve done since I’ve been in the corporate world. The difference was staggering, because every time I went for a job interview I was already comfortable in a job that paid decently. That changes the situation dramatically, because you can’t fake true confidence. From my experience, even when you act the part in an interview where you don’t already have a job, it’s almost as though they can smell the fact that you need it, that they have you in the palm of their hand and can offer you whatever they want, because you’ll take it.

When you already have a job that you’re comfortable in, the tables are turned. Now you’re the one with power. You can make obscenely high demands, because you can take the job or not, it doesn’t matter. I liken it to being on Tinder for the first time. I still remember playing around with it on my friend’s phone, because I’d been happily married for a while and had never even seen the app. The surge of power I felt at being able to swipe left on women was incredible, because as a young guy on the dating scene back in the day, I never had that kind of power. I was the dating equivalent of a job interviewee who was currently unemployed.

That’s why you do yourself a disservice by not interviewing at least once a year. Don’t ever assume that the good times are never going to end at your job and that you’ll be there for years and years, because the odds are not in your favour on that one. If you wait until you’re unhappy and desperate to get out of there before you start looking for work and interviewing, you’ll have that faint scent of desperation that an unemployed person looking for a job has. It will cause you to get unhappier at work, which will make subsequent interviews more desperate.

Like many things in life, looking for a new job is best done from a position of strength. Here’s why:

You’ll be more confident. When you’re interviewing and don’t have a job, you’re so focused on not saying the wrong things that it’s all you can think about. When you don’t need the job, you don’t worry about that, and instead have the confidence to say the right things.

You can negotiate. When you interview without a job, there’s an irrational fear that saying no to anything will kill the deal, which means you end up taking far less than you deserve. When you don’t need the job, you naturally demand what you want, and you’ll often get it or pretty close, because they know you hold the bargaining power.

You’re not nervous. Which isn’t the same as being more confident. You don’t have to worry if the interview doesn’t work out, because you’re comfortable where you are. You don’t have to think with desperation that if this isn’t the one, you’ll face another seemingly endless wait until you get another shot. You don’t need another shot, you just want one. There’s a world of difference.

There’s also another reason you should interview: loyal employees generally get the screw job when it comes to pay and conditions. There is plenty of research to show that people who move every few years to a different company earn between 19 and 30 percent more than people who stay at the same place. I don’t know about you, but the thought that my employer is taking me for a ride is enough on its own to go out and test the market.

So my advice to all of you (if you want it, that is), is to start thinking about where you want your next career step to be, and then start looking outside of where you are right now. You might very well find that you’re well paid, your company is great and you don’t want to leave. Awesome! More likely, you’ll find out that you’re paid well below the market, which means you can either take another, higher paying job, or ask for more where you are.

If nothing else, go and interview for the feeling of power and confidence you’ll get. I promise you, it will make you feel almost giddy. Do it so you can learn the position you should negotiate from. Too many of us live lives where we are in the weak position all the time, you deserve to feel strong for once. Believe me, the demeanor of the interviewer changes significantly when you’re the ideal candidate but you’re already happy where you are.