It may seem crazy to interview for another job when you love the job you’re already in. This isn’t about giving up a dream job it’s about keeping your career moving forward. It’s easy to get comfortable when you like the job you’re in, and that’s dangerous because you’ll get too content.

These are the top reasons why you should interview for a new job every year, even if you love your current one.

You’ll Focus on the Big Picture

When you love your job, it’s difficult to focus on the big picture. Interviewing for another job will teach you how to build a resume for where you want to be in the next five years. You’re getting regular practice, which is absolutely crucial if you want to succeed in the world of today.

Focusing on the big picture will help you to reflect on whether you’re where you really need to be.

Creating New Goals

Ambition is what drives people forward. By interviewing for another job, you’ll create new goals for yourself, whether that’s through remaining in your current position or encouraging yourself to move on. Contentment often leads to us not setting new goals for ourselves because we’re exactly where we want to be.

You must create new goals for yourself if you want to keep moving forward.

Know What Employers Want

Regularly interviewing for new positions will teach you more about what employers want. This is important for keeping up job performance. The expectations of employers change all the time. By finding out what employers want, you can continue to become more valuable as an employee.

Even if you don’t get a job offer, you’ll receive feedback from the hiring manager. This feedback will enable you to become a more marketable employee.

Where is Your Competitive Advantage?

You may have the most stable position in the world, but that doesn’t mean you can afford to coast along. Like it or not, every employee is constantly fighting for their position. Let your performance slip and the chances are high that your employer will want to fill your position with someone else.

Interviewing for another job allows you to maintain your competitive advantage. You’re discovering what employers want and you’re getting an accurate view of exactly where you figure in the grand scheme of things. Interviewing for another job can help you figure out whether you need to change something.

Keep Your Skills Sharp

You never know when you might have to look for another job. Your company could go bankrupt tomorrow. The economy is changing all the time and the days of jobs that would last for decades are long gone. By regularly interviewing for other jobs you’re keeping your interviewing skills sharp.

If you ever do need to find another position at short notice, the process isn’t going to intimidate you.

Get One Step Closer to Your Dream Job

Just because you’re happy with your position doesn’t mean that you’re in your dream job. Interviewing for another position will bring you one step closer to your dream job. You might even decide to interview for your dream job, even though you know you’re not quite ready for it yet.

The experience you acquire will be extremely useful going forward.

Last Word – Adopt the Habit

Adopting the habit of interviewing for a new job every year can benefit your career in six different ways. It makes sense to make this an annual tradition. Have you ever interviewed for another job while at your current one?

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