Always Be Interviewing

That's right - I said it. Instead of "Always Be Closing" (I think that is a Sales phrase...), I like to say "Always Be Interviewing".

I am of the opinion that in your career, one of the best skills you can have is being able to feel confident in an interview. Now, they say practice makes perfect - but how do you achieve perfection without ACTUALLY practicing?

For me personally, I almost always acknowledge and accept incoming interview requests as long as the job description matches something that I feel I could be a fit for and have genuine interest in. I find that putting myself into live interview situations, as opposed to mock interviews, works better for me. I've never been great at playing pretend!

To be honest, I didn't always have this philosophy. When I started my career, I was all about company loyalty and thought that if I went looking for another job I was in the wrong. Fun fact - when I landed my role with Duo, I cried A LOT in front of my current manager after turning in my resignation because I truly thought I was letting everyone down by moving on. Boy was I wrong...

Fast forward a few years. I remember being in my first interview with someone who would become my manager a few short weeks later. I asked him about his management philosophy and he said something that I never imagined coming out of a manager's mouth. Now, I don't remember word for word what he said, but in essence he said that his management philosophy was to prepare his team for whatever came next in their career. He actively encouraged team members to interview for new roles at least once per year, and would debrief with them on what went well and what could have gone better so that the next time they interviewed, they would have a better chance at getting an offer. Mind. Blown.

He told me that he had no expectation that when people came to work for him that this would be the place they retired from, and because of that he wanted to do everything he could to help them on their journey.

This conversation completely transformed my way of thinking, and as I later stepped into management roles changed how I interacted with my own team.

Of course, when you build a team, you hope that they stick around for the long haul. The fact of the matter is however, that our personal situations, aspirations and needs are constantly evolving. Something that works for you today, might not a month from now. As a manager, I want to ensure that my team is always prepared to step into that 'next thing', and that they are able to look back fondly on the time we worked together as a step in that direction.

One of the ways that I help my team with their preparedness is to do exactly what my former manager did with his team. I ask them if they've seen any open roles that are interesting and encourage them to apply. I know - this seems odd... but again, I believe that interviewing in itself is an incredibly important skill. Now, my one caveat to this is that my encouragement is usually aimed towards roles that push them at least one step further. If the desire to interview for a similar role comes up - that sparks a whole different conversation on satisfaction and belonging!

At this point you might be asking yourself why on earth someone would ever do such a thing... and to be honest, the reasons may not make sense for all. However, if you are still reading here are my thoughts on what you have to gain from taking this approach with your own team:

1. Open lines of communication: By encouraging your team to keep their eyes open for other opportunities, you are giving them as safe space to bring these to you to discuss, without fear of retaliation, to give your perspective where you think they match up or where there might be opportunities for improvement. This can also lead to great discussions around how they see their growth opportunity with the current company, or if they feel stagnate.
2. Opportunity to improve your own interview process: By participating in other interview processes, or even debriefing your team on ones they participate in you gain outward perspective on what other companies may be doing.
3. Third-party perspective: Sometimes, yourself or a team member may believe that they are ready for a promotion that isn't quite in reach yet. By having them interview for other roles of a high caliber, they may get the third-party feedback needed to help level set expectations and help to further encourage growth. Sometimes we need messaging from other areas to help things resonate.
4. Building Trust: Showing that you care about your team members growth, whether it be with the current company or outside of it, is a great way to show that you are on their side. Building trust with your team helps them to show up at their best each day, and know it is ok to have bad days, too.

Now, if you are going to do what I do and accept incoming interview request, I have a few tips:

1. Be up front: Let the person you are speaking to know that you are not actively looking for a job, unless you are.
2. Understand what about the position actually interests you: Going into an interview just for the sake of interviewing is not going to benefit anyone. Know your WHY and take it seriously.
3. Inquire as to why they reached out to you: What was it about your profile that made them believe you would be a fit?
4. Ask for a job description: Never go into these conversations blindly - you need to be well prepared for these conversations just as you would a role you applied for directly.
5. Do some soul searching: Ask yourself before interviewing what it would actually take for you to make a move from your current role. If there isn't anything that would make you move - don't waste the time of the company just for the sake of a practice interview.

That's all for now. I hope you found this enlightening, or at the very least giggled at the part about me crying because I can without any hesitation say that I am an ugly crier!