3 reasons why you should go for that interview (2021)

The future of work right now is pretty fluid. Some of you may feel like you are going for interview after interview. Some of you may not have been invited to interview despite many an application. Then there's the camp that may well be in a job or a role. I put to you that it is healthy to go for an interview annually – even when you're not looking! I write this coming from the point of view of having a portfolio career – one facet may be just dandy but if you don't put yourself in interview situations, how will you a) keep that muscle strong and b) know what else is out there c) know whether you really want something. Let's explore that in the context of an interview I put myself through recently.Keeping the muscle strongThis can be interpreted in a number of ways. I've personally had interviews or one stage interviews remotely in the past, but for many, this year may have been the first time conducting an interview or being interviewed by a video conferencing tool. This takes practice in itself, however isn't the be all and end all.Like with anything, you can become naturally more confident with a little practice. The questions and interview panel may well be different in every situation, however simply by putting yourself in that sort of environment periodically/regularly will help you get more comfortable.Know what else is out thereA lot of people talk themselves out of even applying for things because they think they don't meet the criteria or have never heard of the job title. Applying for roles is a whole different subject but for lots of roles, there's a heap of transferable skills that can be applied. Cutting through the noise and jargon take conversation.I'll be frank – if you are going for a job and there's a whole heap of paper that needs to happen before the interview, the conversation may not even start. BUT if you explore a role and can have a conversation first, you may be surprised by what a role really is buried in terminology.Know whether you really want somethingFor me, this is the real value of going through an interview process. Often, we can get caught up in needing a job or go with the flow. Whilst I have a propensity to the latter, every stage of a recruitment process or steps towards a contract serve as check points. Check points for us to make a decision about investing our time and to question the other side as well as ourselves about spending a part of our lives in a role.Whether it's your next gig, job, role – paid or otherwise – go for that interview, even when you're not looking.This post was originally written in 2019 Portfolio People Blog (portfolio-people.com) ​ Author Rupa Datta is Founder of Portfolio People – spent years interviewing 00s of people. These days has a tendency to go for interviews at least once a year