Why I interviewed even when I was happy

Source: Dev.to

Background

I was working at a company I really liked. I had great managers and a supportive team, enjoyed the work, and felt I grew quickly as an engineer. I saw myself staying long‑term and even received an early promotion recommendation.

Why I kept interviewing

Even when I was happy, I continued to do practice interviews. I wasn’t planning to leave; I used them to:

• Identify areas where I needed to grow.
• Understand how I was positioned in the market.

A few months later, I received indirect feedback that wasn’t shared with me directly. When I asked whether it would affect my promotion, I was told it wouldn’t, but the promotion was later denied because of that feedback and additional unseen comments.

That experience shattered my confidence. The environment that once felt enriching began to feel like walking on eggshells. I no longer knew what “good enough” looked like or how to achieve it.

The practice interviews reminded me of my value. Because there was no pressure to secure a job, the conversations felt normal, allowing me to:

• Share my experience without nerves.
• Hear thoughtful questions about my work.
• Realise that seemingly small tasks (e.g., rotating EC2 SSH keys) were actually valuable and taught me about cloud security.

What I learned

• Communication matters – I was often doing the right engineering work but wasn’t articulating it clearly.
• Self‑assessment – Interview practice helped me spot questions I struggled with and plan how to fill those gaps.
• Preparedness over disloyalty – Interviewing while happy isn’t a sign of disloyalty; it’s self‑awareness and readiness for change.
• Avoid tying confidence to a single outcome – Placing all my confidence in one promotion left me feeling inadequate when it didn’t happen.

Key takeaways

1. Keep your options open even when you’re satisfied with your current role.
2. Use practice interviews as a tool for personal growth, not just job hunting.
3. Regularly assess and communicate your achievements to avoid reliance on external validation.
4. Stay prepared so that if circumstances shift, you can transition smoothly without losing confidence.