Double your salary

You're leaving money on the table. Probably a lot of it.

The uncomfortable truth

Every six months you should be interviewing at another company. Apply to more jobs. You still don't know how much money you're worth.

Maybe when you got that job, you under-leveled yourself. You're a junior engineer who should be a senior engineer. Or you're a senior who's ready for a principal role. The market evolves faster than your current company's promotion cycle.

The learning advantage

You learn so much by doing interviews all the time. Each interview is a masterclass in:

Technical skills assessment - What's actually valued in the market right now
Communication - How to articulate your impact and value
Market trends - What technologies and approaches companies are prioritizing
Salary benchmarks - What your skills are worth across different companies

The negotiation leverage

Even if you get an offer from a company you don't want to work at, you can use that to negotiate a higher salary at your current job. Your manager suddenly becomes very interested in retention when you have concrete market data.

"I've received an offer for $X, but I'd prefer to stay here. Can we discuss my compensation?"

That's a conversation starter, not a threat.

Overcoming the fear

There's no reason not to be doing interviews all the time, other than you don't like making more money.

Do more interviews. Get over the fear.

Yes, they suck. Yes, they're scary. The rejection stings. The whiteboard coding feels artificial. The behavioral questions feel invasive.

But here's the thing: If you don't get over that fear, you will not be making the money you're worth.

The compound effect

Regular interviewing creates a compound effect:

Confidence building - Each interview makes the next one easier
Skill sharpening - You stay technically sharp and interview-ready
Network expansion - Even failed interviews often lead to future opportunities
Market awareness - You understand what's hot and what's not

The six-month rule

Why every six months? Because:

It's frequent enough to stay sharp but not so frequent that you're always distracted
Market conditions change quickly in tech
Your skills and experience are constantly growing
Company budgets and headcount typically operate on quarterly/bi-annual cycles

Start today

Don't wait for the "perfect" time. Don't wait until you're unhappy. Don't wait until you feel "ready."

The best time to look for a job is when you already have one.

You negotiate from a position of strength. You can be selective. You can take risks because failure just means staying where you are.

Action items

Update your resume - Right now, while your recent accomplishments are fresh
Practice coding problems - 30 minutes a day keeps you sharp
Research salary ranges - Know your worth before you walk into that room
Apply to 5 companies - Even if you're not sure you want to work there
Schedule phone screens - The worst that happens is you get practice

Remember: Companies are always recruiting. They budget for higher salaries for new hires than they do for existing employees.

You're not being disloyal. You're being smart.

The loyalty should go both ways, and your bank account will thank you for testing that loyalty regularly.

Please, do more interviews. Your future self will thank you when you're earning what you're actually worth.