Interviewing for the Job You’ve Already Been Doing

Few things scream corporate dysfunction louder than being asked to interview for a job you have already been doing for years. You have carried the workload, you have solved the problems, you have trained the juniors, and now leadership wants you to “prove” you are capable.

Capable of what, exactly? Surviving their incompetence?

The Setup

It starts the same way every time. For months, maybe years, you have been covering responsibilities above your role. You took over when someone left. You stepped in when leadership needed a “temporary” stopgap. You became the unofficial lead because nobody else wanted the stress.

And instead of being rewarded, you are invited to “apply.” Suddenly the job you have already done is now a formal competition. Your experience counts for less than your ability to impress in a 30 minute interview with the very people who already know your work.

The Farce of Proving Yourself

The absurdity is hard to overstate. You sit in front of managers you have worked with for years, and they ask you questions like:

• “Can you give an example of when you showed leadership?”
• “How would you handle pressure in a high stakes situation?”
• “What experience do you have with this system?”

Experience? You are the one they call at 10 PM when the system crashes. Leadership? You are the one who has been mentoring new hires because nobody else bothers. Pressure? You have been living under it since they first dumped the job on you.

But in the eyes of the company, none of that counts until you can package it into neat, rehearsed answers.

The Rigged Game

The worst part is knowing the outcome is often decided before the interviews even begin. The slot is already earmarked for someone else. A favorite. A friend. A safe pair of hands who plays politics better than you do.

Your interview becomes theatre. You perform for a promotion you have already earned, while leadership gets to tell itself the process was “fair.”

And if you do not get it? They still expect you to keep doing the work. Because now you have “proven” you can handle it. Just not with the title. Or the pay.

The Toll

Being asked to interview for your own job is not just insulting. It is demoralizing. It tells you your track record means nothing. It tells you loyalty is worthless. It tells you that no matter how much you give, you will always be asked to give more, for less.

And it pushes good people out the door. Because sooner or later, you realize you do not need to interview for the job you already do. You just need to interview somewhere else.

The Moral

If a company truly valued you, they would not make you jump through hoops for the role you already perform. They would recognize your work. They would promote you because you earned it, not because you survived a panel interview.

So the next time you are asked to interview for the job you have been quietly doing for years, remember: you do not need to prove yourself to them. You already have.

And if they cannot see it by now, maybe it is time to take that experience somewhere it will actually be rewarded.