Should I apply for a job I'm 90% sure I wouldn't take if offered?

[Anonymous]

I'm not looking for a new job.

I've been with my company for 10+ years and am pretty committed, in my mind, to another 3 years there (for various reasons). I get paid well, I have a nice range of responsibilities, it is extremely flexible and family-friendly. My boss and I have talked about my staying till 2016 and he is supporting some professional development opportunities for me.

At the same time, I've been in a bit of a rut lately, and feeling a little burned out.

LinkedIn sent me an email today with a job listing. It is EXACTLY what I envision I might move to next in my career. But the timing is all wrong. For both professional and personal reasons, this is not a good time for me to change jobs.

DH thinks I should apply, just to see what happens. I think I would be likely to get an interview. Frankly, the background that they describe is almost exactly my background to a T. I feel like it would be unprofessional to go interview for a job when I'm 90% sure that I would not be interested in it right now.

???

[Anonymous]

How small is your industry? If there are only a few firms doing your dream work, and your sense is that everyone in the industry is fairly chummy, I'd hesitate--you don't want to get a reputation for flakiness if you pull your name out at the last minute.

If that isn't an issue, I'd apply. Sometimes the very process of updating your resume and doing an interview gives perspective on where you are right now and what you really want to do next.

[Anonymous]

Hm - not quite like that. I work for a non-profit and this is a much larger non-profit with a different agenda/mission. So it's basically like a different industry, I guess.