The concept of career boomerang is on the rise. This is where you voluntarily resign from one organization to work elsewhere and then go back to the old organisation. According to a survey by Rober Half, 94% of managers would rehire former employees. For this reason, lots of companies have had to review their never-hire again policy.
The time it takes to get quality hires, the rigid labour market, training cost and time are the primary reasons for the rise of boomerang employees. These employees are popular for hitting the ground faster than new hires. The learning curve is relatively short. They are familiar with the organisational culture. They understand the running of the business and industry, which is a great advantage.
So, should you or should you not go back to an old job/ organisation? I am of the opinion that one should not go back and keep moving forward. Consider the reason/s why you left in the first place. People leave jobs for a myriad of reasons. It could be you did not like your boss, the workplace was toxic, you had reached your optimum growth level within the organisation you found a better opportunity that you could not let go of. Whatever your reason, the moment you handed the resignation, your relationship with that organisation changed. Your boss will question your loyalty. I can guarantee you that the management will always see you as a flight risk with a second chance.
Career goal should also be enough to reason to not go back. Think about your future and the career plans in place. One common factor in every career plan is the career evolution aspect. The truth is with career evolution, few jobs will last a lifetime. The ability to completely separate from an organisation comes with profound objectivity about one’s career growth. One can judge the substance of their experiences and evaluate how the previous job or workplace contributed to their personal and professional growth. The learnings from this should then help one transition to their next assignment with a better understanding of their career goal and objectives.
Everyone’s career journey is unique and personal. If, after evaluating your options, decide to boomerang, consider the following;
- Collect information about the organisation’s current environment, direction and success. This can be through reaching out to friends who are still with the organisation.
- Have a formal interview to ensure your return is beneficial to both parties.
- Leave your current company on decent terms. You might boomerang here also.
- Once back in, be patient and have an open mind. Of course, the company and employees evolved since you were last here, be graceful enough to re-learn some new stuff.
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