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Giving Your Old Employer a Second Chance
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Alexandra Levit
Alexandra Levit is the founder and president of Inspiration at Work, a consulting firm. A former nationally syndicated columnist with Tribune Media Services and a current blogger for the Huffington Post, Alexandra has authored several books, including the popular They Don't Teach Corporate in College, How'd You Score That Gig?, and Success for Hire.
Alexandra makes frequent national media appearances and has been featured in thousands of media outlets including the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Known as one of the premiere spokespeople of her generation, Alexandra regularly speaks at conferences, universities, and corporations on issues facing modern employees. Please learn more at AlexandraLevit.com.
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Alexandra Levit | Excelle
Amy Andrews has a great post on my friend Chris Russell’s Secrets of the Job Hunt blog on how to decide whether you should return to your old company. In my days at Edelman, we used to call these people members of the “Comeback Club" or “Boomerangers.” Here’s what Amy has to say:
Organizations thrive on change. Just because you lost your job doesn’t always mean that other opportunities won’t crop up in the future. The old adage, “when one door closes, somewhere a window opens,” rings true with twenty-first century organizations. Maybe the window was closed when you lost your job, but it doesn’t mean another one won’t open once you’ve officially left. Before flying through the open window, step back to make sure the window’s big enough.
1) Why did you leave?
Be honest with yourself. Even if you left through a Reduction in Force or Re-Organization, were you relieved? Relieved that you were free to pursue more challenging work or that you no longer had to make that long commute only to work for an incompetent manager.
2) Who’s still there?
We spend more time at work than home, so friends in the workplace are a must have. If you still have friends on the inside this can make going back an appealing proposition. If they’ve all gone, you may find the dynamics you once enjoyed are lost and dissatisfying.
3) What’s changed in the organization?
Leaders come and go. With them, come new initiatives and expectations. Don’t expect the organization to look the same as it was when you left. Find out who and what’s new.
lhcd_08
3 months ago
24 comments
I really REALLY like this article. Such a great topic. Its ironic really because I was just thinking about the possibility of returning to a previous employer. At the time, I pushed the idea aside because of "how it might look to senior staff". Now, I am going to take a closer look at the Pros and Cons. Thanks!