The old adage “you can’t go home again” doesn’t apply anymore in career decisions. Companies that used to have policies explicitly or implicitly prohibiting rehiring former employees are loosening up their policies as they realize that sometimes the best person for the job is someone who has already worked for the company. If you’re not considering your former employers in your job search, you may be missing out on great opportunities to advance your career. Now is the time to prepare yourself to be able to boomerang for the right position.
5 Steps To Successfully Boomerang To A Former Employer
1.The Good Exit
Of course, the first step in being able to return to a former employer is not only leaving in good standing but leaving well. Leaving well is fully in your control. Even if your boss was a jerk on your way out, you can leave your position in a way that honors your contribution and your colleagues.
- Tie things up in a bow before you leave. Write an exhaustive memo that details all of the projects that you’re on, next steps and your recommendations on how to proceed.
- If you manage other people, write a one-page status update on each of your direct reports and send it to them and the person who will be assuming responsibility.
- Replace yourself. If you can find someone to take over for you. Even if the company doesn’t act on your recommendation, you have taken that extra step to fill the gap you will leave.
- Thank your team for the opportunity to work together – in writing.
2.Re-energize Your Connections
If you haven’t been in touch with people from your former companies in a while, now is the time to reconnect with the people you know who are still at the company. Reach out to your former colleagues and ask to take them to coffee and catch up; Send them an article you think would be interesting; Next time you see positive news about the company, email your old colleagues and congratulate them on their achievement.
3.Follow your former employers
Create a Google Alert for your former company or products and follow the news from the company to get reacquainted with what the organization is doing now. Don’t be surprised if the news is different than what you’d expect. You’ve changed since you left the company – the company has probably changed, too.
4.Stay plugged-in
Join any LinkedIn Groups focused on your industry or the company. Participate in the groups by posting relevant news and/or helping people who ask the group for information.
5.Be curious
If you’re not sure if the company rehires former employees, call the HR department and ask them. Indicate that you’re open to the possibility.
Now What?
Once you’ve reconnected with the company and your former colleagues, it’s important to be very clear about who you are today, versus who you were when you left the company. Write a concise description of how you’ve evolved since you left the company. What have you learned? What were you able to leverage from your former position into your current position? Where can you contribute now where you could not have before? And of course, why would returning to the company be advantageous for the company. Get your elevator speech down, so that when you talk with your former colleagues, this rolls off the tongue.
Onboarding as a Boomerang
Once you’re hired back to your former employer, it’s important not to just slip into your old role, regardless of how comfortable it might feel. The people you left behind who are still there have probably evolved as much as you have. Don’t assume you know exactly where the company is and who’s in what position at the company. Companies are living organisms, and our economy is so dynamic today, that it is unlikely the company is exactly what it was when you left.
- Onboard seriously. Don’t just gloss over the “introduction to the company” presentation. Pay attention to the nuances.
- Ask your new (or new old) boss what has changed since you left. What’s different in the culture? What new policies exist that are major departures from your previous experience? Be intentional.
- Be humble. While you may want to ride in on your white horse as the returning hero, do not do this. It’s really important to respect and honor what has happened in your absence. Do this out loud.
The benefits of boomeranging back to a former employer are many – for you and for the company. The company gets an employee who already fits the culture, who knows most of the short-hand, and who can become fully functional in a fraction of the time that a new employee can. The company also gets to say that someone great came back – that the culture and experience is valuable enough to bring a great employee back into the fold. The employee welcomed back to a former employer gets the accolade of doing that. And former employees generally have a much higher appreciation for the culture and for their position in it. Former employees also come back more valuable than when they left. And who doesn’t want that!?
So if you thought going home was off the table, think again, and get yourself Boomerang-ready now to give you the most options for your next move.
You can take the “Are Your Boomerang Ready” Assessment here.
About Lee McEnany Caraher
Lee McEnany Caraher is the founder and CEO of Double Forte, a national PR and social media firm, and the author of The Boomerang Principle.