What happens in the working world when you get what you think you want, only to discover you don’t really want it? For instance, that attractive new job–the one you traded in your comfortable old job to get.
Before starting the job search all over again, you may want to check with your old employer. Sometimes you can go home again, experts say.
“You’re a known quantity” to your old employer, said David Helfand, coordinator of career counseling at Northeastern Illinois University. As such, “it’s actually easier to interview . . . when you’re going back to the same company. It’s an easier task to remind them about the work you did.”
Marilyn Moats Kennedy, managing partner of Career Strategies, a career-consulting firm in Wilmette, agreed: “It’s kind of a slam-dunk if you had a good record. You’d be a top candidate, because they still have an investment in you.”
Ultimately, deciding whether to try a second time at a job will depend on many factors, including the circumstances under which you left, your job record at your former company and how much things have changed in that workplace. Also, you’ll want to weigh your own motives for wanting to return, experts say.
“I’d examine your conscience about why you want to go back,” Kennedy said. “Sometimes people block the reality that they left for good reason. The fact that this next job didn’t work out is not related to whether you should go back or not.”
Laurie Kahn, president and owner of the Chicago-based Media Staffing, said if an employee left because he was disgruntled, he better do “some heavy-duty homework” before returning to a former employer.
“Have a heart-to-heart with your supervisor,” Kahn said. “Is a boss who made you unhappy gone? Was it a commission situation or compensation package that has been changed? Is the product different? Those are all things to consider.”
Even if you liked your old job and left for a better opportunity or personal reasons, don’t expect everything to be just as it was when you return. In a way, Kennedy said, you’re embarking on a new job because nothing stays exactly the same.
“If you’re nostalgic for your old co-workers, you’d better find out if they’re still there,” she said.
Still, retuning to an employer can be a smart career move. Ask Mary Cory. She went back to her employer, Illini Media Co. in Champaign, four years ago after the publisher invited her back.
Cory had worked as production manager–but after 17 years with the company, she felt restless. “It really wasn’t anything negative,” she said. “I just wanted to try something different.”
Cory took a job working for the University of Illinois, but “I found out that I didn’t really like the slower pace,” she said.
With the publisher’s encouragement, she returned to IMC after 18 months. When her boss accepted another position on the East Coast, Cory beat her competition in a nationwide job search to become IMC publisher and general manager, overseeing 300 full- and part-time employees. She credits her renewed enthusiasm for her job advancement.
Laura Zak of Arlington Heights had a similar experience at a smaller workplace. A registered nurse and mother of three, Zak began working part-time in 1993 for the Pediatric Association of the North Shore, with offices in Glenview and Wilmette. She was quickly promoted to a full-time charge nurse, but when a fire destroyed her house in December 1995, she had to make some changes.
“It became evident that I needed to spend more time with the kids. It was more traumatic for them than I thought,” Zak said. “I said [to my boss], `I need to take time off.’ Plus, I wasn’t enjoying one of my co-workers in the office. We weren’t seeing eye-to-eye, and I didn’t need the added stress at that point. So I left.”
She took another nursing job, part time and closer to home, but as time went by, she often considered calling her former employer. She picked up the phone a year and a half later, when she discovered a help-wanted ad placed by the Pediatric Association.
“I jokingly said, `I’ll come back to work now. Is so-and-so gone?’ And that co-worker was gone!” Zak recounted with a laugh. “They hired me on the spot, and it was nice to go back. I knew it was a wonderful place to work.”
Of course, Cory and Zak left their employers on good terms and didn’t burn bridges when they changed jobs.
“Obviously, it’s important to maintain positive relationships wherever you work, whether you’re planning on staying or going,” said Helfand, author of the book “Career Change” (Contemporary Books, $14.95).
Another plus for Cory and Zak was they maintained ties with former bosses and peers. Former co-workers with whom you’ve kept in touch are excellent resources if you’re considering a return, Helfand said.
For starters, they can keep you updated about any major changes in the office or personnel. Also, they can open doors when an opportunity arises to return.
“Hopefully, those former co-workers are a part of your network,” Helfand said. “Then, if a situation like this comes up, you have a better chance of getting back if you want to.”
Another strategy to consider when reappoaching a former employer is to propose coming back as a consultant or a freelancer.
Even if you were downsized out of your old position, Helfand said, “there’s often still plenty of work to do, so you can get hired back project by project.”
Once you’re on the inside, you can decide if a return is right for you and watch for any openings for future full-time work, Helfand said.
To return or not return
Ask yourself the right questions
It’s flattering when a former employer wants you back. But should you return? Here are some questions to weigh before you jump back into the fold.
– Why are you returning? Are you going back because the opportunity seems exciting and challenging or old and comfortable f there were valid reasons why you left and those circumstances still exist, you probably shouldn’t return, said Laurie Kahn, president and owner of the Chicago-based Media Staffing. “People often take jobs out of desperation, and in the long run, that does not solve problems.”
– What’s changed within the company? Find out what’s new within the organization and its power structure, Kahn said.
“Talk to some of the people still there. Nine times out of 10, you’ll be friendly with the people you’ve worked with.”
Also use your network to check in with company customers, advises Diane Wilson, an executive coach and consultant in Chicago.
– How can you use any new skills you’ve acquired?
Diane Wilson, an executive coach and consultant in Chicago, says a former employer may have the tendency to view a worker in a stereotypic way, so lay out your goals coming in.
“Say, ‘Here are my new skills, and I really expect to contribute in these ways,’ ” she said. “Then take responsibility and jump in and demonstrate them.”
– What opportunities for career growth are there? David Helfand, coordinator of career counseling at Northeastern Illinois University, noted: “If a person [has] a [career] goal in mind, then they can assess: Does this get me there in some way? Does it put me in a position to develop my [existing] contacts and make new contacts? Does it get me where I want to go?”
– On what terms would you be willing to return? It makes sense to be flexible in today’s economy, experts say. Would you be willing to take a salary cut or a different position?
Many people are accepting jobs at salaries 20 percent to 30 percent below what they were making, Wilson says.
“People shouldn’t be surprised if they don’t go into the same position at the same salary,” she said. “It’s not a personal issue. Companies simply aren’t in the same position.”
Kahn agreed. “In every industy there’s consolidation,” she said. “If you trust and like the company and are getting good benefits, that means everything in this world.”
–Tribune staff
