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RETURNING TO AN OLD EMPLOYER – WHAT TO CONSIDER

It is a candidate market at the moment. With employment in Ireland at a high and with a demand for strong and experienced talent ever growing people in Ireland are changing jobs much more frequently than before to ensure they secure what’s most important to them (better location, increased work-life balance, more benefits, etc.). You might find that as you’re scrolling through the job sites that a number of interesting positions are coming up in a company you previously worked with, the big question is are you able to / should you go back there?

 

Just because you worked somewhere before and have moved on from it, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s off limits to you for opportunities in the future. There are a few factors you need to consider however before clicking “send” on any applications.

 

Check out our points to think about before returning to a former employer:

 

Why did you leave?

This is one of the most important factors to consider when making the decision on whether to return to a company. Try to remember why you left and decide if those circumstances are still relevant to you now. For example, if you left because a position for promotion or progression wasn’t available at the time but you enjoyed the role and department at the time, then there is no reason not to consider the company again. However, if the reason you left was due to unfair compensation or clash with management, then is this something that may have changed since you left and would this be enough of a factor to make you want to work there again?

 

Don’t let pride get in the way!

When considering the idea of returning to a company you worked with previously, it can be difficult to shake the idea that you might be taking a step backwards in your career and that you’ve been there, done that. Yes you might have worked there before, but that doesn’t mean that you’ve experienced all there is to gain in the company. You never, know, the company might have grown or changed substantially since you left and so opportunities that mightn’t have been there before might now be available. You should never let your pride be the reason you miss out on a great opportunity so when deciding whether to go ahead with an application try to ask yourself if you would go for it if it was advertised elsewhere. If your answer is yes then why should you miss out on it now?

 

Is it the right fit for you?

As humans we take comfort in the familiar, and so the idea of returning to a company you worked in before might actually seem like a great thing to you – you know what the induction process will be like, you know the teams, the culture or you may have not even wanted to leave at the time but you needed to due to circumstances, but is all of this enough of a reason to return? When considering going back to an old employer you need to be sensible and cautious when making your decisions, will the move benefit your career in the short and long term? If you plan to return to a previous company then it should be for career growth, so if the answer is no and it would be more of a stopover for you then you should think about whether it is the logical step for you.

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