Reunited and it Feels So Good

So maybe you left a job to go back to school, try a job in a different field or took a promising promotion with another company. If you left your previous employer on a good note, getting back together could work really well. Since the employer likes you well enough to get back together, then you are obviously a good fit and the transition back should go smoothly.

If you return, especially in the same position, you’ll have a shorter learning curve and may require less training. Fastcompany.com says that leaving and coming back with new experience could mean more money. Author Heather Finn’s article, “5 Unexpected Benefits Of Going Back To An Old Job,” says among the benefits includes using your new-found experience in your previous environment. This can work to your advantage in that bringing some fresh ideas and perspective can rejuvenate both an old or new position, as well as an old or new boss. Since you are familiar with the setting and maybe even your previous boss, you’ll have a good sense of the company culture. Changes will have occurred since your absence, but during your recent interview for the boomerang opportunity, you had the chance to ask about company happenings.

Perhaps you are going back to a previous employer looking for a different position. Finn says when you “boomerang” back to a previous employer, you increase your chances to negotiate for your desired position and salary. There are times though, in which returning to work with a previous employer is like going back to a previous ex…when you really shouldn’t.

We are Never, Ever, Ever Getting Back Together

Taylor Swift’s song could be more closely aligned with an employment situation than you might think. Just like leaving an ex-boyfriend, there was a reason you left. Or several reasons. Or because of another person. Make sure you think about why you left and what role you played. Do you still have bad feelings about the previous employer? You wouldn’t jump into a new relationship without closing the door on a previous one. Don’t do that with a job.