A former manager sends you a friendly message. It has been two years since you left. They have a new team, a real budget and a role that sounds a lot like the one you wanted back then. Would you be interested in coming back? You feel flattered, and then a little uneasy, and you are not sure which feeling to trust.
Going back to a company you left is far more common than it used to be, and it can work very well. You already know the systems, the people and where the coffee is good. They know what they are getting. But it deserves a careful look, because memory plays tricks in both directions.
Start with why you left. Write it down honestly, in a few lines, before you speak to anyone. Was it the money, a manager, the work, the hours, a lack of room to grow? Then ask, specifically, whether each of those has changed. A new logo and a new office do not fix a culture. A new director sometimes does.
Be wary of the warm glow. Most people remember a past job better than it was, especially if the current one is hard. Talk to someone who still works there and has no stake in hiring you. Ask what a normal week looks like now, not what the plans are.
Think about what you have gained since you left. You have seen another way of working, and that is part of what makes you valuable to them. Make sure the role and the pay reflect who you are now, not who you were on your last day. It is easy to slip back in at your old level because everyone still thinks of you there.
Consider the people. Some of your old colleagues will be delighted. One or two may feel you are taking a role they hoped for. Go in knowing who they are.
And be fair to your current employer. Decide properly before you resign, and leave as well as you did last time.
If the reasons you left have really gone, coming back can be one of the easiest moves you ever make. If they have not, you will be leaving again within a year, and that second exit is harder to explain.
– Asael Shinder
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