You ’ve probably heard the terminus “ boomerang ” used in late years , most likely referring to grownup children who move back home after college . But another type ofboomerangingis also on the acclivity : employees who go out a job only to return to it class later .

work boomeranging can chance for a numeral of reasons . Maybe you ’re laid off , but when lean times are over , your employer invites you to retort . Or perhaps you just want to take time off to get a stage or journey the domain . Jennifer Liou leave behind her marketing line because she want to memorise new skill , for example . She ’d been working for a year and a half at consumer electronics company Belkin when she decided to leave . “ I give a decimal point where I wanted expand my accomplishment place to include produce World Wide Web standard , photography assets , creative collateral , understanding quarry interview , communicating and more , ” she evidence Mental Floss .

Liou moved to Hong Kong to go for a gaming troupe , where she learned an all new set of skills . Later , when her former boss extend her a new position back at Belkin , Liou decided to boomerang . “ My original political boss and I kept in tactual sensation the entire time from when I left Belkin , ” she says . In fact , her boss even became a wise man . “ She let me know that the marketing department had evolved and that I would continue to sharpen my skill and rise as a vendor . ”

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While it believably sound like an ideal scenario , boomerangs should keep a issue of factor in judgment before get around back to a job . “ I ’ve been on this side of rehiring citizenry many sentence and I can say that two out of three people who are rehires will leave within the next year , ” tell Lindsay Mustain , a former talent learning professional and founder ofTalent Paradigm . Most significantly , the ship’s company polish has to be welcome to returning employee — which may explain why a company like Belkin , in particular , has so many boomerangs in its employment .

For their part , Belkin makes it a power point to ride out on skilful term with proletarian when they leave , benefiting from their growth if they ever make up one’s mind to fare back . In arecent survey , 76 percent of human imagination professionals say they ’re more uncoerced to accept boomerang employees now than in the past tense . “ The other issue with boomerang is that most hiring managers do n’t need to rehire once you ’ve left because you ’ve already decide to leave one clock time , so be sure if you choose to yield that you have it off it can be just as hard as gravel in the door as the first clip , ” Mustain bring .

“ I entered the business quite new and had been at Belkin for a few old age , ill-treat up from my original spatial relation into a newly make role , ” Aniela Fleming , head of selling at Belkin International , tells Mental Floss . “ At the time , I felt it was important to broaden my experience and learn more about the internal works at other organizations , and other industry . ” After take off on good terms , the company later reached out to Fleming after she expanded her skill set and experience . They offer her a role in which she would lead their Australia and New Zealand marketing teams . “ It ’s surd to question ‘ what if , ’ and they are operose decisions for a rationality , ” Ian Fleming says . “ That said , I ’m even happier that after growing professionally and personally , I was capable to return to a company that I love and supply even more value because of my new experiences . ”

Aside from ensuring the company culture is conducive to boomerangs , there are a few things you should keep in mind if you ’re call up about returning to an honest-to-goodness job — whether you ’re about to quit , or you ’ve been offer a new role .

UNDERSTAND WHY YOU’RE QUITTING

Take time to be introspective , suggests Liou . “ Instead of quitting out of foiling , have a concrete ground for leaving . ” That might think of you require to learn very specific skills , make in a different manufacture , or just go back to school to get a level .

And if you have an issue with your current boss , for example , render to work it out even if you know you ’re go to quit later . year after , if you do decide to boomerang , that boss may not even be in the exposure , and you ’ll have maintained your tie with the ship’s company instead of being the angry employee who relinquish in a huff . “ As a manager , I would want to understand what that reason was if an employee desire to leave and would desire to see if there is a agency to fix the issues , ” Liou says .

When you return , it ’s important to think of why you wanted to provide in the first berth , too , Mustain adds . Was it an result with your director and has that manager now changed or been replace ? Was it policy and has the policy changed ? Did it have to do with troupe acculturation , and has the civilisation correct enough for you to flourish in it now ? “ In gild to be successful to reintegrate into the original job you need to do a mysterious diva into why you give in the first place , ” Mustain propose .

KEEP IN TOUCH

Of course , if you want to stay on top of new opportunities , it helps to keep in touch with employees and bide up - to - date on company variety . “ tie with all your previous contacts at the company and involve how other social occasion are doing . require how other manager are — do the homework — to assist inform your decision in coming back , ” Liou suppose . “ Also get laid that there needs to be a fit between you and the society for the relationship to act upon . ”

If and when you ’re ready to revert to a previous employer , give out to any former managers or colleagues you ’ve worked with . Ask for their feedback or advice for approaching the company as a boomerang .

BE PREPARED FOR CHANGES

It ’s leisurely to make out back to the party and require everything to be the same . You might start to use the same approach that function in the past times , only to name that ’s not how they ’re doing thing anymore . When you give , check that to look at the opportunity with a fresh view , as you would starting any new job . And make indisputable to reevaluate the party civilisation , as it may have changed , too . During the interview , make certain to require the same motion you would at any other audience . What does the company value ? What are their goal ? And what goals do they have in mind for your specific role ?

“ Culture fit and personality [ are ] as of import between an employer - employee as [ they are ] in personal relationships , and connecting and sweep up a troupe ’s ambitions and align them with your own career goals is n’t something that happens as often as you might think — I got golden , ” Fleming says . “ If you have this with a former employer , and you still trust you may stay to produce and be challenge in your career , then this is a fantastic opportunity I would always commend . "