Still looking for a job? Consider the "boomerang" 🪃

Are you still looking for a job?

One option that many job seekers over look is the boomerang.

A boomerang is simply when someone goes back to work for their previous employer. It could be for the same manager, same team, or a different group all together within the same company.

It’s an often overlooked option, yet one of the most underrated options out there.

(Of course, this relies on the fact you didn’t burn a bridge when you resigned or were laid off)

A lot of people I speak to are reluctant to this.

When I ask them why, usually it’s not because they “hated” working there, it’s more about internal issues they have with themselves.

They weren’t paying you enough, you don’t want to admit you need their help, you’re better than them, you think it’s the equivalent of calling back your ex.

I’ve heard it all.

But just give me a chance to convince you to at least consider the option.

Let’s dive into the benefits of boomerangs 👇:

1: More Options = More Leverage & Freedom of Choice

It’s a tough job market out there. Many of you have been looking for work for months.

Is it the best option? Maybe. Maybe not.

But it IS an option.

And options give you leverage. They give you freedom of choice.

At the worst case, it’s a bridge job to hold you over.

The best case, they realize they didn’t know what they were missing in you and put you in a better role (this happens more often than you realize).

The mental framework shouldn’t be “crap, am I really reverting back to calling these guys back? They’re going to think I’m dumb. They’re going to think I’m a failure”.

No.

The mental framework SHOULD be “I’m going to keep my options open. I’m going to posture myself in a position of leverage. These guys are either going to give me what I want, or I’m going to use them as a bridge on the path to where I want to go in the future”.

2: The devil you know vs. the devil you don’t know

You already know what to expect.

Performance wise. The culture. How they operate. Procedures. Where the bar sits.

All of it.

You’re not diving into unknown territory. You’ve already been there, done that. So there is no learning curve and you can come in and hit the ground running.

If you were to start a new job at a new company, you’re taking at least 90 days to get on your feet and learn how they operate.

Here, you already know what to do, and you’re good to go from day one.

3: Political Equity

You already have a little bit of political equity. If you’re able to successfully boomerang back into a company, that means somebody is willing to vouch for you.

That goes a long way and means the company sees you favorably.

At a new company, this can take years, and you skip this process all together.

4: More Leverage

If a previous company is willing to bring you back, you have a little more leverage than a new employer bringing you on, and more leverage than a new candidate they’d be willing to hire.

Why?

You’re a proven commodity. They’re hiring you back for a reason. They think you’re good and can get the job done.

You can posture yourself as interested in coming back, but still considering all your options.

*WITHIN REASON*, you can let them know this is what it would take for you to return back.

Keywords - within reason. Remember, if you’ve been out of work a while, and don’t have much interview activity in your pipeline, you actually don’t have that much leverage. But, you can still try to posture for a little bit of a better working arrangement than last time.

5: Potential for faster internal growth

You’ve already been acclimated to the business. You’re a proven commodity.

Related to the point above, you’re coming in with a position of leverage: You have more credibility, less risk than a random unknown candidate they’re recruiting out of nowhere.

They know you’ve been willing to walk away once. So they know if you want something, you’re willing to go out and get it.

You’ll likely return with a fresh & new perspective. You went out into the world learning how others operate, and you’ll come back and be able to work with the best of both worlds.

They’ll appreciate that.

Story Time

This year I’ve been having a ton of success with boomerangs.

Recently, we had one person quit in our creative division because the client was returning to the office 3x/week. He left off on the right foot and was very professional about it. 2 weeks notice, great knowledge transfer.

They found themselves in a remote job relatively quickly. For those of you in the creative world, you know the hours can be a little unstable.

The new, remote employer was only giving them only 20-30 hours a week. Obviously not sustainable to live in NYC these days.

After 2 months, he reached back out to us to initiate a new SOW to bring them back to the client. Client was more than willing. This time around, we were able to land him a couple extra $$$ to help accomodate the RTO mandates.

Further, pretty much across all of my contracting clients, I’ve been prioritizing boomerangs.

Finding prior contractors/employees of X company, willing to return back.

You’d be surprised how successful this has been.

They move to the top of the line on interviews, and if they get a great reference, it’s almost an automatic hire.

For those recruiters reading this, this is how I’ve been doing new BD as well.