Quitter’s remorse: How do I get my old job back?
Johnny C. Taylor Jr. tackles your human resources questions as part of a series for USA TODAY. Taylor is president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, the world’s largest HR professional society and author of “Reset: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval.”
The questions are submitted by readers, and Taylor’s answers below have been edited for length and clarity.
Question: I left my previous job five months ago for a position that pays more. Outside of the money, this new experience has not been what I had hoped for. I feel like I’m starting all over again in terms of experience, connections, and esteem. I’d honestly take a pay cut to have my old job or even something similar. Though I left on good terms, I worry about how I would be received by my former boss. What’s the best approach for reaching out to my former employer about returning to work for them? – Kahlil
Johnny C. Taylor Jr.: You certainly aren’t alone. We’ve seen many people spontaneously transition to new jobs in the wake of the pandemic. Understandably, many of them have suffered from quitter’s remorse. It’s common for employees to want to return to their former company. There’s even a name for them: Boomerangs. Employees who return after leaving a company are on the rise. According to LinkedIn, Boomerangs accounted for 4.5% of all new hires among companies in 2021, up from 3.9% in 2019. Some organizations even encourage people who have left on good terms to consider returning to the company, especially in this tough labor market.
Having had such a positive experience at your previous company reflects well on your former boss.
The best approach is to be candid with your former employer and explain why you are interested in returning to work for them. Explain your circumstances and what you value about working there. Share any additional skills, expertise, or credentials gained since your departure.
Remember, your familiarity with the company product or service, its operation,
culture and mission is an advantage for you.
Make it make sense. Your former manager may be concerned about you jumping ship again, so be clear about how this organization aligns with your intentions and future goals.
If you left on good terms, there’s no reason not to reach out to express your interest in returning. Even if your old job has been filled, they may still welcome you back in a different role or consider you for any future openings.
This can be a win-win for both of you!
Q: I’d like to relocate to another country. What should I consider as a candidate embarking on an international career search? What’s the best way to get information on international organizations and cultures? – Audrey
Johnny C. Taylor, Jr.: Working abroad offers an exciting opportunity to enrich your career path. You should do your due diligence to discover the best opportunity for you. There are several elements to consider when contemplating relocating and working in another country. Primarily, you must decide where you want to go, what you want to do, and what it will take to get there. Gathering
information on international organizations and cultures requires research and networking.
Seek out specific recruitment sites for international careers where you can learn about the organizations and then research a specific country. Not every country is abounding with job opportunities or with life experience comparable to what you may have become accustomed to. Or a vastly different life experience may be exactly what you are looking for.
Either way, researching what you want to experience and what you may be willing to sacrifice to live in certain places will be critical.
Research the different cultures and languages; and if feasible, visit those areas. You may even be able to lean into your previous cultural or language exposure. It may be time to dust off your college French or your middle school Spanish. Depending on your proficiency, your foreign language skills may come in handy.
The people you know could be a valuable resource in your search. Just like job hunting in the states, let your network know you are willing and available for work in your intended fields and
countries. Contact your alumni associations, present or former employers, friends, family members, mentors, coaches, and any networking organizations to which you may be connected. Your network can offer insight to help refine your options. They can also help you collect information on international organizations and cultures. Some may even offer a direct connection to a prospective employer.
Global organizations might be the most accessible bridge to working abroad. Some U.S. companies have offices around the world, so it may be easier to start with U.S.-based global companies first or global companies with a significant U.S. presence.
After selecting a position and location, you should prepare for the next steps. Tailor your cover letter and resume to the culture and the language of your targeted locations. Understand the Visa process of where you want to work. Visit the U.S. Department of State’s website for more information about how to obtain a temporary work visa in the country you want to work in.
No matter where your career journey takes you, I hope the experience is enriching and fulfilling.
ALABAMA Birmingham: The state will remember the Holocaust with an annual gathering of remembrance Tuesday at the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery and a commemoration Thursday at Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El. ALASKA Juneau: Legislators are considering a request by Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration that the state take over part of a federal environmental permitting program. ARIZONA Phoenix: Aviation history wasn’t made Sunday, but disaster was avoided, as cousins Luke Aikins and Andy Farrington weren’t successful in completing the first-ever “plane swap.” One plane spiraled out of control as the pilots were thousands of feet in the air. Both were safe with no reported injuries. ARKANSAS Little Rock: Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he is refusing most of $146 million in federal pandemic rental aid the state was to receive. CALIFORNIA Los Angeles: Nearly 2,000 homeless people died in Los Angeles County during the first year of the pandemic, an increase of 56% from the previous year, driven mainly by drug overdoses, authorities said. COLORADO Fort Collins: Heading into what experts speculate may be one of the worst summers of wildfire the state has seen, state officials are backing legislation that would invest $15 million to improve Colorado’s emergency dispatch system and add equipment. The bill would also create the Office of Climate Preparedness. CONNECTICUT New London: The recent appearance of two cruise ships in the city has raised hopes Connecticut might benefit from the return of a pandemic-decimated industry. DELAWARE New Castle: The Wall That Heals, a traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, is returning to the First State on Tuesday and will be open to the public around the clock from Friday to Sunday. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: Jon Stewart accepted the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday night, in the first such ceremony 2019. FLORIDA Fort Lauderdale: The judge overseeing jury selection for a man who murdered 17 people at a high school declared Monday that the process will start over because of an error in questioning potential jurors. GEORGIA Savannah: Officials have put the brakes on the city’s largest road race, saying the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon won’t return this fall. HAWAII Wahiawa: The only skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility in central Oahu expects to close in July, citing insufficient insurance reimbursements and financial challenges, Hawaii News Now reports.
IDAHO Lewiston: Jurors convicted a 17-year-old boy of first-degree murder after about three hours of deliberation Thursday in a case in which the teen’s father is also charged. ILLINOIS Chicago: A man seen on video wheeling a bulky suitcase out of a woman’s apartment has been acquitted of her murder.
INDIANA Indianapolis: Local native and 12-time Grammy-winning singer and producer Babyface will headline the Madam Walker Legacy Center on June 17 as part of a weekendlong Juneteenth celebration at the historic Indianapolis theater.
IOWA Des Moines: The city’s school district plans to hold a series of discussions to address school violence following a shooting outside East High School last month. KANSAS Kansas City: A Wyandotte County judge has struck down a GOP-authored congressional map and ordered the Legislature to take steps to address what he considered to be gerrymandered district lines. KENTUCKY Louisville: An arson unit is investigating after a fire destroyed a synagogue and worship center on the final day of Passover. LOUISIANA New Orleans: Xavier University of Louisiana, a small, historically Black university known for its success in getting graduates into medical school, is now planning its own medical school. MAINE Augusta: Democratic Gov. Janet Mills asked tribal chiefs and legislative leaders in a letter made public Monday to drop their effort to amend a 1980 land settlement deal that gave the state of Maine some governmental power over tribes. MARYLAND Salisbury: A potentially lucrative revenue stream for struggling commercial fishermen could become a reality as the state begins to research a shrimp fishery in Maryland’s warming waters. MASSACHUSETTS Nantucket: Scientists at MIT are proposing releasing hordes of genetically altered mice on the island to combat the growing scourge of Lyme disease. MICHIGAN Taylor: A civilian “role player” in a suburban Detroit police training program suffered a gunshot wound Sunday and was hospitalized, Michigan State Police said. MINNESOTA Crookston: Volunteers and National Guard members spent two days sandbagging to fortify the city from an expected record flood along the Red Lake River. MISSISSIPPI Jackson: The state is enacting a new law that says state and local government agencies cannot withhold services from or refuse jobs to people who choose not to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
MISSOURI Jefferson City: A bill approved by the state Senate would impose limits on Missouri’s public records law to exclude certain types of documents and communications and no longer classify some meetings of elected officials as “public.” MONTANA Helena: A judge has temporarily blocked enforcement of a state law that required transgender people to have undergone a “surgical procedure” before they may alter their birth certificates. NEBRASKA Omaha: Google says it will invest more than $750 million in the state in 2022, including construction of a data center in Omaha. NEVADA Reno: An electric scooter sharing program years in the making has finally launched. Bird’s escooter fleet will deploy in phases over the next eight weeks.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: The state Senate has killed a proposed expansion of an education tax credit program, arguing it would diminish aid to current beneficiaries. NEW JERSEY Ocean City: The developers of a wind energy farm off the southern New Jersey coast said Monday that they have hired two companies to connect the project to the electrical grid on land.
NEW MEXICO Carlsbad: State environmental regulators are reviewing plans submitted by Mosaic Potash to investigate and define the extent of groundwater contamination from discharges associated with potash mining along the Pecos River.
NEW YORK New York: Several dozen teachers and other school employees who officials said submitted fraudulent proof of COVID-19 vaccination were put on leave Monday. NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: Leslie McCrae Dowless Jr., the key player in an absentee ballot fraud probe that led to a do-over of the 2018 congressional election, has died. NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: Secretary of State Al Jaeger has approved the formatting of a petition for a proposed ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana in the state.
OHIO Columbus: State regulation of streams that flow temporarily after rainfall will be restricted under legislation signed by Gov. Mike DeWine. OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: After calling for the disestablishment of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation reservation, congressional candidate John Bennett is receiving pushback from tribal leaders.
OREGON Clatskanie: An investigator has determined players on a local high school girls’ basketball team “more likely than not” used racist language against members of another team in a December game. PENNSYLVANIA Dillsburg: A school board has denied a resident’s request form an After School Satan Club at Northern Elementary School. RHODE ISLAND Providence: The U.S. Supreme Court will not take up a conservative advocacy group’s challenge to state campaign finance laws. SOUTH CAROLINA York: York County is suing two cities inside its border, saying Rock Hill and Tega Cay are refusing to keep up with a deal to pay $73 a day to house their jail inmates. SOUTH DAKOTA Pierre: Despite a big 2015 funding hike focused on bridges, the state continues to tread water when it comes to how quickly work is done, leaving hundreds of bridges requiring “high priority” corrective repairs and dozens closed. TENNESSEE Nashville: The state will soon add harsh penalties against public schools that allow transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports, under legislation signed into law by Republican Gov. Bill Lee.
TEXAS Eagle Pass: Search crews on Monday recovered the body of a Texas National Guard member who went missing after jumping into the Rio Grande to help a migrant who was struggling to swim across.
UTAH Cedar City: Four people were killed when a single-engine plane on a sightseeing tour crashed minutes after takeoff, authorities said Sunday. VERMONT Burlington: The share of Vermonters living with a disability is growing quickly, yet nobody is sure just how many people fall under this category, which could affect how the state allocates money for support.
Olympic National Park: The Olympic Peninsula has lost 45% of its glacier coverage since 1980, according to a new study by Portland State University professor Andrew Fountain and co-authors from Washington state and British Columbia, and the peninsula’s remaining 250 glaciers, which covered about 2 square miles at last estimate, should be gone in another 50 years. WEST VIRGINIA Northfork: Several communities in the state’s southern coal fields are celebrating the completion last week of a long-awaited project to bring them clean water. WISCONSIN Waukesha: Five months after an SUV plowed through a crowd and killed six people at a Christmas parade, the city is weighing plans for a permanent memorial and safety measures for the 2022 parade. WYOMING Casper: Conservation groups are still seeking protections for thick-leaf bladderpod, a rare plant that scuttled plans for a gypsum mine in the Bighorn Basin area, the Casper Star-Tribune reports.
From USA TODAY Network and wire reports
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