#81 Rejoining your Old Organization?
You had a great experience at your previous- organization but having second thoughts about whether to go back or try something new. Read today's blog to know more!
Imagine one of your friend coming upto you and saying, “Hey, I am thinking to get back at my old organization”. A commotion will hit your head and with a disgruntled look on your face, you would ask “Why do you wanna ever do that?” This pretty much sums up today’s conversation on the topic where going back the same old road is often not taken positively, be it your ex-boss or your ex- friend (Well, second one is a bit more scary than the first and might need double check before a step :P)
If you are having such a thought that means you liked something there made to rethink about that move. And jokes aside, am I saying that rejoining your old organization or getting to work with your old boss is cool? Umm.. Yes definitely but conditions apply (which we gonna discuss in a while). I know what’s running in your head and let me clear that air right away before delving into the topic’s What and How.
Joining back old firm might show that you don’t have any other offers in your hand
Your ex-colleagues might not respect you the same way as they used to and may have some bonding gaps
You may be perceived as a confused individual and organization might take undue benefit of your rejoining decision by putting you into a compromised position from a growth perspective
Working with your old boss might be like going back in time and doing the same old work
All these are relevant thoughts and you are not overthinking if any of these are crossing your mind and making you unsure about whether to go down the old lane or just take another leap of new faith at work. Dissect these thoughts into two categories to be sure whether you are open to look ‘rejoining’ as an option or not, because that’s the first and perhaps the most important step to embark on the process journey.
So. divide your points into Internal and External categories, where internal would answer ‘What’s in there for you?’ and external would answer ‘What’s in there for them’. For example, take point 2 mentioned above, internally you might not care much as you know you can definitely rebuild the rapport and gain the same level of appreciation and respect through your work. Externally, people might or might not think in a such a way about you, but if they do then they maybe be considering you as a peer competitor who’s just making their growth a bit hard battle or may divide some key projects between you and them. If you are confident and happy about the whole idea, you will eventually find a way to satisfy or build required strength to deal with the external category pointers.
Perform a Why analysis for all the points running in your head, categorize and try to gaze the inherent purpose of that thought. Once you are done you will atleast get an answer to ‘Whether you really want to consider rejoining as an option in first place or not’.
Okay. so if the answer turned out to be a ‘Yes’, then let's move to our next crucial step of seeking the purpose of this move.
The questions to ask yourself are these:
Did you leave to get away from something or go toward something?
The latent guiding force to make a job shift is to either try something new or exciting or it is more future-focussed from your growth angle.
If you left because you were unhappy, have the conditions changed? If you were dissatisfied with things at your previous organization, have they changed? - Talk to your colleagues and assess the current state in order to take a decision of how better you are suited to handle the situations now.
What do you miss? And how much do you miss it? If you miss big things like the culture of excellence or co-workers who had tons of respect and appreciation for each other, pay attention to these feelings. Align your current priorities with your past experience and current work scenario to make a wise call.
If the new job isn’t measuring up, and if the previous job wasn’t a negative experience, going back could be a great idea.
Now thoughts and purpose is set, you are ready to take ‘The step in the direction’
Why such a exaggeration? Perhaps, this is the most important ‘foot in the door’ step and that is getting in touch to your previous manager or head to assess the hiring situation and also express your idea of rejoining his team. Now this step is like ’to each its own’ and is dependent on the bond and note you left the organization with and that last feeling is something that was carried by you and your team.
This can never be done in any other easy way than requesting for sometime on his/ her calendar, detailing him about your current experience, seeking guidance for your trajectory and taking his inputs on your current state.
This will further help to understand what open roles they have, expectations from you and how can you fit in back to the full circle.
A sneak peek into my experience of recent rejoining my old organziation
So, now you know where did tpday’s blog actually come from. I recently switched back to my old organization and despite what people around me are thinking, I am welcomed back with alot of warmth, respect and good work.
So, ,my idea of taking an exit from the bank was to just try my hand at a startup with some sustainable agri-driven business model. While, the experience was enriching, I started to feel that I can use those learnings back to my Indian market which was anyway the plan while moving out. It’s just that the moment arrived bit early than expected but grateful that the Indian market is still well developing and booming to encapsulate the technological changes happening in the sector.
So, one random day, I sought sometime from my ex- reporting manager and spoke about hitting back to Indian market. We discussed more about what are the open roles and how he thinks I can fit in back in the industry as a whole. While using his guidance, I started resrach in the suggested direction and found which way/ direction I want to proceed with. Eventually, I figured out that my current role is working well enought for me and further deep dived into current opportunities. Cut to the day, where I again called my ex-reporting manager to express that I would like to join back if there’s an opportunity.
He helped me figure out the path of joining back right from HR formalities to interview and offer letter release. During this transition phase, below are some points that helped me smoothly restart at the organization:
Re-igniting your network: I connected back with all the key folks I used to work with and get a sense of how are they doing and current role and responsibilities (you would be amazed to see the transformation, atimes!)
Don’t be complacent: You know the organization , its culture and this has made it easy for you fit in back. But don’t confuse this familiarity with an easy time, ensure you find out the developments and change your behavior and attitude in accordance to the organization and new team mates
Enter with a blank view: Don’t fill your head and heart with old memories and work you have done in the past, understand that you have to perform in your best efforts to redevelop that bond and showcase your work. Your past performance and rapoort has brought you here but will not help you go up the ladder
Seek guidance: We all ride up our ways to higher positions but the keep the core of learning and development intact. Never hesitate to be a student or seek guidance from your mentors which will eventually help you in long run
Summary
The decision to stay or go—keeping with your new role or returning to your old standby—will require both the head and the heart. Make lists, rank priorities, rate your options—and then step back and let your gut kick in. Use your best analytical skills and apply your intuitive decision making as well.