How Should I Approach This Situation? (employee, credit, consulting, apply)

[CT356]

About two years ago I was working for a company that I was fairly satisfied with, but it was going through a small restructuring. It wasn't a huge deal, but it was enough to make employees feel a little uneasy. Right about that time, I was approached by another company with an offer to join their team. It was better pay and, at the time, seemed like a good opportunity to dodge any potential layoffs that I might have been susceptible to had I stayed.

Well, the new company ended up being a complete a disaster. It was a terrible fit for me personally and professionally, to the point that it was having a negative impact on my health. I ended up resigning after about a year and a half. It was the first time I ever resigned from a job under such circumstances. Needless to say, the whole experience has been a real blow to my confidence, and I often wonder if I'll ever get back to feeling capable of being a confident employee again.

So this all brings me to my question. I recently heard there may be several positions opening up again with my old employer and I'm interested in seeing if they might have something that would be a good fit for me. However, the managers I worked with a few years ago are no longer there so I would be coming off as a stranger to the new manager if I were to reach out with an email inquiry. I had a pretty good relationship with one of the HR managers, so I could reach out to that person. So my question is: should I contact the HR manager in regard to these possible openings or should I reach out to the manager who would actually be filling the positions?

One more added element to this dilemma. I actually have interviewed a couple of times with my old company in the course of the past year (it's been about 6 months since I last interviewed there). I was intervewing with new managers, none of whom were with the company when I was originally there a few years ago. I didn't get either of the jobs.

After not being hired during those interviews, should I hang up the idea of returning to this company or is it worth it to press on in hopes that they might hire me again? Being turned down by them twice, on top of the disastrous last job I had, has been so depressing. I'm trying to stay positive, but it certainly hasn't been easy. I just don't want to fall into a situation where I'm coming off as begging, especially since I left for a higher title and more pay.

[beera]

I'd continue to apply to your old company, in this economy people do leave and return, and you might be able to be paid more than you used to be.

Bear in mind the culture at your old company may have changed from what it used to be.

I know of two people who have returned to former employers and it worked out for them.

[bande1102]

I don't know if this is going on with you or not, but I've noticed that when I leave a job for a new job and the new job doesn't work out, I want to go back to the old job. I tend to forget why I left in the first place. I think it's because I'm afraid of walking into another bad job experience. It's a weird mind-set that stops me from moving forward. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

As for as your old job: I would contact my HR friend and feel them out. I'd try to find out why I wasn't hired and how to improve my chances of being hired this time. Right now, your company history has three potential pitfalls: you resigned, two hiring managers rejected you on two separate occasions. That doesn't look good, imo.

I would definitely expand my job search and not spend too much time on the old company. I think focusing on the past is stopping you from moving toward your future.

[Snowball7]

I would do this. Try just once more to be considered for a position you
would like at your old company, but do this only by making an appt with
the HR manager, and then only agree to interview with a different exec
than the ones which did not hire you last time. The HR manager should
be sympathetic to schedule you with someone other than the ones which
previously rejected you. If this doesn't work, then move on elsewhere.

[rdflk]

You say you've already interviewed for a couple of jobs....
Did you contact your HR acquaintance about those jobs before hand? Did that person know you were in the running?
If so, why haven't you already gotten feedback as to why your weren't chosen.
If not, why didn't you contact that person before now, with those jobs?

I suppose all that is water under the bridge but have you been hesitating for some reason, until now?
Of course, you contact your HR contact that you know.
Use every "IN" you can get....many times it's who you know.....

I actually have interviewed a couple of times with my old company in the course of the past year (it's been about 6 months since I last interviewed there). I was intervewing with new managers, none of whom were with the company when I was originally there a few years ago. I didn't get either of the jobs.

[CT356]

Originally Posted by rdflk

You say you've already interviewed for a couple of jobs....
Did you contact your HR acquaintance about those jobs before hand? Did that person know you were in the running?
If so, why haven't you already gotten feedback as to why your weren't chosen.
If not, why didn't you contact that person before now, with those jobs?

I suppose all that is water under the bridge but have you been hesitating for some reason, until now?
Of course, you contact your HR contact that you know.
Use every "IN" you can get....many times it's who you know.....

The HR contact is fairly receptive because that person was there the first time i was hired, so they remember me and know that I left on good terms. That contact has no problem passing along my resume to the new managers. At that point, it's out of their hands though. That's where things seem to die. The last time they interviewed me for a position, they had me come in on three separate occasions and then didn't even give me the courtesy of an answer. I kept checking in with them until they finally said, "we'll let you know when we know something" and they never got back to me.

Just to be clear, it's a very large organization and the positions I interviewed for in the past year were in different departments.

[softcrunch]

Maybe your HR friend have records of your re-application, just call the contact to sound it out if that's what you want, but with new management things may not be working the same as it did when you were there.

[rgb123]

Originally Posted by bande1102

I don't know if this is going on with you or not, but I've noticed that when I leave a job for a new job and the new job doesn't work out, I want to go back to the old job. I tend to forget why I left in the first place. I think it's because I'm afraid of walking into another bad job experience. It's a weird mind-set that stops me from moving forward. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

As for as your old job: I would contact my HR friend and feel them out. I'd try to find out why I wasn't hired and how to improve my chances of being hired this time. Right now, your company history has three potential pitfalls: you resigned, two hiring managers rejected you on two separate occasions. That doesn't look good, imo.

I would definitely expand my job search and not spend too much time on the old company. I think focusing on the past is stopping you from moving toward your future.

Great advice, and good points. I read this post last night and really didn't know how to respond...it's a great question and I wondered what the answers would be like.

I think you are so right. The thing about forgetting why you left in the first place, and things seeming like they weren't so bad, you want to go back ...etcl (almost like our ex's

Anyway I can add to that -- I've been in a similar situation lately (no lay off) but I was becoming wistful about an old employer I worked for and have thought about returning, looking at job posts etc. I use that company as the standard when I complain about what is lacking in my new company (basically my old company is a large, well known firm with mature policies and standards which I found comforting and very professional -- new company is smaller and finding its way in terms of employee development and equity, standard practices)

Anyhow, I did leave my old company based more on a particular team I was working with than the company itself (and it was notoriously hard to get put with another department or team so I felt stuck with some bad apples). All that equity and fairness and professionalism seemed to go out the door on this particular team and I felt like I couldn't progress, and didn't really want to anyway as I lacked respect for the people around me, actually, they lost my respect.

4 years later I still look for jobs there thinking it was the best (though most of my friends that worked there who also drank the Kool-Aid about what a great company it is have since moved on, few if any still work there). I've heard various stories about the companies decline (so not just the team I was on).

Anyway -- here is what sealed the deal for me to never look back and try to make the best of what I have now, and sit out the difficulties (or just move on to something new all together.

I left in 2010. I had an intern in 2010 for a few months before I left. He played golf, went to a cushy private school (on a golf scholarship, actually) . Knew nothing about our industry, little technical skill and I was in charge of helping to develop that skill in him. I could tell senior leaders just liked him for his personality (he was actually sleeping around with several women there, too -- like he could do no wrong while I intimately knew his skill level ...or lack of better than anyone).

I literally handed him some of the best things I'd worked on from the ground up, all he had to do was make it look pretty and he would get the credit for it. No one knew any better since only the two of us are in this particular field together.

Anyhow, something, I don't know what had me looking at his linked in profile the other day (fate? I think it just came up automatically, I didn't search for it - and I'd been thinking of him recently and how he basically told me how much he hated me at my going away party, even though I helped him tremendously and more than he could know).

Sorry for the long story but here it is: It's been about 3 years. He's about 15 years younger than me and lacks the Master's Degree that I have, and any prior experience (which I had about 8 years when I had started with that company). He had none of that.

He has now attained a level of management in the company I was never able to attain (basically he's a manager now). I never made it past the senior level of technical consulting there and was told repeatedly during my evals why, what I had done was not enough to get there.

Seeing his title on his linked in profile almost made me throw up. I couldn't believe it. Actually, in a sense I could.

That's why I left.

[CT356]

Some really good advice here -- and the intern story is enough to make anyone throw up. How is it those types always seem to excel?

I think that a few of you hit the nail on the head about me possibly romanticizing my time at my old company. In fact, there was some instability there and that's what sent me running to begin with. I've also heard a few people have recently left because they weren't happy with the direction the new management has been taking. However, there are few additional aspects of the story I should add. I live in an area that doesn't offer a ton of opportunities for my line of work and experience, so my options are somewhat limited as to where I can end up if I want to live in this area. The other thing is my old company is extremely well known -- the kind of place that jumps out on your resume. So part of me thinks I should give it another go in hopes that I can get in there again and settle into more of a career path where I could ideally stay for 5+ years and hopefully grow into a more senior role, if that's what I want. Honestly, I think a big part of why I left was because I wasn't mature enough to realize that there were some very good things about this company, especially when compared to other companies in the area. Back then, if I didn't like something, I would get fired up and tell myself I should move on. Nowadays I realize that no place is perfect. In fact, most places can be downright awful some days, but maybe the key is to just stick with a respectable place and try not to dwell too much on what's wrong with the company. On the other hand, I don't want to make a fool out of myself by knocking on their door too many times....

[beera]

If you go back SCHMOOZE. KISS ASS, smile, get involved, stick with the people who are liked and moving up, stay away from the social pariahs. I know that sounds bad, but I learned the hard way that's the best way to move up.