A Professionals Guide to Asking for Your Old Job Back (Without Begging)

A Professionals Guide to Asking for Your Old Job Back (Without Begging)A Professionals Guide to Asking for Your Old Job Back (Without Begging)Youre a few months to a year into what you thought would be your dream job. You left a perfectly good job in order to take this one because you thought it would be a better opportunity.But now that some time has passed, its clear you were dead wrong. Not only is thisnotthejob of your dreams, it isnt even close to as good as the job you had before.The thought of returning to your old job has crossed your mind more than once, but you dont know how to go about approaching your oldcompany about the possibility of getting rehired. Herewhat to do- in this order.Revisit Why You LeftOnce youve begun fantasizing about returning to your past employer, youre likely to start weighing a lot of factors at onceWould they want meback?Have they backfilled byposition by now? Is there even room for me if they have?Dont get ahead of yourself. Before you can answer any of those questions, you need to reexamine the reasons why you left in the first place. Think hard about whether your motivations back thenshould deter you from rejoining your past employer now. If any major downsides from your last role led you to quit it and youd have to face them again, you might want to think twice about rejoining the company. But if not,youre all clear to reach out to your former employer.Related 3 Times Its Okay to Change Your Mind About a Job Offer (or Your Whole Career)Network InformallyWhen you resigned, you likely left behind a boss, mentor, or a champion in the company who knows you well. Reach out to that person- informally at first- and confidentially discuss your desire to return to the company. Ask for theirhonest sense ofthe feasibility of that happening, including the companys perception of you, your work, your skill set,how well-liked you were, and (most important of all) how the company seemed to feel about the circumstances surrounding your d eparteure.If you left on great terms and the company has a need for you, go into soft-sell mode and talk about the new skills youve acquired since you left. You want to position yourself as an incoming employee whos going to addnewvalue, not just the same old employee who left and now wants to return. The likelihood of your getting rehired goes way up if you give your contact inside the company allthe ammunition they need to go back andsell your candidacy to thosewho are responsible for hiring.Related How I Got My Old Job Back After Leaving for a New OneApply FormallyIf your informal liaison gives you the green light, then have them put you in prise with ahuman resources officeror the person in charge of hiring for your position. But hang onto a job-interview mindset for this stage- you arent negotiating anything just yet. Youllneed a well-crafted story for why your former employer should consider you always assume there are other qualified candidates for the company to choose from. But dont downplay your experience since quitting. In fact, keep the focus of your story on the benefits of hiring youthe second time around, since this is now what separates you from other candidates. Include new skills youve acquired in the meantime, plusyour extensive knowledge of the company and the way it operates. Talk upthe fact that you have relationships already in place with employees in the company, and emphasize how quickly youll be able to hit the ground running and getback up to speed.Prepare for aDifferent Type of InterviewBe ready for a very different job interview than what you might expect had you neverworked at the company. That conversationwill likely center aroundwhy you left and why you now want to come back. Expect some level of skepticism on the part of the company, since somebody who left once can always leave twice. The company might hesitate to reinvest in you if it cant be sure you plan to stay, so your pitchneeds to be compelling.While you shouldfocus ont hemain skills youll be bringing back to the company, the interview is also your chance to sell the new skills youll be bringing in this time around. Dont hold back in making the case for yourself, and dont be afraid to admit any mistakes you mightvemade in deciding to leave originally. You need to convince people that since you were a highly valuable employee the first time around, you can be an even more valuable employee the second time around.Related 5 Steps to Getting Rehired By a Former EmployerNegotiate for More Than What You Left WithSalary, job title, responsibilities You might hesitate to, but you should negotiate for more of everything.Once you move successfully through the interview process and it looks like the company is interested in bringing you back, youve gained leverage. So use itThe narrative you told about being a value-add clearly paid off, so now you need to carry it throughthe negotiation stage. As a result, you should ask for more money, a higher job title, a nd more responsibility.This approach lets you negotiatefrom a position of strength. If the company winds up offering you the same job or salary that you had before, the ball is in your court to decide if its worth taking. But whatever you do,neveraccept a lowertitle or less paythan you had the first time around. It will be uncomfortable for you and for everybody around you, especially if past subordinates later become your peers- and its a sign that your company doesnt value you as much as it did before. Youd be better off accepting a job elsewhere.This article was originally published on Fast Company. It has been republished here with permission.