A few weeks ago, I applied for a job with a former employer. The job description was similar to my old job and thought I could at least hear something back from them. I heard back Thursday and went for an interview on Friday. I left feeling pretty good about the interview. Now that I’ve had some time, I’m wondering if I will be offered the job.
There are some pros to interviewing with your former employer. You know the company and they know you. If you left on good terms and did your job well, then in theory you should have a good chance to being rehired.
The cons are the same as the pros. The employer knows you and the work you’ve done. If the job isn’t exactly what you had done previously, they may want to hire someone new. After my interview, I felt good about it because I remember my first interview with this company. As I think about it more as to why they wouldn’t hire me, I come up with my reasons. Since the job isn’t exactly what I did before but close to it, maybe they would prefer to hire someone else. What if someone else interviewed with more enthusiasm or just seemed to want it more? This is what my interview back in January has done to me. It left me paranoid and doubting myself.
Another disadvantage is that you already know the company. This leaves very few questions to ask. Questions are always good because it shows interest in the company. When you’ve already left a company once, you lost interest for some reason. So that could work against you.
I have been rehired by former employers – even pursued by them. My work mojo is way off. I blame it on being a housewife for five years and having such drama with my January interview. Overall I think it’s a positive sign when a former employer is considering you for a new job. Just remember to treat it like a standard interview as much as possible.
