- What are your career goals?
- Why did you leave the company previously?
- What made you decide to come back to our organization?
- What have you learned while you were working elsewhere?
- What new skills do you bring to the position after working for another company?
How to Answer “Why do you want to work here again?” – (Interviewing with a former employer)
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Many employees are on the move, looking for that next opportunity. Perhaps they want a bigger challenge, more money, or believe they need to leave their current company to advance their career. But what if they leave your company and realize the new opportunity wasn’t as great as they thought, or they left years ago, gained new skills, and now want to come back? Should you hire them?
Rehiring a former employee, known as a boomerang, may seem like the easy answer because they already know the company culture, business nuances, and people, but there are several reasons why they might not be the right person for the job. Here are five questions managers should ask themselves before hiring a former employee.
Am I hiring the boomerang employee because it seems like the easy option?
The employee knows the company, but is the new job exactly the same as the one they left? Most employees will come back to an employer for a different or more senior role. Consider how they’ll adjust to a different role and whether their colleagues will see them as capable of that higher-level position. Check in with their previous manager (if applicable), HR, and cross-functional stakeholders not only about whether the employee should be considered for rehire, but also about their soft skills and ability to adjust to new and dynamic situations. This will help you foresee any roadblocks to the boomerang’s success in the new role.
Then think about how they’ll fit into the culture of your team. Is it the same team, or has the team changed or grown since they left? If it’s a new team, how will the boomerang fit in with the current employees? Will they be managing any former colleagues who were previously peers? And how will that impact the team dynamics? What will you need to do to ensure a smooth transition for the boomerang and the team?
Finally, do you equate “easier” with “no ramp time?” You may think the boomerang doesn’t need much onboarding, especially if they’re returning to the same team, but companies, teams, and processes grow and change, and they deserve the same amount of ramp time as any new employee. If they get back into the swing of things quickly, then great!
The solution to the problem
If youre not employing the science of behavioral interviewing in your hiring process, youre truly risking disaster by bringing in the wrong people.
In essence, if you ask behavioral-interview questions, youre no longer asking questions that will lead to vague or hypothetical answers (i.e., “Why should we hire you?”), but are asking questions that must be answered based upon fact.
This gives hiring managers a clear edge; candidates may not get a chance to deliver any prepared stories or scripted answers when faced with behavioral interview questions.
Here are several questions youll want to ask as it pertains to what makes a high-performing employee for your team or company.
Employee turnover is downright costly. A great way to avoid it is to ask the right questions in the interview process.
I hate to start on a grim note, but its necessary. Bringing in a few bad apples because of a lack of due diligence in the hiring process can be very costly (and inexcusable). Check out these latest statistics:
OK, who wants to hire disengaged workers that will be bailing ship after six months on the job, raise your hand? Didnt think so. So what gives?
Offering competitive compensation and great benefits aside, its way too common for inexperienced hiring managers to ask the wrong interview questions to size up job candidates for job/culture fit, and the people skills that lend to success on the job. This is a problem that needs fixing.
FAQ
What questions can you ask a former employee?
- What was the interview process for this position like? …
- What did you like about your position? …
- Did you feel like you had everything you needed to do your job well? …
- How would you describe your job responsibilities in this position?
How do you answer would you rehire this person?
- Could you tell me about yourself and describe your background in brief? …
- How did you hear about this position? …
- What type of work environment do you prefer? …
- How do you deal with pressure or stressful situations? …
- Do you prefer working independently or on a team?
What are 5 questions you will ask potential employees in a job interview?
