Should You Return to a Previous Employer?

Andy Jordan is President of Roffensian Consulting S.A., a Roatan, Honduras-based management consulting firm with a comprehensive project management practice. Andy always appreciates feedback and discussion on the issues raised in his articles and can be reached at [email protected]. Andy's new book Risk Management for Project Driven Organizations is now available.

  Career Development  

I was recently contacted by someone who was considering returning to a former employer as a project manager—the same position that they had held when they left several years ago. They originally left to take on a program manager role with another company, and while things had gone well with the role, the company was struggling and he became a victim of layoffs. While he was pleased to have the opportunity to quickly return to employment, he was worried that he would be perceived negatively by colleagues and new employees if he returned to the previous company.

We can all probably relate to that feeling, even if we haven’t experienced it ourselves. Regardless of the circumstances, if you leave an organization to take on a role that is considered to be more senior or “better,” and then return to the original organization and position, there is the risk that you will be seen as unsuccessful.

That’s a knock to the ego, but for project managers it can also have practical implications. If team members and stakeholders question your skills, then that can cause them to doubt your ability to deliver a successful project, undermining your chances of success.

However, that fear of a negative perception shouldn’t put someone off. I think that this represents a great opportunity on a number of fronts.

The practical aspects
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