There is a phenomenon in human resources that is much more common today than in the past because of the changing nature of the workforce. It is the situation that occurs when a worker who has left a company reapplies to that company some time later.

There is even a name for these people – boomerang applicants. They are more common today because workers move around more, are less apt to be as loyal to a company as in the past. Companies as well are more prone to lay off people. If you have a boomerang job applicant, how should you deal with him or her?

That depends a lot on his or her previous tenure with the company. Why did the person leave in the first place? If the reason was not a good one – conflicts with a supervisor or colleagues, poor performance, disagreements with company policy – it is pretty clear that you won’t want to rehire this person. However, if the person left on good terms, perhaps because he or she was leaving to pursue new challenges or opportunities, then you may want to think seriously about rehiring the person. Here are a few advantages of hiring a boomerang applicant.

1. You know the person and what he can do.
You have ample evidence of what kind of worker the person is. You know how he or she performs on a day-to-day basis, which is a lot more than you know about most job candidates. You know how the person handles pressure and gets along with other people.

2. He or she can hit the ground running.
Conversely, he or she knows the company. He knows the policies and procedures, how it operates, what the expectations are. He can pretty much come on board at full speed and won’t need the time to get oriented, as with most new hires.

3. He or she can make a big impact.
The boomerang candidate is coming back to you with new skills and experience that he or she gained from his work at other companies. This naturally can be a big benefit to your company, as he will be bringing new ideas and new thinking with him.

If your company is looking for qualified people, you need to see Winston Resources. We have the expertise and the experience to find the right employees for you. We work with our applicants every step of the way to make sure you only get the best. Give Winston a call today.