Many employers are scratching their heads wondering how they will staff their open positions with qualified candidates.
One of the fastest-growing hiring practices is bringing back talent that got away (aka boomerangs). This can be a good way of attracting and hiring qualified employees. Stats show that 72% of boomerangs would return if the opportunity arose (ExitCheck.com) and 23% regret having left (GoBankingRates.com)!
But…they need to be asked and told how returning can build their careers.
5 Ways to Determine if Hiring Boomerangs Are in Your Best Interest?
- Memories are not reliable. The biggest challenge is ensuring memories are real! Review performance reviews and exit interviews. Talk with former coworkers. Discuss with the boomerang why they left and are willing to come back. Drill down to ensure clarity by having more than one straight conversation about current workplace culture and expectations. If you consider the time and cost of a hiring mistake, it may be easier to train a new person rather than hire a boomerang who cannot adapt.
- Job fit is key. Understanding the boomerang’s current skills is important. Use scientifically validated assessments to clarify job fit and core values (e.g., honesty and integrity). Skill testing can determine technical abilities and other skillsets. Deep dive during interviews to ensure the boomerang can and will do the new work responsibilities required today.
- What can you offer for the future? Boomerangs have expanded their work experiences and mindsets, and along the way, learned new skills and gained new abilities. They will be more interested in returning if there is a clear pathway to earning more responsibility and a bigger paycheck. Succession planning and career pathing are two ways to ensure you have hired and will retain a happy boomerang.
- Onboarding is important. Companies change and so do workplace practices, both written and unwritten. Although onboarding for boomerangs is often faster with less training, it’s critical boomerangs are provided a clear 180-day success plan designed to develop new relationships and work within current systems, policies, and procedures. Remember, successful reintegration never relies on “the way things used to be.”
- Recruiting starts with a phone call. Talk with the boomerang to determine if there is a true interest in returning. Share opportunities and job requirements (e.g., work schedule, job responsibilities, strategic focus, etc.). Let them know about the company’s hiring system and follow it. Resolve any concerns before offering the boomerang the job. If you engage in a paycheck war, neither party wins.
©Jeannette Seibly, 2019
Jeannette Seibly is an award-winning champion for people and results. For more than 26 years, she has guided bosses and teams to select the right people for the right jobs. Need help with your strategic hiring system? Contact Jeannette today for straight talk with dynamic results.
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