Attracting talent is harder than ever. Thanks to a strong economy leading company growth and a multitude of job opportunities flooding into the market each day, talent acquisition is taking a leading role amongst the day to day tasks of many HR and recruitment professionals.
And tempting good quality candidates to your vacancies is taking more time, effort and innovative ‘out of the box’ thinking.

So why not re-hire an ex-employee, especially if they performed well? This so-called ‘boomerang employee’ phenomenon is nothing new, but as candidates get harder to attract many companies are welcoming old faces back with open arms in a bid to end their talent acquisition worries.

But before you think that this might be the solution to your problems, ask yourself the following questions:

Why did they leave first time around?
You’ll most probably have this noted down on the employees record, especially if you carry out exit interviews for staff who are moving on. If the reason was to raise a family, health issues that have since been resolved or to study then fair enough.

But if they moved on as they didn’t feel the roll was suitable, had an issue with a co-worker or just got bored then why would they really want to return?

Use your common sense on this one, and if the alarm bells start to ring then it’s best to question the reason why.

Are they the type to be easily tempted away?
It’s not usual for a good employee to be lured away by the promise of more money, a position higher up the career ladder or better personal development opportunities.

So if they left the first time round for these reasons, what are you as a business willing to do to stop it happening again?

If you’re serious about this candidate staying put this time, then it’s a good idea to offer them something that they wanted when you employed them at the start.

Lack commitment?
Some candidates can be flighty by nature, and jump ship at the drop of a hat simply because they thrive on new challenges. Don’t forget that going through the entire recruitment process can be time consuming and expensive, so if they’re going to leave unexpectedly you’ll end up out of pocket and having to start all over again.

The best idea here if you really want this candidate to return, but are unsure if they’ll stick around is to offer fixed term contracts to see if they’re serious about committing to your business.

If you have your doubts, it’s better to start afresh with a new candidate. Many of the roles we fill are backed up with a 100 day money back guarantee should your new hire leave for whatever reason.

For help creating a talent acquisition strategy that delivers real results, talk to an experienced member of the Appointments team today on 01782 338787 or email office@appointmentspersonnel.co.uk