Background: About 6 months ago, I left my previous employer for very difficult family reasons, I just needed to be closer to home. 6 months on, things have changed and I am now very strongly considering going back.
I am considering returning to the job I had as a mid-level engineer at a large company about a half-year ago. When I left for very personal reasons, my boss said that if I ever wanted to work for him again, to “let him know”. I have been considering this for a while, and believe it is the correct choice for me, but I have a couple of concerns:
- How can I avoid the optics that I only did this as a “springboard” to get a raise/am likely to do it again?
- How should I navigate the hiring process? I see that essentially my old job is open right now. Should I apply as a normal candidate, or reach out to my old boss who is doing the hiring?
- I am still on excellent terms with my old coworkers. Should I be cautious of any potential hard feelings or other issues?
- My company has a referral bonus policy. If appropriate, I would like to be able to kick some money to one of my coworkers for a referral, but want everything to be “above board”.
I realize I may be overthinking things here, but this company was where I saw my career long-term and would like to return to that.