Former employees can be a valuable source of talent, especially when organizations maintain an employee alumni network and keep positive relationships with departing workers.
Boomerang employees -- workers who leave but later return to the company -- may already understand the organization, customers, systems and culture. But HR leaders should still evaluate the pros and cons of hiring a boomerang employee before moving forward. A returning employee might bring new skills and need less onboarding, but they might also return with outdated expectations or unresolved concerns.
A boomerang employee interview should not be a formality. HR, the hiring manager and the employee's potential new manager should use the interview to understand why the employee left, what has changed since then and whether the employee fits the current role, team and business needs.
Before scheduling a boomerang employee interview, HR should confirm the person is eligible for rehire under company policy and review any prior performance, conduct or offboarding records that should inform the process.
A boomerang employee interview should not be a formality.
Interview questions for boomerang employees
The hiring manager and potential future managers who interview the boomerang employee can ask some of the same questions they would ask a first-time candidate. But interviewing a former employee requires some extra consideration to make sure their transition back into the company would be as seamless as possible.
Here are six interview questions for boomerang employees as well as some best practices for onboarding boomerang employees.
1. Why did you leave, and what are you expecting if you return?
Interviewers should uncover the reason for the initial departure and gauge the candidate's current expectations.
The interviewer should also evaluate whether the boomerang employee has realistic expectations about the current organization. The role, manager, team, tools, compensation structure or workplace model may have changed since the employee left.
Boomerang employees may view their time at the company with nostalgia or hope for a hero's welcome, said Kristopher Potrafka, vice president of human resources at Ambiq, an electronics manufacturer located in Austin, Texas.
"We've had boomerangs come back and get frustrated, because it's not the same way of working," he said.
Boomerang employee interview checklist
Why the employee left.
Whether unresolved issues still exist.
What skills or experience the employee gained.
Whether the role, manager or team has changed.
Whether pay, level and flexibility expectations are aligned.
Whether HR has confirmed the employee is eligible for rehire.
What onboarding the employee will still need.
2. What is your long-term goal?
This question can help determine whether the boomerang employee views their return as a long-term move, a short-term bridge or a way to reenter the organization before pursuing another opportunity.
"You have to be careful because if they left the first time around, would they leave the second time around as well?" said Nick Shah, CEO of Peterson Technology Partners, an IT technology recruiting firm located in Park Ridge, Ill.
Asking this question can help HR and hiring managers evaluate whether the employee's goals align with the role, team and talent acquisition strategy.
You have to be careful because, if they left the first time around, would they leave the second time around as well?
Nick ShahCEO of Peterson Technology Partners
3. What have you learned in the time you've been away?
One potential advantage of hiring a boomerang employee is that the employee may have gained new skills, industry knowledge, leadership experience or customer perspective while working elsewhere.
The boomerang employee's answer can reveal how they've grown as a worker and what new value they may bring back, said Robin Schooling, director of talent strategy at Humareso, an HR consultancy located in Vero Beach, Fla.
The interviewer should ask for specific examples. General enthusiasm about returning is less useful than evidence that the employee developed capabilities that match the current role.
4. How do you plan to reintegrate into our company?
Bringing back a former employee can be awkward if co-workers believe the person received special treatment, returned at a higher level without a clear reason or came back at pay that creates compression with current employees in similar roles. Employees who stayed at the company may also remember old conflicts or wonder why the returning employee is being rehired.
Asking how a boomerang employee plans to reintegrate into the company culture may help prevent problems, Potrafka said.
During this portion of the interview, the hiring manager or potential manager should give the boomerang employee insight into current team dynamics. For example, the manager could say, "Since you left, Donna has taken on a managing role, so team dynamics have changed somewhat."
This conversation should also cover how the employee will rebuild relationships, learn new processes and adapt to any changes in leadership, work location or team expectations.
5. Have you kept in touch with any of your old team members?
A boomerang employee who has stayed in touch with former co-workers may have a more realistic picture of the company than someone relying on memory.
Asking this question can reveal whether the boomerang employee is still attuned to the company's culture, Shah said. Team dynamics may have changed as people rise through the ranks or leave the company, but if the boomerang employee is talking regularly with former co-workers, they may already understand some of those changes and still want to return.
The interviewer should also be careful not to treat informal relationships as a substitute for normal hiring due diligence. HR should still review performance history, rehire eligibility and role fit.
6. Would a short-term project or contract role make sense?
This question is most appropriate when the role was advertised as contract-to-hire, when no permanent head count is currently open or when the former employee is exploring a return but has not applied for a specific full-time position.
Bringing a boomerang employee back for a short-term project or contract-to-hire role can be one way to test whether the employee, role and team are still a good fit.
Shah's company found success with bringing back a former employee as a contractor first, then hiring the person full time, he said.
HR should make sure any short-term arrangement follows company policy and applicable employment rules. A trial arrangement should not be used to avoid normal hiring, classification, pay or benefits requirements.
Best practices for onboarding boomerang employees
Once the company has determined that the boomerang employee is a good fit, it will still need to onboard them. Returning employees may need less orientation than brand-new hires, but HR should not assume they already know the current organization.
Before onboarding a boomerang employee, HR should keep these key considerations in mind.
Review company policies for boomerang employees
Since some companies used to forbid employees from returning, HR staff may need to reexamine policies to make sure they align with employees who have two separate company tenures.
For example, HR may need to review rules for rehire eligibility, bridging service, length of service, accrued PTO, benefits eligibility, seniority, compensation, background checks and system access, Schooling said. Bridging service policies determine whether some or all of a returning employee's prior tenure counts toward benefits, PTO accrual, vesting or seniority, where applicable.
HR should also use the offboarding process to keep records that could help if a former employee later applies to return. A respectful offboarding process can preserve the relationship and make future rehiring decisions easier.
Provide the same messaging to all candidates and hires
While onboarding boomerang employees may be easier because they already know the company, returning employees should not skip important onboarding steps. For example, a boomerang employee should still receive current information about organizational values, policies, systems, benefits, security requirements and team expectations.
Ideally, HR staff should provide the same messaging to boomerang employees and new hires, Schooling said.
Consistent onboarding can also improve the employee experience by making expectations clear and reducing confusion about what has changed since the employee left.
Boomerang employees can be valuable hires, but the interview should test more than familiarity. HR and hiring managers should evaluate why the employee left, what the employee learned elsewhere, whether the current role is a real fit and what onboarding the employee will need to succeed the second time.
Editor's note: This article was originally published in 2023 and was updated to reflect current boomerang-employee hiring, interviewing and onboarding considerations.
Christine Campbell is a freelance writer specializing in business and B2B technology.
