Is recruiting former employees an effective form of recruitment?

Recruiting former employees is a form of recruitment that brings many benefits

“Why not if they are good enough? Have you ever gone to your favorite restaurant and always ordered the exact same thing? Probably many times, right? Chances are you also like other items on the menu, but you know what you get is always better.

Rehiring former employees is the same. In a sea of ​​new candidates with many doubts, you never know exactly what kind of person they are, what their abilities are, whether they will do a good job or get along with the team. No matter how thorough the interview process is, you will never know how an individual will fit into the business until you hire them.

But when recruiting old people, it's different. You already know this person and what type of employee they are. They are familiar with the company culture and may know other colleagues. This familiarity will greatly reduce risks both in terms of ability to perform work and compatibility with the environment" - Senior HR expressed his opinion.

“There are many benefits that come from hiring former employees. In most cases, you know these people, their personalities, their work ethic, and why they left your company. They also already know your product, culture, and service delivery model. This can significantly reduce training costs while they can also add value to the business by learning new things.

If the reason the employee is leaving is because of downsizing and if there are no performance issues, then this may be an employee worth rehiring, especially if they were a previous top performer.

Not long ago, we lost a talented member of our programming team. She's only just graduated but she's very talented. Unfortunately, there was a reorganization in the department and feeling the lack of interest from the new manager, she resigned and joined another company. From the time you resigned to the time you officially left, you remained very professional: giving 1 month's notice and trying to do a good job until the last day.

1 year later, I met you by chance and when I learned that you wanted to come back while the company also needed human resources, I knew I needed to get you back to work right away because I still felt sorry for an employee like you. So.

Not to be disappointed, even in the first days he had new ideas on how to improve the training process and how to present work to customers thanks to learning many new things.

The company isn't the only one benefiting. She can also take advantage of her experience to negotiate a better salary. From an employer's perspective, I think it's a win-win situation" -, Recruitment Director, talked about his situation.  

“I will re-recruit if that person left for objective reasons such as quitting to take care of a relative and can now return. If the reason they quit their job is because they easily feel bored with their job, then you have to consider more.

I once encountered a case where an excellent employee quit after 4 months to sell online. After that, business was difficult and she applied for a job at a startup. 7 months later, she quit her job again. She contacted me to return to work. I said that I would be happy to welcome her back with the condition that I commit to staying with the company for at least 2 years. This is fair to her and to my company, but she refused" -  Deputy Recruitment Department shared.

“While internal or new hires are common, there is a promising third option worth considering: hiring former employees.”

However, there are also many potential risks

In contrast to the agreeing opinion, there are many opposing opinions, flatly refusing to use re -recruitment for many reasons.

“My opinion is a little different. I will not hire again. I used to work at a multinational company that had a strict policy about never rehiring old people. The reason they give is because they have given their employees the best remuneration, benefits and working environment and if the employee chooses to leave, this is no different than a betrayal and that hurts. .

When a person leaves voluntarily, they may have been persuaded to stay by any means possible. If they are determined to leave, it means they are no longer interested in the company's interests. Furthermore, if that employee cannot withstand the storms outside, it proves that they are not good enough, so why hire them again? – , HR Manager explains the reason.

Senior Recruitment Specialist continued, “Recruiting former employees can be risky because they may leave the company again to find better opportunities. Another harsh reality may be that they need the job more than they actually want to return to your company. Besides, employees who have been laid off in the past may harbor resentment. If they bring a toxic attitude, it could be tragic for your team.'

Asked "Should we rehire old employees?", Strategic Human Resources Director, said that the answer depends on many factors. “If you decide it's worth the risk, it helps to have the right strategy in place.

First make sure to ask former employees all of the same questions you would ask brand new candidates. This should still be a thorough and professional interview. Learn about the new experiences they've had since leaving the company, as well as why they left those jobs. Whatever the reason, consider whether it's something that would also happen at your company if hired again.

Along with that, find out why the employee wants to return (Missing old colleagues is not a reliable reason). What you need to hear is what new capabilities employees have had time to learn, grow and develop, and how confident they feel that that new knowledge can benefit your company. .  

It is important to note that you also need to consider how rehiring a former employee will affect the team they will join. Will they be working with the previous team or a completely new team? How will former members of the group feel about this? Current employees may feel threatened when someone returns with new skills. They also won't be happy if an employee comes back with a higher title and a better salary (which is often the case) and that means getting bored and quitting.