Question:  I have been doing international contracts for the past decade.  Many of them have been with affiliated organizations.  Recently, I saw a great opportunity with an NGO with which I worked several years ago.  I want to apply, but I hesitate.  Is there some rule against working for the same employer twice?  Will the recruiter see I previously worked with them and screen me out? 

Answer:  In the international world, professionals work more than once for the same employer.  Because so much of the work is grant/contract-based, leaving may simply mean funding ran out, or, alternatively, that a successful assignment was complete.

Neither event should disqualify you from re-applying to your former employer.  In “How To Get Rehired” (Warren, Kate. March 2014), the argument is made that many international employers can and do rehire former employees but that there are some rules to observe.  Warren counsels employees to be aware of the following:

Employer policies sometimes restrict rehiring.

Certain employers do not rehire as a policy matter which could include a number of factors such as: you left to join a competitor; your work was questionable, or you had a personality clash with a key leader at the organization.

Recruiters may assume you would not be a great candidate.

Sometimes, recruiters make wrong assumptions and conclude that if you were a great candidate, someone would have reached out to you.  Or, they assume there must have been a problem, otherwise, you would have been contacted.  Neither is necessarily accurate.

It is smart to use contacts/networks within the organization to re-connect.

Reach back to those with whom you worked at the organization.  See if any one of them might be willing to speak with the person hiring on your behalf.

Keep building your professional networks and connections.  

Your career needs friends and sponsors which includes your previous employers.  It is so much easier to reach out to someone who has been an ongoing partner in career-related discussions than it is to catch someone up to speed.  Keep in communication with your colleagues, supervisors and sponsors from previous projects and assignments using brief emails, cards, referrals, conference updates and articles of interest.  This exchange will keep the conversation going.

Contact Karen Alphonse at Karena@execSearches.com or visit ExecSearches.com for more information about our career coaching services.

ExecSearches.com is a job board for nonprofit job seekers interested in fundraising, management and executive nonprofit jobs.

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