Please house, I need your suggestion on how to tackle this situation.

A friend works in a manufacturing company but had to resign to join a rival company, after working for like 2years. Unfortunately, the new company had management problems and wind up barely a year after he joins them.

He got information that his former position is vacant and he applied. Now, he’s been called for interview in that same post and company, he resigned from. The problem now is, what can he tell them made him resigned at first? To him then, the motivating factor was just the finance but can he tender that now, won’t it be used against him.

Any idea on how to tackle this situation will be appreciated.

i know this is old, but it does look like an interesting conundrum nonetheless

I don't get the conundrum bit.
He needs a job, doesn't he? He's better off going in and being honest. Though of course, he's not likely to get the job anyway. In most Nigerian companies, employers or hiring managers tend to be petty about these things.
But still worth a shot nonetheless.

as in tricky/dicey

on the surface it appears theres no solution, but someone might be able to proffer one

i can recall 2 similar experiences shared here recently :

1. the guy who introduced an aunt to a job, and the aunt was called for promotion ahead of him. we accused him of nepotism

2. some other guy was being unappreciated at his current job, and got an offer with a rival company. we advised him to make the move, adding that he can always go back to the 1st if they call him


this situation is somewhat different from #2 above in that he wasnt specifically recalled.

i am of the opinion that if they want to be petty, he wont even get as far as the interview.

all he has to do now is give them a convincing reason/argument, and his old job is his.

hit or miss, what would you tell them at the interview?

the finance/pay angle op stated looks like a miss. i'm thinking he should tell them he needed "a brief change of environment, to see how things are done elsewhere ... "

is that a hit?

@ Yamakuza: that's obviously better than stating the finance factor but still a miss in my opinion. I mean what if he is asked why he decided to also leave that company? They would still get to discover the actual reason. Hmmm! Really dicey one here. I guess he just has to give it a shot, he may just be lucky to have his job back.

yamakuza: as in tricky/dicey

on the surface it appears theres no solution, but someone might be able to proffer one

i can recall 2 similar experiences shared here recently :

1. the guy who introduced an aunt to a job, and the aunt was called for promotion ahead of him. we accused him of nepotism

2. some other guy was being unappreciated at his current job, and got an offer with a rival company. we advised him to make the move, adding that he can always go back to the 1st if they call him


this situation is somewhat different from #2 above in that he wasnt specifically recalled.

i am of the opinion that if they want to be petty, he wont even get as far as the interview.

all he has to do now is give them a convincing reason/argument, and his old job is his.

hit or miss, what would you tell them at the interview?

the finance/pay angle op stated looks like a miss. i'm thinking he should tell them he needed "a brief change of environment, to see how things are done elsewhere ... "

is that a hit?

Well . . . much better if he says he went there for some more experience/exposure. Unfortunately things did not work out, and he prefers to return to his old place, seeing as he did not leave there on bad terms (or did he?)

your solutions seem to leave it all in the hands of fate ... 50/50

spicy v: @ Yamakuza: that's obviously better than stating the finance factor but still a miss in my opinion. I mean what if he is asked why he decided to also leave that company? They would still get to discover the actual reason. Hmmm! Really dicey one here. I guess he just has to give it a shot, he may just be lucky to have his job back.

a miss? i am of the opinion that having gained knowledge of the workings of a rival company, he is now an asset to his former employer.

since the other company has closed down, he might even be in a position to bring them new accounts/customers !

i think he should emphasize on what he's bringing back with him at the interview. that should put the odds in his favour.

AjanleKoko:

Well . . . much better if he says he went there for some more experience/exposure. Unfortunately things did not work out, and he prefers to return to his old place, seeing as he did not leave there on bad terms (or did he?)

no, i doubt he left there on bad terms.

I see your perspective. Well let's just hope that pettiness will be insignificant in the decision process. One might wonder if he wouldn't "run" along at the next best offer! My question is: if that company did not have the issues that resulted in a shut down θf operations, would he have resigned to pick up his first job? Having seen how different things are elsewhere? I think it would be obvious that it he is trying to play smart.

I actually think he should tell the truth but be wise about it by making the former employers see how much they stand to gain from his additional experience as you have already suggested, but also assure them that his priorities have changed! (He has learnt that there are other things that are more important than money and would not be lured away again by a rival company lol).

If after a year, his position is still vacant, then it means just one thing ----> They need him!!! and badly too! Moreover, if the company knew they could get someone better to do the job, he wouldn't have been invited in for an interview in the first place.

Interviewer: So why did you leave us (ABC company) a year ago.

Me: It wasn't an easy decision at that point but I'm glad i made the call. It has helped me gain a much broader perspective on the industry, explore new initiatives and also develop better skills (emphasize better). I expect that much of the experience gained working with a rival company will now help me identify which areas can be improved on in this role and also contribute innovative ideas in manufacturing that will keep us many miles ahead of competitors for the foreseeable future.

Note: from the above:

You haven't grovelled!(bad for your reputation. I personally hate to see a grown [i]a[/i]ss man grovel)

You haven't actually told them why you left (they know why you left already. They only want to hear you say I'm a greedy [i]b[/i]astard )

You haven't showed that you regret leaving (This will limit your chances of negotiating for a better deal later on)

...You have merely shown them that if there ever is a time that they need you, the time is now! and after sweet talking for about 2 minutes non stop, they probably wouldn't remember what question was asked again.

^ i tried hard, but couldnt find any hole(s) in your answer. i'm still looking sha ... brb!

@ Yammy: lol. You can borrow my microscope. Nice one @ Vee.