Interesting dilemna

[imported_Pissedjedi]

Its been nearly 3 months since I left my old job. I enjoyed working their I loved my co-workers. I enjoyed helping out our customers. But there were problems.. the overall manager was an unprofessional jerk.. who was having an affair with a staff member. Didn't affect me personally.. but he was married with kids an she was engaged. One day I bumbled into catching them in a passionate embrace. I made nothing of it at the time.. But later on was brought into an office a week later by another manager and told that what I saw was not "what you thought you saw." I also realized He wasn't focused on the company business and our location suffered for it. I saw the company as a whole having problems with this. and based on the lies and my gut feelings at the time. I decided to leave. My manager that directly over saw me I got along with great. And I held out for a while because of him. I joined a larger company the position I am in is totally different type of work. the pay is not as good as the previous job.. but the health benefits are superior in every way. The potential is pretty good.
But I am concerned..I am not as young as used to be I am 34. And I feel like I should be at a point salary wise Better then where I am now. I have been contacted because the location has a new overall manager who is extremely interested in having me rejoin the company.
My question is.. has anyone had an experience like this and how did they handle it? and if they did rejoin their old company how has it turned out? What ultimately made the decision for you that you decided to come back? I am curious. Because I Am torn at this time... and I feel like I should give the new job more of a chance but the type of work I am in right now doesn't really excite me Yet I do know that potential in this larger company is huge.

Its the Big Fish in the little pond compared to the Big fish in the ocean Syndrome.

 

[z0mb13]

welcome to ATOT!

 

[Madwand1]

It's always tempting to stick with a company that's comfortable and pays well. However, there's an invisible cost to this -- a reduction of overall breadth of experience and over-reliance on that single employer/environment. Especially with smaller companies, I think the general advice would be to not look at them as a reliable long-term employment prospect, but to increase your own flexibility and longer-term viability by having experience elsewhere.

I suggest keeping the reasoning about the old company on very professional terms -- what would you realistically expect to gain professionally by going back to the old company? What would you realistically expect to lose by not continuing your current employment? IMO, if you're flipping back and forth from a new company to the old, you'll leave a bad impression on a new prospective employer -- who will see that as an unwillingness to change and a strong tie to the old & comfortable. Leaving a new employment soon will also make the next candidate employer think (to some degree) -- "will he stick with it or bail early? -- maybe I should spend my time on that other person instead".

If you decide to go back, you should have a good response prepared to answer the question of why you quit the new job (a) to your current employer (b) to future employers.

If you decide to stay, you should have a pleasant and positive answer to your old employer -- e.g. thanking them for their interest, and saying that you're interested, but saying that you need to make a professional best effort with the new employer, etc., and that you'd still like to be able to talk to them in the future about new prospects.

It's very risky, but you could also use this opportunity as some leverage with your new employer -- in order to better see what opportunities may be opening up for you there. I don't recommend doing this directly to start, but you could consider it indirectly -- don't tell your new manager about your old company wanting you back, but just ask for some clarification about progress, hinting that you've got ambition and more capability than is being utilized at this time.