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Short-Term Strategic Assignments: Occupational Game Changers or Career Killers?

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iStock | z_wei

Let’s say you’ve received a job offer from your employer to assume a strategic, short-term, role-specific job separate from your current role. Would you accept this type of offer? Is it a good idea?

 Such an offer can be a testament to your talents and your employer's confidence in your ability to guide important projects to successful completion. There are many reasons to consider accepting the new position and approaching it as a trial promotion (whether it is or not); but the opposite may also be true – there are cons to such a deal, and it's worth giving these factors a sober look.

First, the pros. Most of us work in well-defined and focused roles with little room for flexing personal and professional capabilities we may possess. Time-limited strategic roles are typically outside a professional's "regular work" and are an opportunity to demonstrate an additional slate of skills, such as project management. They can be a trial by fire that will increase your skills, deepen your professional relationships, and allow you to hone your expertise while giving you an opportunity to take the job out for a spin and see if you like it.

For example, let's say you're an accountant and spend most of your time crunching numbers. You're offered a short-term position leading an asset management team tasked with overseeing the transfer of company property after a sale. You may do a great job and hate it. But you may love it. And now you know.

A time-limited strategic role can often be a high-profile project that features great visibility and involves working with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. The success of the initiative is paramount and a professional milestone. It's your time to shine.

The work can be rewarding and illuminating. Many special corporate initiatives are part of a long-term vision for a company undergoing some significant change. You may be at the forefront of a new sales territory, product launch, or implementation of cutting-edge technology. You are the ship's captain for a day, so to speak, and steering it to a safe harbor (e.g., increasing sales) is a high-level professional achievement. 

In some cases, special roles require travel or relocation. Yet again, such an offer is an opportunity to see new places, work with new people, and expand your cultural horizons.

 

But it’s not always ducks and bunnies. In the spotlight you can shine, but sometimes you crash and burn. If you don't deliver, the consequences may be just as significant as the rewards.

Also, time-limited, short-term, strategic role, or other duties as assigned - no matter what you call it, it won't last. Whatever gains and perks you may enjoy along the way will end. If you do an incredible job, you may get an offer for another strategic role, but you may not. It may be a professional stepping stone, or it may not. Three months, six months, a year, or two - your strategic role will end. You risk a game of musical chairs, and there is no telling where you will land when the job ends.

While most time-limited strategic roles go to professionals at the top of their game, in some cases, hopefully, few, there are people at the other end of the spectrum. You may be asked to spearhead a "bridge to nowhere" project to get you out of the way, or, worst case scenario, lay the groundwork for "eliminating your position," a budgetary trick, so there is no job to return to after your special initiative is over.

Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

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I Left My Last Job For This? How To Approach Going Back To A Prior Employer

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In 2021, an estimated 48 million people resigned from their jobs, with the Great Resignation's wave of job hopping has reverberated throughout the labor market.

Let’s say you were one of those 48 million individuals who jumped jobs. And oh, boy, do you regret it. Maybe you walked into a poor workplace culture, a hideous commute, or simply a boss who makes your blood curdle.

You start saying to yourself, “I wonder if I can go back to my old job…”

It’s actually a somewhat common occurrence for people to return to past employers. There’s even a term for it, "boomeranging," and many companies have comprehensive staffing policies to address this specific circumstance.

So, what do you do if you switch jobs and realize you want to return? While some companies may frown upon bringing back employees who have shunned them once before, companies receive many benefits from boomerangers: they’re a known quantity, little or no training will be required, and they already know the ropes, the systems, and the culture. Many hiring managers find this a pretty attractive alternative.

That said, trying to go back to an old employer can require some tact and finesse. Before reaching out to your former company hat-in-hand, consider the following.

  1. Be Smart About It. You left your job and ended up in a worse place – but be honest with yourself; are you really sure you want to go back? Or are you simply thinking of your old company as a safety net? Be certain that you want to your old job for the right reasons, and that if you do somehow finagle an offer, you’ll plan to take it. It’s not wise to play games or over-negotiate when "boomeranging," or you may damage your professional reputation and close that door forever.

  2. Did You Leave On Good Terms? Downsized? Quit? Fired? Almost every company records in their employee database whether or not a former employee is eligible for rehire, and in order to be able return to a job after quitting, having left on good terms is invaluable (for example - offering two weeks’ notice as a courtesy). By the way, having been laid off or fired doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be able to come back – but be prepared for detailed conversations about what happened the first time around, and the skepticism that accompanies it.

  3. Find a Sponsor. If you have an ally that still works for the company, reach out to him or her and express your remorse for leaving and the rationale behind your desire to return – they may be willing to “sponsor,” or advocate for your return. With a sponsor, your chances of making a return can increase substantially. In addition to providing a valuable reference, they can let you know the insider chatter about your candidacy, which can be an advantage when prepping for interviews.

  4. Your Old Employer May View You As a Flight Risk. In other words, you’ve already left once, what’s stopping you from leaving again? A rehire may attract a heightened scrutiny beyond the regular confines of HR, and employees normally uninvolved in a hiring process may weigh in when word gets around that a former co-worker is under consideration. It is common for people to view rehires as a flight risk. The onus is on you to make it clear that you are serious about returning for the long term.

  5. Prepare to be Interviewed – Extensively. The rehiring process might be a more rigorous ordeal than you may anticipate. Take it seriously and don’t assume you have the job, just because you made it this far. There are no shoo-ins. You have to demonstrate more than what they already know about you. And don’t take offense, they’re doing their job.

  6. Don’t Make It About the Money. If you receive a "boomerang" offer, do yourself a favor and downgrade your expectations. Do not string everybody along and make a stink about wanting a salary increase. That's the job interview equivalent of the Titanic hitting that iceberg, since they may feel like they’re being played. While it’s hardly unheard of for people to get more money upon returning (yes, it does happen, especially when they are the ones initiating the recruitment of a former employee), this needs to be counterbalanced with the distinct possibility your former company will want increase your compensation as a reward for leaving. It's all fun and games until you get an offer. Be prepared, and be realistic.

  7. Understand Bridging. Last insider tip. When you left your former company, you were vested at a level commiserate with how long you were an employee (this date can impact your calculated tenure for vacation time accrual, profit sharing, 401(k) matching, bonuses, and other compensation). If you successfully boomerang back into a former job, many companies approach your renewed employment with a simple formula called "bridging," which at its most basic refers to bridging and closing the gap between your departure and return. Some companies handle returners with no gap in service date. At others, there might be a period you must work before you are eligible for the benefits you had previously earned at the time you left the company. Either way, once the offer is extended, it’s important to bring up bridging at that time, so that you can understand and (possibly) negotiate this.

Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

iStock | Nuthawut Somsuk

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Found Out Your Employer Was Sold? Be Prepared!

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iStock | Feverpitched

If you just found that your company has been sold, your response should be action.

Companies are bought and sold every day. A change in a company’s ownership can happen in many ways, each with a direct impact on people’s livelihood. No matter the circumstances, when there is company ownership or investor changes there is a high probability that people from the executive suite to the mail room will lose their jobs. When companies are bought and sold large amounts of money are involved, and the sources of that money want their money back ASAP.

It’s best to be ready - here’s what you should do if you found out your company’s been bought:

 1.     Get your resume ready. Do not wait to find out your official fate. Heads may roll. Maybe your job isn’t on the chopping block, but that doesn’t mean you will choose to stay. You may not be fired, but your role and/or compensation may change in a way that makes you want to go.

2.     New owners mean new managers. The higher up the ladder you are, the more indispensable you believe you are. However, nobody is immune to the upheaval caused by an ownership change. Executives, directors, and managers are at the same risk, if not more than other employees.

3.     Cost cutting is on the way. One of the words you’ll hear when the ax is about to fall is “duplicative”. Once you hear that word, heads will roll. While the ultimate outcome may be beyond your control, you should still pile the sandbags before the storm surge. You want to be perceived as a revenue center, not a cost center.

4.     Be aligned with the new owners. Uncomfortable work is heading your way. You may have to train your replacement or report to a new boss, who was in a lesser role at the company that bought yours. You may have to fire your co-workers on the new company’s orders, or go around and scrub their computers the day they leave so there is no trace they had ever been there. Be helpful, no matter the task. Exit with grace, no matter the challenge. Do your best work until you roll out of the parking lot for the last time

5.     Prepare for the culture shift. Change is inevitable. Whether the change benefits you or handicaps you, there will be change and the free-floating anxiety that goes with life-altering uncertainty. Your daily duties, the way performance is measured, and to whom you report, are just a sample of the potentially impacted areas. The people who survive are people who adapt to a rapidly evolving situation.

6.     Don’t Rely on your traditional workplace relationships. After the ship hits the iceberg, people will scramble to save themselves. Pre-existing internal networks and relationships may not carry their former influence. In other words, it is possible few people have the ability to be your life preserver. Make things easy on yourself, and take direction from the new owners and leadership to understand what you are supposed to do.

7.     Understand your severance package (if applicable). When a company buys another company, they understand employees of the acquired company may not be aligned with their direction, culture, or mission. They may offer severance to people who decide to leave, and those are the lucky ones. While offers vary, think before you accept a separation package before you have another job lined up. It is better to start another job than accept a finite amount of money that may be depleted before you’re working somewhere else.

8.   It’ll be easy to explain in interviews. If you’re forced into the unemployment line or decide you need to move on, your company being bought is an easy scenario for people to understand. If you’re interviewing and your “reason for leaving” is a buyout by default recruiters and hiring authorities will understand your circumstances. Focus on what you’re looking for not what you’re leaving.

9.  Rattle your network. Work your professional and personal network. Get some leads. The sooner the better.

Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

For a consultation or more information, click to email us or call us at 786-618-3067.

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