Boomerangs: The Strategic Process of Rehiring Your Former Employees, Part 1

How to develop boomerang and corporate alumni programs

Boomerang efforts have one of the highest ROIs in recruiting.
When you take the time to examine the profile of new hires who produce the best on-the-job performance, invariably previous employees returning to the organization, or "boomerangs," make the list.
Boomerang is a term that was coined to identify top performing "corporate alumni" who are either purposely targeted and brought back into the organization, or who return voluntarily after some absence from the organization.
Boomerang recruitment is a high ROI activity, primarily because the cost per hire is very low and little time or effort must be invested in getting to know the candidate. While boomerangs make great hires, they also empower or embolden retention efforts by exposing employees at risk of attrition to first-hand accounts of life outside the organization and the selling points of what brought them back.
Boomerangs are highly valuable to an organization not just because they bring back great stories, but also because they bring a fresh perspective, yet one capable of embedding years of history.
By stepping out of the organization, there is a good chance that boomerangs have learned new skills and strategies that are applicable or valuable in redesigning and improving your approaches. They can also bring back valuable information about how a competitor does business and the strengths and weaknesses inherent to their approach.
Having been exposed to an organization doing something successful a different way, boomerangs can recognize what is better about your approach and what can be improved. In short, these are A++ candidates who deserve special treatment. Beware of Antiquated Thinking!
Hiring boomerangs can be political. A number of managers hold the