"I had learned a lot in my time away," he says, adding that his first instinct was to bring some of that knowledge to bear on his old firm. "But Right had also evolved during my absence and had really made an impact with its work. I was humbled." Not only was the company's outplacement-consulting business humming, but Right was also making a successful move into executive coaching and into other areas of organizational development.

"Once I saw how much things had changed," Blank recalls, "I knew I needed to spend a lot of time just listening to coworkers." He quickly realized that he had to discard his old views on how Right should deliver its services.

"Doing things strictly by the book, with a checklist for each client, wasn't as important as I once thought it was," he says. "Instead of focusing on process, mechanics, and consistency of delivery, Right was paying more attention to learning about individual clients -- and that allowed it to discover other services that clients might need." Blank didn't try to repeat his past successes at Right. Instead, he listened, learned, and realized that his new job offered more flexibility than he had ever imagined.

Are you a new hire -- or an old hire?

So you go back to your former employer on Monday. How are you going to reconnect with your coworkers? You're new, but you're also old. How much of the old you still applies? And how can you get your old office mates to see the new you?

Whether you return to your old company after two weeks, like Ivan Wu, or after two years, some people will think that you're running from something. "People wanted to know why I'd left, and why I'd come back so quickly," Wu says. "I decided to be completely candid about my situation. After a week of telling and retelling my story, I started getting ribbed about it, which was a sign that at least my coworkers didn't take it too seriously."

Still, Wu admits that he was most concerned about losing credibility with his colleagues. While he couldn't control what people were saying behind his back, he was encouraged when a surprisingly large number of people complimented him on his courage. "Maybe they really thought that returning here was stupid," he says. "But I chose to read it as an indication that they respected me, because I was able to admit that I had made a mistake."

Throw your career for another loop?

Every boomeranger worries -- and should -- about how a second go-round at the same company will look to future recruiters. How can you prove to a prospective employer that you got ahead by going back?

For Wu, becoming a boomeranger allowed him to cancel out the noise -- those voices telling him that ambitious people don't stay long at any one company. "By leaving, I learned just how hard it is to find another job that's as rewarding as the one I had," he says. "Coming back was a difficult and, at times, awkward process. But in some ways, I'm glad I endured it."

Chances are good, however, that Wu won't have to explain his quick U-turn the next time he looks for a job. It's easy enough to act like he never left by omitting that two-week hiatus from his résumé. Unfortunately, Betty Szeto, who spent 18 months at National Semiconductor, doesn't have that luxury. And that worries her.

"There's some real snobbery in the high-tech field," she says. "If I ever want to go back to it, a high-tech recruiter could easily take one look at my résumé and decide that I just couldn't hack it at National Semi."

Still, Szeto believes that she made the right choice: "I looked for the company that would give me the best opportunity to grow. I just happened to find it at a company where I had once worked."

Ron Lieber (rlieber@fastcompany.com) is a senior writer at Fast Company.

Action Item: Boomerang.Com

Although the age of lifetime employment at one company is mostly dead, the age of lifetime affiliation has only just begun. Aspiring boomerangers should keep this in mind and try to remain affiliated with their former employers.

Glenn Kaufman wants to make it easier for that to happen. Last year, he started Corporate Alumni, which helps companies to keep in touch with former employees -- and former employees to keep in touch with one another. Kaufman is now searching for volunteers to host alumni sites for their ex-companies. To become a host, go to Corporate Alumni's Web site.

Coordinates: www.corporatealumni.com