So about two years ago I made the move from one end of the USA to the other. Before the move, I worked at this pretty cool job who had just announced they were selling and I was starting to feel better about my decision to leave that company and start over in my new home state. Our company had a relationship with Company A and their line and I was on good speaking terms with our main contact there. I mentioned to him that I was leaving the company and moving. Apparently, he wanted to keep me working with them in some capacity and reached out to his manager who then reached out to the regional manager and I was able to start work in my new state right away because of their recommendations, we'll call them Company 1.
Well, the company I was currently working for before I moved had their rep from the state I was moving to reach out to me and ask me to come in for an interview when I arrived, we'll call them Company 2. I went to facility after I moved, had a chat with everyone and we all had a great talk. Company 1 is who I ended up starting work with…have my own office, good hours, a pay increase at the 3 month mark and the 6 month mark after I started + bonuses.
Company 2 wanted me as well. I was familiar with them but their starting offer was $1000 less than my original starting offer Company 1 started me out and the drive was 75-90 minutes rather than 30-40 depending on traffic.
I've been with Company 1 for almost two years and while we've undergone changes and people leaving, it's not a bad place, the only caveat is that a small, family owned business is being told to run like a big corporation. Company 2 emailed me out of the blue yesterday and I talked with them this morning. They mentioned our interview 2 years ago and said that they need someone with experience to come and work for them. We didn't discuss pay or time off yet, but he did say it would be fully remote with the possibility of ownership shares in the future. Now, I know I hold all the leverage here especially that I'd need to be paid more and negotiate extra time off, but what else would you want to know if you were in my shoes? It's nice to know that you're wanted and not actively looking for a new job (yet).