Job Hunting Surprise

This morning I was going through my daily job-hunting routine  -  checking all the job boards, looking for possibilities on industry / company websites, checking in with all the placement and temp agencies I'm listed with  -  I spend an hour or two at this every morning, and the results have been uniformly discouraging.

Until this morning ... on the second job board I looked at, what did I find?

The company I was with until August 2009 is hiring again!  Ironically, for every department except the one I was in at this time last year.

Well, I dithered for a while, and then called a friend who still works there to get her opinion.  And she advised me to go for it.  So I did; in all I applied for five different positions.  Of course, there are pros and cons ...

The cons: 

A much lower salary than I previously enjoyed, since I'd be a "new hire".
A $151 transit pass to be bought every month.
The standard three-month "probation" before benefits kicked in.

The pros:

The salary would still be substantially more than I currently receive from E.I.
We already have medical coverage through Big Guy's union.
The fact that I'd need minimal training is a point in my favour.
I know the jobs, I know I'd enjoy the work, and I (and they) know I'm good at it.   I know the systems, I know the customers, I know the vendors, I know the procedures and company policies.
I know and get along really well with everyone I'd be working with.

The bottom line is that I'd rather go back to work there than start at the bottom at a completely new company where I'd need much more training and be getting it from total strangers. 

From my perspective  -  and I hope it turns out to be theirs as well  -  hiring me would be a win-win situation.

Wish me luck!