Ok, this question is a bit unusual. I was with my previous employer for over 2 years, left on good terms even though I hated the job and it caused me to have a stress related illness (employer has no idea and thinks I simply left because I wanted a career change).

Now, a company that has offices in the same building as my former employer has an opening that I think would be a good fit for me. It' s a 6 storey building, where my former employer (a company of around 200 employees) rents one floor from that other company and the "landlord" company itself takes up the other 5 floors. I' m providing these details to give you all an idea of the scale we are talking about here. Because the building is not huge, and there are only 2 elevators, people from both companies do know each other and talk to each other from time to time in the lobby or in the elevator.

My question is, is there a possible negative side to being this close to my old employer if I should apply to this position and get it? I am absolutely positive that there will be some "inofficial references" given out (perhaps before I even get called for an interview), but many of the people who knew me at my former employer are no longer there (the turn over there is insane), and the ones who are still there either like me (as far as I know), or are neutral about me.

Are there any other possible negative aspects associated with working in the same building with my former employer which I have not considered? I understand this is an unusual situation, and I feel a little weird at the thought of seeing my former co-workers (and bosses) on the elevator every day. However, if a little "weirdness" is the only negative thing here, I' m sure I' ll deal. Can anyone think of any other con' s that I missed?