As we begin the New Year, most of us promise ourselves to make changes that we have been putting off for quite some time. It’s usually some type of resolution that involves exercise, weight loss, quitting smoking, dumping caffeine or whatever is the most pressing issue at the time. For some, those resolutions consist of finding a new job.
Finding a new role can be a lengthy ordeal and, in most cases, will require much of your valuable time and energy. You will likely begin with updating your resume and your LinkedIn profile and determining what type of role or career you would like to pursue. Next comes networking with all the appropriate people from potential organizations where you would like to work and completing applications on countless employment websites and job boards.
So after several months, and what can seem like hundreds of interviews, someone finally offers you the job you have been seeking. Once you have given the new organization your verbal or written commitment of beginning work with them at some determined point in the future, it is time to give notice to your employer.
You sit down with your current boss to tell him or her that you’ve been offered a job elsewhere and that you’ll be leaving the company. It will probably be an awkward conversation, but it will become even more uncomfortable when he or she asks you to stay. As you have, no doubt, been a positive asset to the company, your boss is likely to offer you better incentives, like more money or a promotion – but as enticing as the counteroffer may be, career experts say, “Don’t accept it.”
Your Reasons for Leaving
In a recent Forbes Magazine article about counteroffers, Miriam Salpeter, job search coach, owner of Keppie Careers and author of Social Networking for Business Success, says that a counteroffer is a knee-jerk reaction.
“[Your employer] may immediately think, ‘Oh, no, how can we get by without him?’ Many organizations are stretched to their capacity in terms of what they can get done with the people they have on board, and it can be frightening, at first, for your boss to imagine how to pick up the slack or train someone new.”
When you think about whether or not to accept a counteroffer, I would encourage you to consider the reasons you were unhappy in your role and looking for a new job in the first place. Were you looking for a new challenge? Was there an issue between you and a co-worker? Were you searching for more flexibility? Do you prefer a different culture? Is there a lack of professional development? How well did you get along with your boss? Did you feel that you had growth opportunities? Or, was it about money?
Was It Issues?
If you tried to resolve issues prior to putting in your resignation, but were unsuccessful, then the employer is the only one who really benefits from a counteroffer. You simply allowed yourself to be pacified by some incentives. The issues will still be there when you leave his or her office and return to business as usual. If your employer were sincere, he or she would have either helped to resolve the issues or presented the same incentives when you originally approached him or her with your concerns.
Salpeter further suggests, “Another reason it might not be a smart move to accept the counteroffer: You’d burn two bridges at once.”
“The other organization would be unlikely to ever look at hiring you again, your current employer will question your motives (and the relationship may quickly sour, resulting in a need to conduct another search), and, depending on your industry and how large it is, you may gain a reputation as a ‘counteroffer king or queen,’ which could affect your opportunities down the road.”
Accepting a counteroffer may cause you to be scrutinized within your organization, she adds.
“Now, everyone knows you were looking for a new job. If they are paying you more, or offering you the terms you requested, your employer is going to expect something significant in return. It may be hard for you to deliver on those expectations while in the same work environment. How motivated will you be to deliver?”
What If It Was The Money?
There is one instance where a counteroffer may make sense. If money was your only motivating factor in looking for a new job, obviously a counteroffer is something to consider. However, I would strongly caution that there is a risk that your standing in your existing job may change significantly.
If you choose to accept the counteroffer, no matter how you behave in the future, you will naturally be regarded with some suspicion and not be seen as a true team player. Since you’ve proven that you are a potential flight risk to the organization, management will be waiting for you to do it again. This means that you will most likely be at the bottom of the list for promotions because you’ve shown that you have little loyalty to the company, and your employer might not invest in training you since they think you may leave at any time.
Salpeter says she always emphasizes in her career advice that there is no one best approach for every job seeker–but there are typical consequences of making one choice over another. Her best recommendation is to consider all of the angles and make a decision you know you can live with.
“My advice would be to avoid the trap of the counteroffer.”
So, what are your thoughts? Would you consider a counteroffer?
1. Personal characteristics are just that—core to one’s personal character. They are what make a person who they are, so for all practical purposes they are unchangeable (or at least too difficult to realistically change in a business context). After all, you can teach a chicken to climb a tree, but you’re better off getting a squirrel in the first place.