Counter Offer

Why They Should Not Be Accepted

Counter offers have hurt more careers than they have ever helped. So if you are a candidate interviewing for a job or a recruiter making placements you should deal with this issue before the interviews begin.

What is the counter offer? Let’s say that you go through the interview process; find a job you love and you walk in to your current boss’s office to resign. Immediately he becomes the caring, loving, empathic person that you had wished he’d been all along! Plans are discussed regarding your next promotion and pay raises are put on the table. Of course, all of this is news to you as it has never been discussed before. Now doubt is in your mind about leaving your current employer. After much prayer, thought and sleepless nights you decline the new job offer and stay put – for the time being.

The Problem: This immediately becomes a bad career decision for 99% of the candidates that accept the employer’s offer (or pleas) to stay. Regardless of what is said or done, doubts about your loyalty to the organization have been embedded in the manager’s mind – remember, you were ready to quit! If you have already accepted the new offer and then change your mind, there is a strong chance that the new company will see you as fickle. There is a good chance that relationships with both groups will be damaged.

The cold hard facts are these - within 6 months 80% of the candidates that accept counter offers are not at the employer where they chose to stay. Twelve months later only 20% of that group remains. Eighteen months later 1.5% of those that chose to stay remain with the original employer. It is important to remember that they were motivated to begin a job search because some circumstance existed that appeared inconsistent with their career aspirations. The reason that so few remained with the original employer is simple – fundamentally nothing changed to prevent their departure.

The Solution is Simple: Advance preparation will allow you to address this situation professionally without damaging relationships.

• Identify what your concerns are and changes that could be made to prevent you having to change jobs.
• Tactfully discuss these issues with your current supervisor. Determine if you will be able to accomplish your goals without changing employers.
• Set a time-line to accomplish these goals.
• If you can achieve what you want - stay put! Otherwise, begin your search knowing that you have done everything you could to accomplish your goals with your current employer. Prepare to leave and don’t look back.

Many would say that this seems like a lot of work and they are probably right. But remember, great careers don’t happen by accident – they are planned.