You’ve been interviewing on the side, and you’ve just gotten a great offer from a new company. Should you ask your employer to make a counter-offer?
For the most part, experts say, you absolutely should not. Why?
1) You’ll basically be telling your employer that you can be bought and will go to the highest bidder.
2) You’re also telling them that there’s a reason you didn’t like your job, which is why you were looking for new work—or entertaining offers from headhunters. Are you prepared to tell them what you didn’t like about their position and their company? If your reasons include more than salary, such as bad personality fit, disliking your boss, boredom or insane deadlines, will more money really improve those other factors?
3) If you do ask for a counteroffer, and accept it, how comfortable will you be continuing at the job? You’ve now altered your relationship with your employer and your colleagues, and your standing with the company. You may no longer be trusted and may be the first to go if layoffs are in the company’s future.
4) What if your company decides that they’re only keeping you on until they find a replacement? They might figure if you tried to leave once, you’ll try to leave again—and they won’t want to be left in the lurch.
5) Think about what it means that you had to threaten to leave to get the pay you thought you deserved. Will you have to do this every time you’re looking for a raise?
6) Your boss may refuse to present a counteroffer, and you’ll be stuck taking the other job, whether you really wanted it or not.
7) You’ll have burned a bridge with the new potential employer and possibly harmed your reputation in your industry or community. You don’t want a reputation as someone who can’t be trusted or who is only in it for the money.
While there are always exceptions to the rule, asking for a counteroffer is almost always a bad idea. If you’re determined to do it, try to find out how your employer has reacted to other employees who have tried. That way, you’ll know what to expect.
If you work with Synerfac to find your next job, you’ll always know what to expect: we’ll do our best to match your skills and personality with the needs of a great employer. Contact us today to learn more!