Counteroffer? Just Say No! 15 Reasons Why You Should Say No
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
In an earlier video, I covered reasons to accept a counteroffer https://youtu.be/MBR-Boax1ro Here are 15 reasons why you shouldn’t accept a counteroffer
00:00 Introduction
00:43 A story
01:38 1-5
02:49 6-10
03:45 11-15
05:30 Outro
I Have a Job Offer and My Current Firm Has Given Me a Promotion. What Should I Do?
Think twice before accepting a counteroffer from your current employer. I’m Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter. People hire me for no BS job search advice and coaching globally, because I make the process so much easier for a job search, and a variety of other things as well. And in this video, I’m going to share 15 reasons why saying yes to a counteroffer can actually hurt your career long-term so you’ll be able to make an informed decision if a counteroffer is really in your best interest. Now, I did an earlier video about reasons to say yes; this is the one about saying no.
And let me just start off with a story about a person who received a counteroffer. And this was a time when I was still doing recruiting. And we met afterwards and she told me about the counteroffer that she’d received. And I listened and I said, “The money is definitely much better than what you’re happy for. But you also talk to me about this, and this, and this and this, and I’m not hearing anything that addresses that. Did you speak with him about it?”
“No.”
“And they’re not changing that, are they?. Is the money going to be enough for you?” I’m not gonna tell her tell you her answer. But I’ll simply say there are times to say yes to a counteroffer and here are reasons to say no.
And the first one is, the underlying issues that drove you to look for a new job may still be there. Accepting a counteroffer may just be a temporary band-aid and you may find yourself looking to leave again soon because the other issues aren’t really dealt with. And the other issues are usually they increase the salary and they change nothing else. Number two is your reasons for wanting to leave were enough that you took the time and effort to look for a new job. And like I said, the factors haven’t really changed except for the money. Number three, your current employer may only offer the counteroffer to keep you in place, but doesn’t really plan on addressing the underlying issues. In other words, they lie. 4, the current firm may resent you for considering leaving in the first place, which means that they can take it out on you once you remain and create a toxic environment for yourself. Number five, you may not be able to trust your current employer after accepting the offer because they may not follow through.
6, you may find that the grass didn’t suddenly turn green where you are after accepting the counter and may regret not leaving in the future. Seven, the employee may decide that the new employer wound up having better opportunities and growth than the current firm. That’s really painful to realize after the fact. Next, they may use the counteroffer as an opportunity to find a replacement for you, and then let you go which during recessionary times, I’ve seen it happen many, many times. Next, accepting a counter may cause a strain in your work relationships with manager and colleagues, which can also make it less pleasant for you there, Ten, you may have burned some bridges, and your loyalty may come into question going forward.
And thus, 11, you may lose some of your leverage in future salary negotiations with your current employer 12 There’s a stigma associated with people who accept a counteroffer and this plays out, when it’s time to give a promotion. And they have a choice between rewarding you or the loyal person,, the one who didn’t put a gun to their head to leave. So remember, it’s not just at the time of the counteroffer that this can play out it can play out for years to come.
Number 13. The new job may offer what are better growth prospects and opportunities and you don’t have them anymore because you got seduced to remain. 14. If the employer really valued you, they would have paid you from the outset rather than responding once you put a gun to their head. And lastly, backing out of the acceptance with a new firm at the last minute as usually happens after you’ve resigned can seem flaky to them. And it may hurt your reputation not just with the firm but the individual people. It’s a small world., People remember when they got slighted and at a later date (and again, this is something I’ve seen happen many times) this manager remembers he was someone who took a counter or turned down an offer last minute, leaving them holding the bag. And they don’t even interview you going forward, not just simply at that firm, but in any firm that they work at in the future.
So there’s lots of reasons to say yes, there are many reasons to say no. I covered those in this video. And like I said earlier, I’m going to have a link to the yeses in the show notes.
So I’m Jeff Altman, I hope you found this helpful. Visit my website, TheBigGameHunter.us. Go to the blog and go exploring. There’s just a lot there that will help. And while you’re there, if you’ve got questions for me, you can schedule time for what I call Trusted Advisor Services where I take questions from people and answer them. You can also get into coaching with me where I help you in your job search and beyond.
Lastly, . . . Oh by the way, find out about my video courses, books and guides, there is a lot there to help. Lastly, connect with me on Linkedin at linkedin.com/in/TheBigGameHunter. Have a terrific day and most importantly, be great!
5 Things to Consider Before Accepting a Counteroffer
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
People hire Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter to provide No BS Career Advice globally because he makes many things in peoples’ careers easier. Those things can involve job search,
hiring more effectively, managing and leading better, career transition, as well as advice about resolving workplace issues.
Schedule a discovery call at my website, www.TheBigGameHunter.us
He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 2600 episodes.
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https://youtu.be/kTiiVbPJlTc
