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Never accept a counter-offer

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Re: Never accept a counter-offer

#91

Post by andrewflnr »

ryandrake wrote: post #68
archildress wrote: post #13

This couldn't have come at a better time, as I just navigated this last week. I kind of disagree with most of what the author is saying. Here's why. The author posits that you've begun looking for a new job for a reason. There are things that you dislike about your job. That's logical, and it's the number one reason that I went on a search of my own. The problem is that there's always some level of information asymme…

> And when I notified my current employer that I was leaving, they reminded me of how valued I was with the package that they put together. Yea, you were so valued that they DIDN'T offer it to you until you threatened to leave. That doesn't sound like an employer that values you, it sounds like an employer who got away with a great bargain while it lasted.

> Yea, you were so valued that they DIDN'T offer it to you until you threatened to leave. That doesn't sound like an employer that values you

This sounds insightful, but I don't think it's fair. It's almost always true for everyone that you don't know what you have until it's gone, or almost gone if you're lucky. Your employer is no different. Give them a break, just a tiny one.

Re: Never accept a counter-offer

#92

Post by fecak »

ryandrake wrote: post #55
kevan wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd guess plenty of people are in a situation where they're not miserable at the current company but they would like to get paid more.

If you are only able to get more by threatening to quit, that sounds like a pretty miserable place to me.

This is actually part of the recruiter's script when trying to overcome a candidate accepting a counteroffer. I think the line I was taught was "you only got a raise because you held a gun to their head". This isn't a line I would use, just telling you what recruiters are trained to say.

Re: Never accept a counter-offer

#93

Post by stretchwithme »

DominikR wrote: post #76
ryandrake wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you are only able to get more by threatening to quit, that sounds like a pretty miserable place to me.

Many people do not have the self confidence or social skills to be successful at negotiating a raise. Many don't even ask.

Sometimes I wonder if some tech employees would be better off with managers who took a cut negotiating for them, at least until their value is established.

Re: Never accept a counter-offer

#94

Post by fecak »

byoung2 wrote: post #36
fecak wrote: post #18

Recruiter here, almost 20 years. Do a search for articles warning about counteroffers and you'll find almost all are written by agency recruiters. Why is that? It's because agency recruiters lose probably millions in fees every year when candidates accept a counter. I have personally lost 30K on a single fee due to counteroffer on more than one occasion. It hurts quite a bit - that's a car - which is why if you accep…

My recruiter practically broke down in tears when I accepted a counteroffer in 2013. Counteroffers can be great tools to increase your salary, whether you accept or reject them. In my case it was purely about money. I was making $117k and I wanted a raise, but the company only wanted to give options. If it were an early stage Google or Uber, I'd go for it, but not this company. I wanted cash. They played the old "not…

I believe it. Especially when it's a young recruiter, not used to people changing their minds, and really needing the money. Once you've been recruiting for a while you realize that you don't celebrate a placement until they show up for work (not to mention there is usually a guarantee period of say 90 days).

Re: Never accept a counter-offer

#95

Post by baddox »

Clubber wrote: post #40
GuiA wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It depends on why you got a counter offer in the first place. Accepting a counter offer because you told your boss "I like my job but I'm paid way less than some other companies would be willing to pay me, can we do something about it?" is a very sane thing to do.

That's not a counter offer, that's asking for a raise. Counter offer is when you get an offer from another company and tell your boss you want to leave, but your boss makes a counter offer to keep you to stay.

Sounds like a fairly fuzzy distinction. Is it only a counteroffer if you actually give your n weeks notice? What if you ask for a raise, and while asking you note that you have an offer from another company for a higher salary?

Re: Never accept a counter-offer

#96

Post by peteretep »

fecak wrote: post #18

Recruiter here, almost 20 years. Do a search for articles warning about counteroffers and you'll find almost all are written by agency recruiters. Why is that? It's because agency recruiters lose probably millions in fees every year when candidates accept a counter. I have personally lost 30K on a single fee due to counteroffer on more than one occasion. It hurts quite a bit - that's a car - which is why if you accep…

Also a recruiter and was about to write an identical comment, so thankyou

Re: Never accept a counter-offer

#97

Post by Clubber »

baddox wrote: post #95
Clubber wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not a counter offer, that's asking for a raise. Counter offer is when you get an offer from another company and tell your boss you want to leave, but your boss makes a counter offer to keep you to stay.

Sounds like a fairly fuzzy distinction. Is it only a counteroffer if you actually give your n weeks notice? What if you ask for a raise, and while asking you note that you have an offer from another company for a higher salary?

Yes, I suppose a counter offer doesn't require notice, just another offer, real or imaginary.

Re: Never accept a counter-offer

#98

Post by chrisbennet »

prklmn wrote: post #75
ryandrake wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you are only able to get more by threatening to quit, that sounds like a pretty miserable place to me.

Many people are afraid to ask for raises and default to looking for work elsewhere.

For me, it just wasn't worth the hassle for a sub-market raise. Not giving me a raise in N years is sending me a message "You aren't valued." I found it much easier to just go someplace that would value me. I worked for wonderful companies and I liked working there but business is business.

Re: Never accept a counter-offer

#100

Post by Clubber »

bunderbunder wrote: post #81
Clubber wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not a counter offer, that's asking for a raise. Counter offer is when you get an offer from another company and tell your boss you want to leave, but your boss makes a counter offer to keep you to stay.

At many companies there are HR policies that make it extremely difficult for your manager to just give you a raise. Oftentimes these policies don't apply to counteroffers. I don't have any opinion on whether this is a good idea or not, but I do think that getting an offer somewhere else can at least be a plausible strategy - possibly the only plausible strategy - for getting a decent raise if you find yourself workin…

Yes, that's another unfortunate thing HR does. If I'm so miserable that I've actively sought, interviewed and received an offer, I'm gone. Like someone else alluded to, most shitty jobs aren't shitty because of pay.

I've worked at 2 companies in the last 14 years and they both got really shitty after being acquired by a private equity firm. It usually takes 2 years until it's unbearable. I stayed so long because they were wonderful jobs; work and pay; and growing like wildfire before the M&A.

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