The Dangers of a Counter Offer

You've landed the job. Now what?...

You hand in your notice.

Of course, what will happen is they will throw everything at you to keep you.

They will very likely bring in a Managing Partner, Business Director or Head of Department to sell to you and find ways of keeping you in the business – of course because you are great!  

The key things to think about here are:

• Why are they counter offering you? This unfortunately is due to them panicking about losing you and hiring someone else into the position.
• Are the promises you will be made ones that they can completely keep? 80% of people who take a counter offer leave within a year and 60% within 6 months as often promises made are not kept and the original problems resurface.
• Would they have offered you a pay rise/promotion or a new role if you hadn’t resigned? What happens the next time you want a pay rise – do you need to resign again?
• Where do you see yourself long-term and learning the most? Where would give you the skills and training to get to that point?
• Try to think about both opportunities and what they have to offer – not just what you are being told but really looking at the reality of the situation – how the business is structured, how the teams are structured, how does the company feel about career development? What is the culture like? What is the company ethos/vision? What were the reasons that you started looking at new roles and what motivated you to get to the offer stage?

These are the things that ultimately are the core of a business and don’t tend to change regardless of what client you work on or what role you are offered/team you work in etc. 

But don't just take our word for it...

• Here’s a link to a funny little read from Forbes
• An article excerpt from The Guardian from an old advice column in regards to counter offers
• And also one from Reed

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to us! 

Amy Wright 
Marketing and Talent Acquisition Manager