Pages

Friday, August 12, 2011

Why you should not accept a Counter Offer

I see people get all the way to "Offer Stage" with companies only to turn the offer down. This is BAD, practice for many reasons and I am a firm believer that it is 100% avoidable when working with a great recruiter!

I believe that there are many reasons that people ultimately give for turning down an offer after one has been made, but the most popular is the "Counter Offer". The top 2 most common forms of the counter offer are the "Financial Raise" counter and the "Emotional" counter offer from the current employer at the resignation stage. Below I'll discuss 10 very important reasons why accepting a counter offer is a bad idea as well as a more professional process you can use to avoid turning down offers.Top 10 Reasons Not to Accept a Counter Offer:

1. After resigning, you have made your employer aware that you were looking and unhappy. Your loyalty will now be in question

2. When promotion/raise time comes around, your employer will remember who is loyal and who is not.

3. When making difficult decisions about cut-backs, the company may begin with those that are deemed less loyal.

4. Accepting a Counter-Offer is an insult to your intelligence and a blow to your personal pride, to simply be bought at the last minute.

5. Where was the extra money for a counter-offer at during your last performance review? Most companies have strict wage/salary guidelines and may be simply giving your next raise early or buying time to hire someone in your place.

6. The same circumstances that now cause you to consider making a change almost always reoccur within the next 6-12 months.

7. Statistics show that if you accept a counter-offer, the probability of voluntarily leaving in 6 months or being let go within 1 year are extremely high.

8. Once the word gets out, the relationship you now enjoy with co-workers will never be the same. You lose personal satisfaction of the peer group acceptance.

9. What type of company do you want to work for if you have to threaten to resign before they give you what you are worth?

10. Accepting counter-offers after already accepting another position burns bridges with other companies, your recruiter, and ultimately shows all 3 parties that you can be bought.

Keep in mind that the Emotional Counter Offer is a calculated apporach to guilting you into staying with the company. They will say something like, "How can you leave us after all that we have done to help you in your career?" "We are a family and are such good friends, it's a shame to see you leave us under these circumstances."

When working with a great recruiter, I'm a firm believer that the process can and should run smoothly and a job seeker can get a great offer that is acceptable with less stress on the working relationship with the new client. I believe the process should work something like this and it is better for all parties involved.

Ideal Recruiting Process through Offer Stage & Acceptance:
1. Speak openly and honestly with recruiter about your motivation for making a move and seeking a new opportunity. This should be done after going to your current employer to discuss these issues ($$$, Responsibility, Travel, Career Advancement, et.). If these issues can not be resolved at this stage, they probably aren't resolveable at Counter Offer Stage.

2. Only interview on opportunities that meet your most important "motivation points for making a move". For Example, only interview on roles that give you a 10% Raise and more career advancement opportunities with a better-known company in your industry. Someone elses motivating points may be reducing travel to spend more time with family and they'll reduce compensation expectation to achieve this major goal.

3. Speak openly with recruiter about your current compensation plan and what kind of offer you are willing to accept IF the opportunity meets your other key motivating points. Be honest and don't change your mind or you'll lose credibility with the recruiter for future opportunities.

4. Inform the recruiter of other opportunities you are looking at and the Pro's & Con's to those roles versus the one your interviewing with that recruiter. What stage are you with other opportunities.

5. After interviewing, have a detailed interview de-brief with the recruiter. Now is the time to pull out of the process if the opportunity is not right for you after having all your questions answered. If you are excited about the opportunity, reitterate that you are excited, that you "Will take an offer of $___ Dollars if it is offered to you" Everything should be consistent with your dialogue prior to interviewing.

6. The only reason for turning down an offer at this point is if the company low-balls you. Shame on them if the recruiter had been honest all along about your compensation requirements. They shouldn't interview you and waste your time.

7. If you accept an offer and commit to starting on a certain date and later decline the offer you have already accepted, SHAME on you. This is a terrible practice and you will have burned a bridge with that company forever as well as burning a bridge with a great recruiter. You'll lose out on future opportunities and everyone associated with you in this process will have a bad taste in their mouth.

I hope that some of this dialoge hits home because these are some of the most frustrating issues to handle as a recruiter. I think they are all avoidable and can positively impact your career when handled in the right manner. These are principles to live by, like being honest and sticking to your word, and knowing thy self!
Good Luck...!!!

6 comments:

  1. Tips and tutorials - Blog forum and directory Blogger and wordpress tips, SEO tips and tutorials, How to earn from internet,Forex,Forex bonus
    Recent News
    News,Newspaper,CNN news,BBC news,Fox news,Updated news,Best news,funny news, Newspaper forum,forex forum,phpbb dorum
    Get Free Backlink Get free backlink on pagerank 2 website
    Free Banner AddPost free banner add on pagerank 2 website
    AllAll things about worlds best SEO site neotutorials.com
    Newspaper Forum
    newspaper forum, news, Newspaper,High pagerank news forum, forum of canada, Forum of Australia,news of united states
    Bangla Blog
    Bangla blog, Bangla news, Bangladeshi Blog site,Prothom alo blog,Somewherein blog
    List Of All Post
    Here you can easily see the list of all post at a glance.
    PHPbb forum
    A high pagerank dofollow forum using phpbb.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I enjoyed every page on your blog, I think you are is creative upcoming hollywood movie premieres hope to become your friends, regards

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi,
    Do you have any tips for someone who is well educated but does not have any experience? I have been out of work a long time because me and my husband were planning to have a child. Our plans have changed and now I am ready to get back to work but my only experience was waiting tables, I would like something more professional now!
    Thanks you for your time and I love your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Jerri Chan Thank you So much for your comment :)

    Hello Jaime May be you can email me at jei@jeifm.com i will keep you posted on you request :)

    Cheers :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you a bunсh fοг shаring thіs
    with all of us you actuallу гecоgnize
    what you arе speaking aρpгoxіmatеly!
    Boοkmarκed. Kindly аdditiоnally seek advice from my web sitе =).
    We could have a link аltегnatе
    сontract аmong us

    My weblοg ... pikavippi
    my web page :: pikavippi

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your blog is playing great ,i think i should learn to you .you let me understand that you are good.

    ReplyDelete