Should You Accept a Counter-Offer?

As professional recruiters and onboarding specialists, we see candidates struggle with this question from time to time. Should you accept a counter-offer? Or should you forge ahead with your new job?

It’s stressful to have to leave an old, familiar job, and even more difficult when your boss or manager is offering you more money, a new title, and better benefits to stay in your current job. Taking the counter-offer can be very tempting.

The easiest way to decide is to look at the pros and cons, and weigh them:

Reasons to stay and accept counter-offer:

1. A raise in current salary, better title, more benefits…in short, the counter-offer itself!
2. Staying in a familiar job, with familiar people.
3. Keeping your seniority.
4. The satisfaction of knowing you’re wanted.

Reasons to move to the new job:

1. Concern about having to leave to be offered the raise/promotion you deserved.
2. The original reasons you were seeking a new job.
3. Working for a company that chose you, and feels you are worth your salary.
4. Your old company may question your loyalty.
5. Discomfort with colleagues knowing your raise was coerced, and that you were planning to leave.
6. Your commitment to your new employer.
7. A chance to learn new skills, and grow professionally.

It’s always worth considering a counter-offer, and we understand that your first priorities are to your career and family, but it is worth weighing the two offers carefully, and with an eye to what will be best for your career and family in the long term, not just what might feel more comfortable in the moment!

Are you interested in growing your career with a new job in the engineering, IT, or other professional fields? Contact Step Up Recruiting today!