You've spent weeks, or maybe even months, researching companies, establishing contacts, and interviewing. Finally that dream job offer you've worked and prayed for is extended, and you happily accept. You notify your supervisor you'll be leaving in two weeks to pursue a career opportunity with another company. Later in the day your boss calls you into his office, where you're informed that you're so valuable to the organization that you're being offered a salary increase and extra comp-days in addition to your regular vacation time if you'll stick around. What do you do? Many may take the position of "better the devil you know than the devil you don't" and accept the counteroffer. Surprisingly, Careerbuilders.com says you should probably turn it down--and here's why:
Why did you accept the new job in the first place? Was it only because you wanted more money, or was there more to it? Were you looking for additional responsibilities (and the accompanying promotion that usually entails), a change in your career goals, or a change of scenery? Does the new job allow more flexibility with your personal schedule (closer to home, flex hours, working from home)? Were you looking forward to getting away from the gripers and whiners that were making your workplace a miserable place to spend most of your day? Whatever the reason for accepting the new job, any counteroffer voids any new opportunities, and guarantees that the stuff you didn't like about your current job is going to continue to bug you.
Who benefits from this counteroffer? You gain an increase in salary and maybe some additional benefits. Your employer gains stability (because you're not leaving) and no losses in either productivity or training time to bring a new employee up to speed. To the company, paying a few thousand more a year to keep you around is much cheaper than bringing in somebody new and starting over from scratch. In effect, you've been extended the counteroffer to save the company time and money. You may read "they can't do without me" in the offer; the company is thinking "we can't do without him until we find somebody else to take over his functions."
What do you lose by accepting the counteroffer? Respect from both your current and prospective employers. Even worse, your professional reputation may take a hit. Your potential employer may believe you used the job offer only to improve your financial position within the current company. If you ever decide to apply with this organization in the future, don't think that won't show up in HR records when your name crosses the table, even if it's in a completely different department. Your current employer may question your loyalty to the company, believing that "if he tried to quit once, he'll try to quit again", and passing you over for key projects, additional education, and even promotions. In fact, your position could be first on the chopping block when it comes time for cutbacks and downsizing; after all, "he was thinking of leaving anyway."
What changes if you accept the counteroffer? Aside from slightly more take-home pay and a few extra days off a year, nothing. All the situations that made you think it was time to leave the company are still in place. Lack of opportunity, lack of training, lack of challenge, and lack of control of your work situation will not magically change because of a financial increase.
In the end, each individual has to make the call whether to accept a counteroffer or not. Just remember that if you have to choose between the job you have and the job you want to have, choose wisely and in a way that benefits you across the board, not just in your wallet.
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