So you begin your search. You work hard and spend quite a bit of time searching for your new job. Your efforts are finally rewarded; you have received an offer. Congratulations! Now comes the hard part. Wait a minute! Did I just say “now comes the hard part”? What am I talking about? The hard part is finding your new job, isn’t it?

by David Richter

If you are employed while searching for a job, you must inform your present employer that you have received an offer of employment elsewhere. When you give notice, two things can happen. Either your present employer will accept, with regret, your decision, or they will do whatever they can to persuade you to stay.

Your present employer probably spent a lot of time and money hiring and then training you. They are accustomed to your work habits and abilities, and know you work in harmony with your peers. You have achieved a number of accomplishments during your tenure there. To find your replacement at this juncture would be costly.

Your company will most likely attempt to retain you with a counter-offer.

A counter-offer represents the company’s monetary sense of what it’s going to take to retain you as an employee. It will be fashioned as an offer difficult to refuse, and include a substantial increase in your compensation along with whatever other perks are deemed necessary to win you back. What should you do?

The answer can be found in the reason you went looking elsewhere in the first place. If you accept the counter-offer, you will make more money, but in every other respect, your situation will remain the same. You need to ask yourself if the added income and perks will let you overcome whatever it was that caused your lack of fulfillment. Temporarily, you may be satiated, but you will most likely reach a point where you eventually seek a new position.

While it may be difficult to turn down a counter-offer, it may be your best option. The sooner you find yourself in a more fulfilling position, the more creative and happier you will be.

About the Author

David Richter is a recognized authority in career coaching. His extensive knowledge and experience gained from many years in recruitment, outplacement and career management has allowed David to formulate powerful strategies anyone can use to secure interviews and receive offers. David holds Masters in both Engineering and Counseling Psychology. Visit: http://www.procareercoach.com

It’s Friday afternoon. You walk into your boss’ office and ask the question that has sent scared many a managers –”Do you have a minute,” you ask. At that moment, he knows you’re resigning and if he/she wants you, they will have to fight to keep you.

“Why? We love you. Please stay! Don’t go! What do we have to do to keep you?”

by Jeff Altman

Recently, two people who accepted an offer from a client of mine called me to tell me that they accepted a counteroffer to remain with their current firm. The one who had been with his current firm for twelve years seemed to make a decision that made sense; the other, however, had pleaded to get a fulltime job and leave consulting. His assignment was ending and he said he wanted the stability of a fulltime job. Earning $45 per hour without benefits, he accepted a small increase in his hourly rate, rather than a fulltime salary of $93000 plus bonus and great benefits from an employer that he kept begging me to get him to see for a job that he said he loved. Why? He told me, “They need me. (as though my client didn’t.; as though the loss of revenue for his consulting firm and the difficulty they would have replacing him quickly at the client didn’t bother them a wee bit). “

Between the moment you quit and your departure date, your employer may try to persuade you to stay. Your mentor in the firm calls to talk with you. Your colleagues ask you to lunch and want to know why you’re going, where and for how much. Your boss’ boss asks to meet you. You are now the most important person at your company. You’re asked, “What will it take to keep you?” And this goes on for two weeks.

The pressure to accept a counteroffer can be enormous. The monetary offer can be tempting to stay. The promises to rectify everything that ticks you can be enormous. Yet, let’s look at what is going on from an employer’s perspective.

Your resignation is coming at an untimely moment; they are not prepared to replace you with someone who can step up and do your job. The cost of replacing you in dollars and effort (how many resumes will need to be read and people interviewed before they hire someone who they will need to train–AND they may have to pay a higher salary than what you were earning plus a fee to the search firm for a person who doesn’t know what you know. Can you see it’s not about you, personally) is large.

At the time you decide to change jobs, write down the reasons why you want to leave–I’m bored. I want to make more money. My boss is a micromanager. I want to learn something new. I want to work closer to home–write down the reasons and put them in a place where you can find them at the time you give notice.

Then, before giving notice, find the list and review it. Do not be seduced by the emotional response you may receive. Remember, the money they offer may only be your next raise pushed up a few months. Listen carefully to the promises that are made and remember that nothing is being put into writing; it is just the desperate effort to keep someone who was taken for granted for so long who they are now forced to remember they have underpaid, treated poorly and need to accomplish their objectives.

Few counteroffers should be considered, let alone accepted. I fully expect to see the consultant’s resume online again in a few months because the core issues that caused him to look for a job were not resolved.

About the Author

Jeff Altman has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff since 1971. For additional job hunting or hiring tips, go to http://www.newyorkmetrotechnologyjobs.com If you would like Jeff and his firm to assist you with hiring staff, or if you would like help with a strategic job change, send an email to him at jeffaltman@cisny.com (If you’re looking for a new position, include your resume).