Counter offer from current employer

bababooey1

So, i landed a great gig as a sys admin with a 22% increase
I gave 2 weeks and now, to my surprise, my company wants to try to keep me.
I am primarily desktop support at my current job. I really like my current situation. Great boss, environment, co-workers. It's easy.

The new job would be more challenging and doing more server/network support. Also a great co. to work for

Should i entertain a counter offer? I know there are many pitfalls.
If so, what should i ask for? 25%, 30%?

Keep in mind I am dirt BROKE, have a family, big mortgage, bills up the yazoo so money play a BIG factor in this.

Thank you for your replys!

cyberguypr

Flat out NO. I always believe that companies should take action to retain employees before they are ready to move on. Besides, if they need to reduce personnel they may look at "that guy who tried to leave" first.

erpadmin

bababooey1 wrote: »

So, i landed a great gig as a sys admin with a 22% increase
I gave 2 weeks and now, to my surprise, my company wants to try to keep me.
I am primarily desktop support at my current job.

I have to concur with cyberguypr...respectfully decline the counter! Everything else in your post is irrelvant.

You are moving to a better position with higher pay. We're not even talking a lateral move here, we're talking a flat out promotion. If your current company had wanted to give you a raise, they would have done so without you leaving. Also, a sys admin position looks a lot better on a resume than desktop support analyst.

Trust me, I left a JOAT job to take more money as desktop support and I HATED life. The position was such a career dead-end. Thankfully I was able to bounce back from that.

Sounds like you are a good worker and deserve a great opportunity. Do your family and mortgage a favor...take this job and continue to grow your career. Don't think short-term!

networker050184

cyberguypr wrote: »

Flat out NO. I always believe that companies should take action to retain employees before they are ready to move on. Besides, if they need to reduce personnel they may look at "that guy who tried to leave" first.

Those are my initial thoughts, but if money really is a big issue maybe you can try and work something out. It would definitely be an uncomfortable situation for me which is why I've always tried to avoid it in the past.

rwmidl

Time to spread your wings and fly. Decline the counter-offer politely, and don't burn bridges.

Everyone

For me it's never gotten past my manager saying "I don't suppose there's anything we can do to get you to stay" when I turn in a resignation.

This topic comes up somewhat regularly, and I have wondered before, if a current employer gave you a written counter offer, couldn't you use that to get a better offer from a prospective employer? Might be a little risky but could have big pay offs. I don't think I'd ASK for a counter offer, but if one were GIVEN to me, I'd want to use it to my advantage of at all possible.

Example:
Current Salary: $50k
Prospective employer offers $60k
Current employer counter offers $65k
Prospective employer changes offer to $70k

I'm not sure how you'd go about making something like that happen, but it is something I've thought about.

erpadmin

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In theory, that's sounds all fine and dandy, right? In an ideal world, why wouldn't anyone want to accept a counter offer; especially when you know the boss, the coworkers, the layout, etc., etc.

The reason why most people (myself included) will never accept a counter offer, under any circumstance, is because when layoffs tend to come around, the one offered the counter offer is typically the first one on the layoff list. Also, staying with a company after laying down such drama just reeks of bad will.

Now yes, there are exceptions to everything, but exceptions to this scenario is not commonplace. It's just better to go with a clean break and startover at a new place once the letter of resignation has been made.

Once you hand that letter over to your boss, you have pretty much committed yourself to leaving. Which is why I always advise that only you know your situation. If your situation spells out to leave, then leave. If it spells out stay, stay. But if you leave and hand that letter of resignation....you have made your decision.

So in short....playing that game as laid out above is not something you want to do. You can always negotiate salary with a prospective employer up to a point, but no need to play these games. Most hiring folks with enough sense will just move on to the next candidate if you push too hard.

Everyone

erpadmin,

I think you misunderstood. I agree, no point in taking the counter offer. What I was saying was using a counter-offer to get a counter-counter-offer if you will.

bababooey1

I see what you guys are saying. I'll let you know how it all plays out. Thanks for the info.

erpadmin

Everyone wrote: »

erpadmin,

I think you misunderstood. I agree, no point in taking the counter offer. What I was saying was using a counter-offer to get a counter-counter-offer if you will.

My last paragraph applies.

I know I would personally tell a candidate that perhaps he should take the counter offer if he tried to play that game with me...and this with the knowledge that I KNOW counter-offers are bad. There is nothing wrong with negotiating a salary with a new employer. But for someone to tell me I have to give someone $20k more because his current employer is offering $15k? I would seriously tell him that's an excellent offer and perhaps he should take it. Otherwise the best I can do is go $5k more.

In this economy...no one, and I repeat NO ONE is that special...I don't care who you are, or what you've done. I definitely include myself into that. When you negotiate with that understanding, you can for sure shoot for something a bit realistic.

Everyone

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Oh I AM that special.

erpadmin

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Don't let me take that away from you.

Seriously, you know what I mean.

Zartanasaurus

IMHO, if they thought you were so valuable before you'd already be in the new position at your job.

BradleyHU

NOPE!!! dont do it!!!

you're making a career move for the better...going from desktop support to sys/network admin...this should be a no brainer...

LinuxRacr

Do not stagnate. Move on and move up. I know from personal experience.

snokerpoker

I recommend moving up to a better position. As others have stated, if you stay with your current employer you always run the risk of some backlash later on down the road.

dontstop

My nugget points:

Take the new job, clean break
Try negotiate a higher pay with your employer, but don't use "they want me to stay" as your playing card
The work will be better on your CV than a Desktop job and will get you a higher pay in the long run
SysAdmin hands down is where you want to be

You should also look into articles along the lines of "Cost to replace employee", if they offer you $10-20 grand they are really only offering you a small percent of what it's going to cost to re-hire and retrain a new staff member. I also would think your boss now knows your willingness to leave (showed by the fact you took an interview) and will look at still hiring a new staff member. They will position this staff member with you to train them, when layoffs come (if they are really even needed) you will be the first to go - as now your an asset that cannot be known sure to stay in the long run.

Also as well, it could be seen by your boss as a bluff to just get a pay rise. For them $10-20 grand to keep you is a very small percent of time and effort and also strain on the rest of your team to find another you - which if you stay... may cause resentment by your boss & team.

Like i said in a previous post in another thread, i have made it know to my current boss that i am going to only be in my job for 6 months, i don't wont them to get the impression that im going to be here for ever, which is as some would say not the best idea. But it's a Gentlemen's way of dealing with a company.

erpadmin

dontstop wrote: »

Like i said in a previous post in another thread, i have made it know to my current boss that i am going to only be in my job for 6 months, i don't wont them to get the impression that im going to be here for ever, which is as some would say not the best idea. But it's a Gentlemen's way of dealing with a company.

One of my favorite sayings applies to this paragraph....

"Kids, don't try this at home...." Staying only six months at a job is one thing....but stating it up front to a boss? I guess I don't have the stones for that.

Everything else you said is so spot on though....but that last bit...I'm one who would be in the not the best idea camp.

thenjduke

My advice jump ship. Never accept counter offer from company you work for. You lost ethuasiam to work there.

Turgon

bababooey1 wrote: »

So, i landed a great gig as a sys admin with a 22% increase
I gave 2 weeks and now, to my surprise, my company wants to try to keep me.
I am primarily desktop support at my current job. I really like my current situation. Great boss, environment, co-workers. It's easy.

The new job would be more challenging and doing more server/network support. Also a great co. to work for

Should i entertain a counter offer? I know there are many pitfalls.
If so, what should i ask for? 25%, 30%?

Keep in mind I am dirt BROKE, have a family, big mortgage, bills up the yazoo so money play a BIG factor in this.

Thank you for your replys!

Take the new job and reject gracefully i.e time for a new challenge. Never take a counter offer. When the axe falls in the future, as it does, the resentment towards you will do for you.

Enjoy the new gig!

Turgon

Everyone wrote: »

erpadmin,

I think you misunderstood. I agree, no point in taking the counter offer. What I was saying was using a counter-offer to get a counter-counter-offer if you will.

Most unwise. Companies are alive to this possibility and phonecalls usually ensue between both parties often resulting in offer withdrawal and loss of office at the the original job. Do not do it. If you want more money from a new company, simply ask them to up their offer, but do not do it with a revised offer from your current employer. You may do so from prospective new employers though, I did this once and had to choose between two who both bumped to a similar rate.

bababooey1

In case you're interested, an update...
I received a counter offer that basically matches the new company. It's a shame because if they treated me fairly in the past, there's a slight chance I would not have been looking. Oh well- hello new company!!!

Thanks for all your advice everyone!

LinuxRacr

A most excellent decision...from a sys admin who used to be operations support. When the time came for me to move on, I took it. At first, I made less money because I went from hourly with some overtime to salary, but my earning potential increased and soon outpaced my old pay on a STEADY basis. I also learned a lot of new valuable skills to boot.

Hypntick

Sounds like you made the right choice on this one. Really hope that everything works out for the best with your new position. I'm sure you'll learn a ton, I know I did moving from the desk to an admin type role.

powerfool

Don't directly use the counter-offer to get a counter-counter-offer... just contact them and see if they can move a bit... or maybe you ask for something besides money (I know it is important, but you are getting a 22% increase). Maybe you see if they can give you an extra week of PTO/vacation time; I have been able to do this on several occasions. What about a flexible schedule? What about a reimbursements for training, cell phone, school, certs, etc?

If you have already accepted the offer, don't broach the subject... but if you are still "negotiating," see what you can get.

EDIT: Also, this isn't necessarily a bad market for everyone, right now. Higher end talent is doing fairly well in IT. I am contacted by a few recruiters each month. They try to offer me $5-10K extra, but that doesn't cover all of the benefits that I have right now.

Oh, and that brings up another point... when you are negotiating salary, keep in mind that you are always approaching your next review and that you could be getting a raise for that period. So, if someone throws out 5-10%, tell them that you could sit tight at your current place and get that... or that you may be inline for a promotion that would exceed that.