Why Accepting a Counteroffer Can Be Counterproductive To Your Career

Sometimes, after a person has accepted a job at another company, their employer may make them a counteroffer. If this happens to you, should you consider such an overture or not?

If you have received a counteroffer after accepting a job from another company, you need to think very carefully about accepting it.

There are several reasons why it generally is not a good idea to accept a counteroffer.

The same situation.

If the reason you’re leaving is simply to make more money, then it may make sense to consider a counteroffer. But often people leave jobs for reasons other than money. It could be because of problems with a supervisor or coworkers, a lack of advancement opportunities, changes in job responsibilities, or reservations about the direction of the company.

So if you accept the counteroffer and return to the company, you will be confronted with the same problems that caused your dissatisfaction in the first place. The situation will be the same. That is something you need to think about.

If the issue is money, you also need to question why the company was not willing to pay a competitive salary in the first place.

You and your employer.

If you accept the counteroffer, your relationship with the company will probably change.

Your supervisor now knows that you have been looking for opportunities in other places. This will probably make them wonder about your dedication to the job and how willing you are to devote all of your time and effort to it. They may wonder how long it will be before you begin looking for other job opportunities.

These thoughts may affect the kinds of assignments that you get and the job responsibilities that you’re given.

You may become disposable.

Because of your willingness to jump ship, you may become one of the first casualties when there are layoffs if the company needs to downsize.

The company may also make a counteroffer simply to give them time to find another person to fill the position.

Looking for career advice?

At G.A. Rogers, we care about our job candidates, our results and our relationships. We take the time to get to know each one of our candidates, enabling us to make better matches with employers. We treat our people with respect, and establish long-term relationships. Give us a call today to see what we can do for you.