February 13, 2025 • 7 mins
It's a nightmare subject for a lot of recruiters and candidates alike. But when IS the right time to make a counter offer? And are you sure your reasons for making one are the right reasons?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
This is Stephanie Maas.
(00:01):
Today, I want to talk to you about a very sensitive subject.
I want to talk to you about counteroffers.
Anyone that has ever been through the process of working with a recruiter and taking a counteroffer, not working with a recruiter and taking a counteroffer, or not taking off.
This is a nightmare subject.
But I want to give some very simple counsel as it relates to counteroffers.
(00:25):
And I know some of my recruiter buddies may hate me for this counsel, but I think it's really good and applicable.
People are always asking me my thoughts about counteroffers.
I know as a recruiter, I'm supposed to hate them.
I also know I've read every article I think that's ever been posted.
I understand the pros and the cons and all the different things.
(00:46):
So honestly, my opinion is.
Yeah, I mean, there's overwhelming evidence that for the most part, counteroffers are not a good thing.
Of course, do I know that one or two story that someone did take a counteroffer and it worked out beautifully and saved their life and this and that.
Of course, there's always going to be a story out here or two that contradict anything that's out there.
(01:10):
But with all that being said, I do want to give my thoughts and ideas on counteroffers.
And there's a lot of studies that back up where these thoughts and ideas are coming from.
First and foremost, we have to understand and recognize that changing jobs is still one of the top five most stressful things a human can go through.
(01:34):
That is reality.
So when somebody gets to the point where it's time to make a decision and there's a counter offer.
Reality is, it is very normal and natural for some of us to go, I don't know if I can do it.
We don't like that that's normal and natural, but we are humans.
(01:58):
We are naturally adverse to change.
So here's the counsel I want to share.
If you're in a situation, regardless if you're partnered with a firm or not, a couple of things.
First and foremost, before you ever engage in any kind of interviewing process, I think you have to have a real conversation with yourself and with your support group to say, Hey, if I go through this process and it really can better my situation, am I really ready to make this change?
(02:34):
It's a gut check thing, but it's absolutely a conversation you need to have first.
If the answer is yes, then write down why, because recruiting processes, we can become highly emotional and we may forget why we wanted to make a change to begin with and having that written down and be able to refer back to it can be a healthy reminder.
(02:59):
Second thing, while you're in the process, you need to be asking yourself, Hey, can this new opportunity truly happen?
Better my situation and bettering your situation nine times out of ten is not more money It's almost never about the money.
(03:20):
The reality of it is most people, and I think the last study that I just did found that only 17.
8 percent of the folks that they interviewed, and it was several hundred, said that money was actually the number one reason for making a job change.
That means the overwhelming majority of us, we're looking for a change for a reason other So, if you go out into the market and you start interviewing and you get all the way to the point where the employer that you're interviewing with makes you an offer, you accept it saying, yes, I accept, and then you go back to your current employer and attempt to resign and they can keep you with more money.
(04:10):
What I have to really question there is.
Again, most of us don't look for a change because of money and actually if that is your only dissatisfaction point, if you love everything about your employer except for you truly are underpaid, which is a whole different topic because most of us, reality is we're not underpaid.
(04:34):
We feel undervalued, but we're not actually underpaid per the market.
That is, if that really is your pain point.
If it's money, call me, me or any one of my colleagues.
We will talk you through how to make a change financially with your current employer in a very professional, respectable way for the overwhelming majority.
(04:57):
Chances are, statistically speaking, you are looking because this is something bigger than just money.
And at the end of the day, even if your employer comes back to you with more money, I think you have to really ask yourself and be as objective as possible to say, is this another 10, 15, whatever grand?
(05:19):
Is this really worth it?
I'm going to take away my dissatisfaction.
Most of the time what we see is folks take the money, they stay, and six months later the problems are still there.
If you really feel that this is truly a better opportunity for you and your family, and you can articulate that, that'll make the counter offer process incredibly easy.
(05:46):
Lastly, if you get to the end of a process.
And you have told somebody verbally, yes, I will accept this offer, resign, and come on board with you.
We have to face facts.
Sometimes things change.
We hate it when it happens at the 11th hour, but that is reality.
Sometimes things change.
(06:07):
Doesn't mean we're bad people, trust me.
Recruiters hate counteroffers almost as much as clients hate counteroffers.
Unless you haven't been honest throughout the entire process.
But sometimes life just changes.
And if you do find yourself in a situation where you have to go back on your word, Hey, I know I said I was going to come on board.
I know I said yes, but now I'm not.
(06:29):
Look, that's a hard call to make.
But it's the right call to make with lots of honest communication.
At that point, you can't control anyone else's reaction.
You can't control who gets mad or frustrated or what happens, but you can communicate, you can control how you communicate and how you handle.
And if you're in a situation where you have to go back on your word, open, honest, clear communication is the only way to not burn bridges.
This is Stephanie Maas.
(00:01):
Today, I want to talk to you about a very sensitive subject.
I want to talk to you about counteroffers.
Anyone that has ever been through the process of working with a recruiter and taking a counteroffer, not working with a recruiter and taking a counteroffer, or not taking off.
This is a nightmare subject.
But I want to give some very simple counsel as it relates to counteroffers.
(00:25):
And I know some of my recruiter buddies may hate me for this counsel, but I think it's really good and applicable.
People are always asking me my thoughts about counteroffers.
I know as a recruiter, I'm supposed to hate them.
I also know I've read every article I think that's ever been posted.
I understand the pros and the cons and all the different things.
(00:46):
So honestly, my opinion is.
Yeah, I mean, there's overwhelming evidence that for the most part, counteroffers are not a good thing.
Of course, do I know that one or two story that someone did take a counteroffer and it worked out beautifully and saved their life and this and that.
Of course, there's always going to be a story out here or two that contradict anything that's out there.
(01:10):
But with all that being said, I do want to give my thoughts and ideas on counteroffers.
And there's a lot of studies that back up where these thoughts and ideas are coming from.
First and foremost, we have to understand and recognize that changing jobs is still one of the top five most stressful things a human can go through.
(01:34):
That is reality.
So when somebody gets to the point where it's time to make a decision and there's a counter offer.
Reality is, it is very normal and natural for some of us to go, I don't know if I can do it.
We don't like that that's normal and natural, but we are humans.
(01:58):
We are naturally adverse to change.
So here's the counsel I want to share.
If you're in a situation, regardless if you're partnered with a firm or not, a couple of things.
First and foremost, before you ever engage in any kind of interviewing process, I think you have to have a real conversation with yourself and with your support group to say, Hey, if I go through this process and it really can better my situation, am I really ready to make this change?
(02:34):
It's a gut check thing, but it's absolutely a conversation you need to have first.
If the answer is yes, then write down why, because recruiting processes, we can become highly emotional and we may forget why we wanted to make a change to begin with and having that written down and be able to refer back to it can be a healthy reminder.
(02:59):
Second thing, while you're in the process, you need to be asking yourself, Hey, can this new opportunity truly happen?
Better my situation and bettering your situation nine times out of ten is not more money It's almost never about the money.
(03:20):
The reality of it is most people, and I think the last study that I just did found that only 17.
8 percent of the folks that they interviewed, and it was several hundred, said that money was actually the number one reason for making a job change.
That means the overwhelming majority of us, we're looking for a change for a reason other So, if you go out into the market and you start interviewing and you get all the way to the point where the employer that you're interviewing with makes you an offer, you accept it saying, yes, I accept, and then you go back to your current employer and attempt to resign and they can keep you with more money.
(04:10):
What I have to really question there is.
Again, most of us don't look for a change because of money and actually if that is your only dissatisfaction point, if you love everything about your employer except for you truly are underpaid, which is a whole different topic because most of us, reality is we're not underpaid.
(04:34):
We feel undervalued, but we're not actually underpaid per the market.
That is, if that really is your pain point.
If it's money, call me, me or any one of my colleagues.
We will talk you through how to make a change financially with your current employer in a very professional, respectable way for the overwhelming majority.
(04:57):
Chances are, statistically speaking, you are looking because this is something bigger than just money.
And at the end of the day, even if your employer comes back to you with more money, I think you have to really ask yourself and be as objective as possible to say, is this another 10, 15, whatever grand?
(05:19):
Is this really worth it?
I'm going to take away my dissatisfaction.
Most of the time what we see is folks take the money, they stay, and six months later the problems are still there.
If you really feel that this is truly a better opportunity for you and your family, and you can articulate that, that'll make the counter offer process incredibly easy.
(05:46):
Lastly, if you get to the end of a process.
And you have told somebody verbally, yes, I will accept this offer, resign, and come on board with you.
We have to face facts.
Sometimes things change.
We hate it when it happens at the 11th hour, but that is reality.
Sometimes things change.
(06:07):
Doesn't mean we're bad people, trust me.
Recruiters hate counteroffers almost as much as clients hate counteroffers.
Unless you haven't been honest throughout the entire process.
But sometimes life just changes.
And if you do find yourself in a situation where you have to go back on your word, Hey, I know I said I was going to come on board.
I know I said yes, but now I'm not.
(06:29):
Look, that's a hard call to make.
But it's the right call to make with lots of honest communication.
At that point, you can't control anyone else's reaction.
You can't control who gets mad or frustrated or what happens, but you can communicate, you can control how you communicate and how you handle.
And if you're in a situation where you have to go back on your word, open, honest, clear communication is the only way to not burn bridges.
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