I've been offered a position with a company and my employer counteroffered something better. 3

[raychl05]

All, I am extremely lost. I was found on LinkedIn by a company that is much larger than my current company and offered me the job at 15,000$ more than I was making. The major cons of this are that I go from driving 8 miles round trip to driving 80 miles round trip; 10 minutes to 45 minutes. I looked into how much I would be spending on gas and it goes from 650$ to over 6,000$ a year in gas. I of course didn't look this up though until I told my boss I was leaving and he gave me a counteroffer of 18,500$ more a year and a new improved title. My company now also pays for 1/3 of my Masters and the new company will not.
Here's my dilemma. I looked up on what to do when you receive a counteroffer and every site says it's a bad thing and that 80% of the people that except a counteroffer leave or are fired within 1-2 years.
Also, I told the recruiter that I verbally excepted the position at the new company.
I wasn't truly looking for a new job so it's not like I was determined to leave my current position, but the money at the new company seemed to be what I was worth.
Also, if you minus the 6 grand in gas from the 15,000 more the new company was offering, my company now is offering me almost double.
The only reason I accepted the offer from the new company is because I was not expecting in a million years that my company would offer me this much more. They told me they were planning on doing it at the end of the year anyways so now it's just several months earlier.
I just need some advice.

Thanks,
Rachel

 

[KENAT]

Just to be clear, you already accepted the new job?

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[raychl05]

I was asked by the recruiter yesterday if I accepted and I verbally said yes but no paperwork has been filled out yet. I should have spoken with my boss first but I didn't get the chance to until today.

 

[MadMango]

A person's word used to be pretty valuable, in some circles it still is. Depending on how small of a community your industry is, your word may proceed you.

Besides the money and longer commute, does the new job offer anything that your old employer can not offer? Advancement opportunities, newer technologies, etc, etc?


"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

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[raychl05]

I did ask if there were advancement opportunities at the new company. They said yes to a certain extent. I am as of now a Junior Design Drafter trying to get my Master in Manufacturing Engineering. At the new company there are 5 design drafters there already (This company is much larger than my current one). At this new company there are also dozens of manufacturing engineers. This new company knew I was trying to get my Masters in engineering and seemed very worried that I would leave the Design field some day and go to engineering once I received my masters. They said you could move up in design but they couldn't promise anything regarding moving up to the Engineering side of the company. I told them I wouldn't mind halting my schooling for now because I do truly like drafting but I do not ever want to stop better myself and my education.
My company now, just offered me a Senior level drafting title with a significant pay raise. Also, I could finish my Masters here and get a better engineering position down the road. Also, with me having the new title, they were wanting to bring someone new on and I would be their "boss" and manage them.

All in all, I originally thought it had more advancement but now I'm not so sure.
BUT, this new company has a lot of clout. They are very well known and could possibly help me get a better job in the future.

 

[GregLocock]

Well I guess two people have learnt bitter lessons from this.

1) You. You're going to have to figure out whether yes meant yes, etc. It sounds as though your current boss counteroffered unprompted, which is a big change from the usual argy bargy.

2)Your boss, who could suddenly pull this counteroffer out of his hat. Systematically underpaying your staff is a great way to lose the best ones.

Cheers

Greg Locock


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[dvd]

Which has more value the courage of your convictions or the courage to say you made a mistake and apologize? I don't think this is a question that is well answered by others. If the present job is pleasing and you want to stay, then make your apologies and set a good example henceforth. I have seen too many people back out of employment commitments to think that it is anything but a business decision. Do what is in your best and current interest - no matter what you do there will be consequences regarding both the path not chosen and that which was chosen.

 

[raychl05]

Thank you all for your help. I truly am in a bind no matter what, but a lesson is learned from this. As for the counteroffer getting pulled out of his hat, I do have it in writing so the next question is to when the offer will begin. I did write an apology letter to the recruiter telling him why I made the decision that I did and I will write a letter to the company as well explaining that it was a huge opportunity to even be considered for them and hopefully no bridges are burned in the process.

Thanks,
Rachel

 

[GregLocock]

Well done, that is a civilised approach.

Cheers

Greg Locock


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[Ron]

ray...keep in mind something that Greg alluded to....a company will not value you until you decide to leave. For some, no big deal. For others, it is the opportunity to get the deserved raise. It is a form of negotiation. Been there, done that. Being upfront with both parties is the proper way to do it. You've adequately recovered from the momentary lapse!

 

[IRstuff]

Well, it's unfortunate that you've decided to take the counteroffer; you've now made it clear that your sole motivation is money, and that your decision making process is suspect. If I were your company, I might be looking to lay you off at the very next opportunity.

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[raychl05]

IRStuff,
I understand your opinion but I am not keeping my current job because of the money. I was never looking for another job, this new one just fell into my lap. Therefore, I never had a problem with my company except for I was unsure of a chance of advancement. I did also think my wages were too low but I just assumed that was because it was a smaller company. Now, that I know I have the ability for advancement with this company and that they are now paying me what I am worth, I truly would like to stay with this company. Even if they would pay me less, the advanced job title is a big deal in itself on top of the closeness to work and the ability to take Masters classes.
So again, thanks for your input but I believe I am making the right choice for myself.

-R

 

[KENAT]

Well, the commuting time too IRstuff, not just the money.

Our director of engineering has done very nicely here by accepting counter-offers.

He has of course burnt some bridges by so doing but the last counter offer I'm aware of was around 2006-2007 and he's survived a roughly 50% down sizing in the period since.

So, while anecdotes and personal opinions etc. aren't necessarily statistically significant data it would appear that it doesn't always end in doom & gloom.

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[GregLocock]

What, really, is the difference between accepting a counteroffer (to make it easy assume you haven't accepted the other job), and leaving and then rejoining a company? Because the latter, anecdotally, seems too work out just fine more often than not?

Cheers

Greg Locock


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[IRstuff]

"offered me the job at 15,000$ more than I was making. The major cons of this are that I go from driving 8 miles round trip to driving 80 miles round trip; 10 minutes to 45 minutes. I looked into how much I would be spending on gas and it goes from 650$ to over 6,000$ a year in gas. I of course didn't look this up though until I told my boss I was leaving and he gave me a counteroffer of 18,500$ more a year and a new improved title. My company now also pays for 1/3 of my Masters and the new company will not. "

There does not appear to be much in the positives column, except for the money. So, if it walks like a duck...

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[MacGyverS2000]

The positive column is he gets to stay where he is with a $15k+ bump in salary... sounds like a win to me. And now the company knows he's more aware/concerned about how much he's worth. Anyone who keeps track of how much they're actually worth is also likely someone who wants to work hard enough to keep themselves worth that much.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[GregLocock]

And an hour a day of not commuting. That's a 10% improvement in quality of life right there.

Cheers

Greg Locock


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[mtu1972]

Commuting time is a big consideration. Had a 21 mile commute that could take 25 minutes or 90 minutes depending on rush hour traffic and/or weather. Found it best to go in early and leave late to avoid the rush hour. Would get an extra hour plus at work and still have the same overall travel time by avoiding the 8 AM and 5 PM traffic. Besides the money, this should play a big part in her deciding to stay.

gjc

 

[zelgar]

IMHO, this is really not an ethics problem. In some cases, the only way to get promoted in your current job is to have another job waiting for you. I admit, it would be an easier decision if you hadn't already verbally accepted the job; but nothing has been signed.

If you think the counter-offer is legitimate(If you can get it in writing from your boss first, it's better than just a verbal counter-offer), I think your current job is the best prospect. Notify the recruiter ASAP, and be honest. Tell him why you're turning down the offer (e.g., raise, shorter drive time, compensation for advanced degree) and thank him for the opportunity.

 

[hokie66]

Rachel,
You have done the right thing in doing what is right for you. And in making your reasons known to the recruiter and the other company, you have gone the extra mile. No need to worry further.