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The
Reality of Counter Offers
With
the economy improving, many
people are starting to look
for better career
opportunities.
Motivation for leaving
a position usually comes down
to one or more of these
factors: location, money, work
environment, job
responsibilities.
Depending
on the situation, the employee
giving notice may be met with
a counteroffer aimed at
enticing him/her to stay.
The counteroffer may be
purely monetary, or it may
address one or more of the
other factors listed above.
As many people
naturally resist change (and
changing jobs is a huge
decision), accepting a
counteroffer that resolves
one’s initial reasons for
wanting to leave may seem like
the perfect solution.
However,
here are some facts about
counteroffers that may reduce
their appeal:
·
80% of those who
accept a counteroffer leave or
are terminated within a year.
·
Even if an
employee accepts a
counteroffer, his/her loyalty
is always going to be in
question.
The trust is broken
between employer and employee.
·
The counteroffer
could be a stopgap measure on
the part of the employer until
a replacement can be found for
the employee (now that it is
clear that he/she isn’t
happy).
·
The extra money
in the counteroffer is
oftentimes the employee’s
next raise, or even the next
two raises.
Accepting the
counteroffer could limit
future earnings.
Despite
all this, in some situations
accepting a counteroffer can
be beneficial, especially if
the relationship is a good one
and the needs of both parties
can be met.
Accommodations such as
changing the physical space to
allow for more efficient work,
telecommuting, flexible hours,
more/less responsibility...all
can be good reasons for
reconsidering a decision to
leave a company.
Of course, such
possibilities should have been
discussed before the employee
decided to leave.
One
last point to remember:
Money alone is never a
good reason either to leave a
position that is otherwise
satisfying or to accept a
counteroffer.
Employees being
presented with a counteroffer
should ask themselves, “If I
was worth $40,000 prior to
giving notice, why is the
employer willing to pay more
for me today?”
Also, “Will I have to
threaten to quit in the future
to get what I feel I
deserve?”.
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Have
you looked at your resume
lately?
(part ten)
Throughout
this series, we have discussed
information that should (and
shouldn’t!) be included on a
resume, as well as the
formatting that works best
when working with agencies.
First impressions are
very important, so here are a
few more pointers on resume
presentation:
·
When emailing,
in the message body state
where you saw the
advertisement.
If there is a job
number from an internet
posting...include it!
·
A cover letter
shouldn’t be another resume.
Make a couple of quick
points as to why you feel you
fit this position.
Refer back to your
resume, “As you will see,
when I worked at XYZ, I had
many of the same
responsibilities listed in
your ad”.
·
If you are
relocating closer to the
company’s location, make
sure you state that in the
cover letter.
·
A resume isn’t
a novel, but it shouldn’t be
too general either.
If you can fill two or
even three pages with solid
information, that’s fine.
If, on the other-hand,
your two or three page resume
is rambling and filled with
‘fluff’, you should strive
to be more concise.
·
When dealing
with agencies, have one
comprehensive resume that
covers all your skills.
Tailoring a resume for
one type of job will limit the
opportunities for which the
agency will call you.
·
Check and re-check your
resume for completeness and
grammar, read it again in a
day or two, and use spell
check!
·
Honest and
consistent information is
critical.
Agencies keep records
of past resumes and take note
when updated resumes aren’t
consistent with prior ones.
Next
time: Accents and additions to
set it apart...
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