Ever gone through the "offer/counter offer" thing with a job?

[jread]

Well, I applied for a position in another department (same organization) that is two levels above my current title. It will have more programming work, which is what I want to do with my career. I was offered the job on Monday and I went to let my boss know that I was going to take it. He said, "Wait..."

He then hit me with a counter offer: put me in the same job title, get me equal or better pay, then move me over to the programming group and I will work for them (under another supervisor). Once I have gained enough experience, I'd then be reclassified as a Programmer Analyst (which will pay even better than the new position).

So, I call the other guy back and let him know that I've been given a counter offer, so he's seeing what he can do to beat it.

This is fun A win/win situation for me either way. I'm just going to sit back and let them duke it out and take the best offer.

 

[postmortemIA]

Your boss is an ass, he did nothing until you already got the better job.

 

[ultimatebob]

Do you trust your existing boss to follow through with his promises, or is he just stalling for time until he can find your replacement? Keep that in mind when evaluating these offers.

 

[Winchester]

Make sure you get EVERYTHING in writing and signed.

 

[postmortemIA]

OP, you are being a tool. Your current boss could have helped you before, but he/she didn't. There are bosses that are called "blockers" as they don't let you go out or don't help finding you a job that is best match for you. Instead, they try to keep you knowing how valuable yo uare for their ass.

 

[tmc]

in general, don't accept counter offers.

 

[jlbenedict]

Why is the boss at fault?
If you don't try to negotiate for more $$ or try to see if the company can work something out for you, then its the employees fault for being complacent and not taking any action.

Gotta remember.. the boss has the companys interest in mind; their goal is to profit.. If you don't ask for a raise, they sure in the hell aren't going to come out of the blue and give it to you.

 

[postmortemIA]

boss is at fault because putting everybody to right position would benefit the company the most. Boss has blocked OP from getting the job that utilizes his full potential.

 

[jread]

Let me add more information to help answer some questions:

My boss and the supervisor that wants to hire me used to work together and are still good friends. My boss knew that he was going to pick me way before I did and was working on his counter offer. Also, I would not be under my boss anymore but would be moved over to the programming group and would be under their supervisor. He talked to me about it as well and confirmed everything my boss told me, then they brought me to the CIO and he was onboard as well.

The other job would be nice as well, but I would not be in a programming group and would not have the same opportunity to be reclassified as a programmer (which is what I really want in the end).

Oh, and I work for the government (not a private company) so profit isn't really the driving force for any decisions.

 

[cyclistca]

Originally posted by: jlbenedict
Gotta remember.. the boss has the companys interest in mind; their goal is to profit.. If you don't ask for a raise, they sure in the hell aren't going to come out of the blue and give it to you.

The boss does not always have the companies best interest in mind. I known all to many of them that only have their best interest in mind.

 

[AgentJean]

Becareful, this can be a trap.

Your current boss tries to match your new offer. You go back to the new boss and ask for something better, he tells you to get lost, your stuck with the old boss at your old pay grade. After all your not going to leave him now so why give you a bump in pay.

See what the other guy offers if he offers more go for it. If he says he's firm with the origianl offer, you still might want to take it.

 

[imported_Imp]

Counter-offers should really be considered with a grain of salt. Think about it thoroughly, they don't think you're good enough for the better position/money, if they did, they would have promoted you. The new company however does; they want to hire you based on their impression of you. Let's not mention the position it would put you in if you accepted the counter, all other employees would probably go "Hey, there's that mofo who 'bullied' a raise/promotion out of the boss".

 

[Garet Jax]

Originally posted by: jread
Well, I applied for a position in another department (same organization) that is two levels above my current title. It will have more programming work, which is what I want to do with my career. I was offered the job on Monday and I went to let my boss know that I was going to take it. He said, "Wait..."

He then hit me with a counter offer: put me in the same job title, get me equal or better pay, then move me over to the programming group and I will work for them (under another supervisor). Once I have gained enough experience, I'd then be reclassified as a Programmer Analyst (which will pay even better than the new position).

So, I call the other guy back and let him know that I've been given a counter offer, so he's seeing what he can do to beat it.

This is fun A win/win situation for me either way. I'm just going to sit back and let them duke it out and take the best offer.

Did you talk to your boss before hand about moving to the programming group? If so, then you should reject his offer and move to the other group.

You need to be careful because being used to leverage things out if other people leaves a sour taste in mouths. The person who gave you the first offer will not like being played against your current boss and your will likely lose them as an ally forever.

In addition, if you continue to play them off against each other, they will both resent you.

 

[Stuxnet]

This is a very classic and very fishy scenario. I'd avoid it like the plague. Accept the original offer and forget your boss every said a word. You could really end up setting yourself up for a long road of misery.

 

[Suture]

I've done this twice, actually... in one year.

The first time, I was working for a small 8A IT consulting firm. I was offered a job making $25,000 more. I put in my 2 weeks, and the president of the company countered with a nice $20,000 bonus and a $20,000 pay raise. Still, the other offer was sweeter. Discussions went back and forth, and finally I wound up getting $30,000 more at the new place.

The project I was on was going to crap. I was getting frustrated that I couldn't get anything done because it was managed so poorly. I mentioned it to my boss, and he promised he'd look into it. A few weeks went by and I couldn't take it anymore, so I reactivated my resume across the job boards. I got a bunch of interviews, and accepted a job at another 8A, for $10,000 more.

I put in my 2 weeks, and my boss countered like crazy, with $25,000 more and moved to a much better project where I had complete implementation control. I felt like I had kicked my dog, but for that much more money, I will kick dogs all day long.

I felt guilty the first time really at the first situation, but I got over it quickly lol.

 

[jread]

Originally posted by: Garet Jax

Did you talk to your boss before hand about moving to the programming group?

Yes, we had talked about it before.

Just an update, I ended up taking the counter-offer and rejecting the initial one. I want to be a programmer and the counter-offer will get me there much more quickly. The main thing that helped me make the decision was that the supervisor for the programming group is fully behind me coming over to his team. He is a very trustworthy guy and I would love to work with him. He's the kind of guy that wouldn't blow smoke up my ass... he would either say, "Yes, this is possible" or "No, I can't do that" from the very beginning.