Counter offeringRecently, I was laid off and have been job searching again. I am a trainer, however it is difficult to get a job as a trainer currently in my area. Because I need a job (both for the money and the peace of mind) I have decided to find a lower position that will allow me advancement opportunities later on. I have had two offers from two companies that both know that that is my intention (to advance into a training or supervisory position) in the future. The first company (Company A) offered me a salary that was too low. Because I had just recently been offered the position with Company B, I rejected Company A' s offer and accepted B. Now, A is calling me and asking me what they can do to get me on board (I am very experienced in this field for both companies, and have worked for competitors in the past). I' ve never been in this situation before and don' t know how best to negotiate for this... I do want more money, but I also want to be sure that I will have some advancement opportunities opening in the future. What all can I negotiate for? In the last call (when I was told that the "offer team" would be calling me) I was told I was Company A' s number one pick... I don' t want to ask for too much, but I also don' t want to leave stuff on the table, either. Thanks.... they will be calling today so any help will be appreciated!!! I think you should make the decision having in mind what YOUR needs are now. Don' t be afraid of a counter offer, just consider yourself lucky in a way. Take this in your advantage. They want you, this means you can ask for whatever. I will give you some tips on how much you can ask, but I don' t have a specific amount. Just remember greed is not good and even if you will ask for a lot, you will be required to cover that a lot with a lot of work...I' m sure you understand what I mean. Since you accepted B' s offer, I would suggest that you establish an anticipated salary range with A that' s at least 10% to 15% more than you' re earning from B. Ordinarily, that' s the salary range that justifies switching jobs - even though you haven' t been with B very long. If A wants to know what it will take to get you to switch now, it should be for more money than B is paying, but your anticipated range shouldn' t be so high that you have no chance of switching to A. Secondly, assuming the salary thing works out, I' d move right on to a direct question about obtaining some assurance that if you leave B you' ll have the opportunity, at some point - assuming you perform well - to move into a training or supervisory position. Obviously they can' t promise you a promotion, but I' d at least want to know that a real opportunity was there for an upward move based on my performance. | |
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Career Tips
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