job offer - what would you do? UPDATE

UPDATE: I turned the offer down. I misheard the offer on the phone and it was a very small salary increase. After taking into consideration how stable my current company is vs the problems I know this new place has faced, I decided it wasn't worth a neg. I just returned from meetings with our CEO and couldn't be happier that he is happy with me.



i've been unhappy at my job for quite some time but things are starting to look up and i am confident that the problems that bother me will now be minimalized. while unhappy, i went on a job interview and was just offered the position. My gut is telling me not to take it but it is $12k more than what I make now, though the benefits are not as good and I was not expecting that. It's higher than the industry average for someone at my level so i am also concerned that i would be the first one to go if the company needed to cut expenses.

My job is very stable but typically pay raises are not given. Instead we receive bonuses that are given half in December and half in June. I've heard one of the ways to get a pay raise is to prove that another job offer has been made. I'm torn over whether I do that - in one instance, maybe my company will match or come close to what the new position is offering. On the other hand they could say thank you very much and ask me to leave. So what do I do?

Message edited 12/28/2010 9:08:48 AM.

Re: job offer - what would you do?

compare the actual jobs, the opportunity, the oppy for growth and if you would be happy.

It sounds like you want to stay now and see what happens.

Is money a driving force or did you start looking because you were unhappy?

Re: job offer - what would you do?

You really have to weigh it.

Benefits IMO are really important, often more so than an actual pay increase.

I also think it was you who mentioned in a prior thread you may want to TTC in the near future? If that is the case, I would be extremely careful about going to a new place where the possibility of kids could be on the horizion.

What are some of the problems that are bothering you at your current employer?

I have found that most places have issues so moving on may not remedy the situation.

Re: job offer - what would you do?

the driving force was my unhappiness, for the right opportunity i would've taken a matching salary. after figuring out the value of my current benefits vs those of the new employer the new place averages out to be about 3,000-3,500 more (that's when i tack on the benefits to the salaries and subtract from there.)

yes, i do want to ttc in the near future. we are talking about starting the middle of 2011 and if all went well, that would mean i'd be on maternity leave after being at a new job for a little over a year.

the biggest problem i had at my current job is the way my dept was being run. our very experienced director left in March and the assistant for my dept ended up taking on a much more senior role that she wasn't ready for (she's 22). She really messed things up bad (I could write a book!) and to boot, our new manager had NO experience in my industry and although v nice, was extremely protective of the 22 year old. I don't know why. Now the 22 year old is gone so me and my colleague in Singapore are trying to clean up the mess and get things back on track. Our ceo is very happy with both of us and very unhappy with my current manager. as a result, there is going to be a (good) restructure and my manager was warned that if she doesn't shape up by the end of january she'll be outta here.

would you tell your current employer of the new opportunity in an attempt to get a raise?

ETA: that is, the 3K-3500K figure is how much more the job is really worth. The value of my current benefits is about double what the new employer offers.

Message edited 12/19/2010 3:06:12 PM.

Re: job offer - what would you do?

it sounds like you need to sit down with your boss and tell him that while all of the crap was going on you received an offer for X more..

Don't talk about benefits..etc...just the money.

See if they will give you more..if not match it.

It seems that you have some leverage here. Use it wisely.

Re: job offer - what would you do?

I hope it's not too late to chime in but honestly, you have to look at the intangibles and where you want to head in your career

- are you looking for more responsibility or possible promotion?

- are you looking for more flexibility? ie, if I were trying TTC and family is more important to me than job, I would take the job that offers me the chance to work PT or telecommute

- how's the work environment? are the people you'll be working with those you would want to be friends with?

- how would you like your new boss vs. current boss?

Message edited 12/22/2010 4:43:09 PM.