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How to Handle a Counteroffer at the Executive Level

It’s natural to feel anxiety when moving onto a new executive position. During your job search, concerns like integrating into a new team and mastering new policies seemed like minor hurdles, but now that the offer is on the table, the concerns you brushed off along the way loom large.

Cue the counteroffer. The board wants you to stay. The executive team would be lost without you. And those salary, benefits, and career progression concerns you’ve brought up time and again suddenly have imminent solutions. There’s no denying that an executive counteroffer is an attractive prospect, one that appears to mitigate the risk of moving onto something new. But before shaking on that magic fix to your C-level career woes, consider these dangers of accepting a job counteroffer.

5 Risks in Accepting a Counteroffer

1. Burning Bridges

If you’re far enough in the recruitment process to turn in your resignation, you’ve already begun building a relationship with your new employers. Rescinding your acceptance of their offer is a surefire way to guarantee that they—and any firm they have a strong relationship with —won’t hire you in the future.

2. Undermining Your Career

Mistrust will sour any career, but it’s particularly deadly among the ranks of leadership. Once you announce your departure, you’ve clued your supervisors into the fact that you’ve submitted your resume, interviewed with other companies, and made a deal to move on. Even if you decide to stay, prepare for coworkers to second-guess your loyalties (and decisions about time-off requests, your ability to lead, and how long they should wait before searching for your replacement).

3. Career Stagnation

If your boss doesn’t start searching for your replacement as soon as you sign the dotted line (trust us, it happens), announcing your departure will still negatively impact your career track. Even if you stay, you’re likely to find yourself spinning your wheels, overlooked for promotions and prestigious projects.

4. History Repeating Itself

Most counteroffers appear to fix the problems that led an employee to accept another job, but remember that appearances are deceiving. What made you search for another job? Issues like work-life balance, unresponsive supervisors, or dissatisfaction with your day-to-day career may improve temporarily, but these types of problems won’t be fixed by promises and a pay raise.

5. Wasted Effort

You’ve spent months polishing your executive resume, putting out feelers for C-suite opportunities, and meeting with recruiters on the down low. A counteroffer may be flattering, but succumbing to that rush of recognition undersells your talents and, frankly, wastes your time. Take pride in the diligence, talent, and interpersonal skills that earned you an offer at a new firm.

Just because you’ve decided to move on doesn’t mean you should burn bridges before you go. Make a graceful exit, turn down any executive counteroffers tactfully, and move forward with confidence.

Want to be in the position to reject an executive counteroffer? Executive Resumes Atlanta has the insight and experience it takes to make your career documents stand out against among a group of highly qualified candidates. Contact us today for a free consultation.