Ok I really need some help here.I have resigned from my current employment and have been offered a counter offer which is slightly more than the other offer.1 Should I accept the counter offer?2 Should I inform the other company about the counter offer and ask to match?3 Decline the counter offer and just join the other company without mentioning anything about counter offer.I work for a consultancy and the new offer is within industry. It is only a marginal increase on my current salary in the consultancy.I have a good reputation in the consultancy and I looked outside to actually move away from consulting (body shopping too). If I select 1, is there any risk?Would it be recommended to do 2, when they made the offer they said this is the max they can offer? Can they withdraw offer if I ask them to match and if they dont match will it create a negative perception of me if I join?Or would someone just advise on following action 3?Thanks

1. if your current company is only now making an effort to retain you they obviously dont value you as much as you would like. If they had made more efforts to retain you in the first place you wouldnt have applied elsewhere, let alone resigned.2. the industry offer is 'marginally' more that your current remuneration at the consultancy. Your employer has counter-offered with an offer which is 'slightly more' that the marginal increase on offer in industry. Not much of an effort and not a compensation for the reduced hours etc you'll gain by going to industry. Not good enough.3. most people who accept a counter-offer are on the market again within 6 Months. Make no mistake - the bonds of loyalty have been broken and cannot be repaired. 4. They know you want to leave. Assume they will be looking for your replacement (who will no doubt be getting your original pre counter-offer salary) if you stay.5. You left for a reason. I assume it wasnt for more money as the offer you want to take is only 'marginally' more. That reason must have been a good one. A good reason is always worth more than a few sheckles.6. You implied your current firm is a body shop - but you have built a strong reputation. If that reputation was based on delivering the results you said you would, i.e. keeping your promises, then continue in that vein and keep the promises you made to your potential new employer, and more importantly the promises you made to yourself.Do you want more reasons to decline the counter-offer?

Wholeheartedly agree with everything marsaday has written. I always advise people to be extremely cautious about accepting a counter offer. It rarely addresses the real issue people were looking to leave - and most who do accept a counter offer are back on the market a short while later. As stated, the bond of trust is irreparably damaged. You stay but they know your allegiance to them isn't what it was; you stay resenting the fact that they weren't paying you all along what they would have been prepared to pay.For me, therefore, the only issue is whether you choose to let your new employer know that you've been offered a counter offer. I would say there's mileage in letting them know this, potentially not seeking for them to match this but just so they are kept on their toes that you will be expecting further promotion / fast-track career progression in the near future. Your thoughts on this marsaday?Tony RestellFounder, [url]http://www.Social-Hire.com[/url] and [url]http://www.Top-Consultant.com[/url]

Mars...Thanks a lot for your advice. Would certainly want to meet you in real one day :)Many of the things you have said are very valid. However would you recommend/ agree with Tonys view to let the other company know of a counter offer and would you advise to ask them to match it?That is because I would certainly like the extra money - as I said the offer was only a marginal increase and I felt it was less than the market value. I still havent accepted that offer.If they do match and if I join would it create any negativity there ?Meanwhile the current company is giving all kind of assurances from very senior levels to make me stay. With respect to the point 1, the current companys stand is that if I had let them know what I want in career or work then they could have done something and they wouldnt guess without me telling them.Thanks Tony for your comments as always..

Option 3 - no doubt about it. The classiest thing to do is to phone your future boss to accept and say how much you are looking forward to starting. Tell him/her that your firm has already come back with a counter offer and you've turned it down.

Agree with Cool - option 3 shows real class. By all means tell them about the counter-offer - but that you are declining it to join them.

I agree with Tony it would be good to let the company know about the counter-offer as a subtle way of underlining that you are looking for a rapid progression/fast track from your new employer, but to ask them to raise their offer simply comes across as game playing. Not a good start if you begin by playing them off against one another. And if they have a good Hiring Manager or HR in place they will know the case against a counter-offer and may hold their ground knowing that the counter-offer comes with caveats.If the counter-offer had been significant -a clear promotion etc it would have made sense to go back to the new offer with details of the CO and use this to bargain and see if they could meet the CO, or at least put something in place to sweeten the pot. But it's a marginal increase. Risk and returns and all that.

Thank a ton mars