An interesting perspective on counter-offers from Paul Loftus of Spanish executive search firm Loftus Bradford in this blog.  The argument put forward comes out very much in against saying “No, I’m off!” – as might be expected given the writer is a recruiter!

An alternative view on counter-offers

I have my own perspective on this.  A few years ago, a colleague of mine was approached by a competitor.  An offer was made.  We spoke.  This individual – still employed by our Group today – was excellent, but we were underusing him at the time.  We had several conversations and, as a result, moved him into a more senior position in the business.  He’s still with us today and has done a superb job.  One of the most valuable members of our global team.  I’ve had similar conversations over the years – in some cases, I’ve been successful, and in some cases not.  I should also admit that I’ve lost potential hires to a counter-offer from a competitor as well, so I know how that feels too!

Everyone has motivations.  A search consultant is employed by the client, not by the candidate.  His or her primary motivations will be to look after the interests of the client (and the search firm).  The executive’s current employer clearly also has a bias – I knew that losing this individual would be a loss to us, and I wanted to avoid it.  Nothing wrong with either of these stances.

The executive has to do what is in his or her own best interests.  Certainly, there can be situations where accepting a counter-offer would be a mistake and a lot of the points made in the blog are, in my opinion, entirely valid.  The core question, however, is why the executive believes he or she wants to leave – that’s the problem.  Leaving is a solution – actually, leaving might be a solution – but it may not be the only solution and it may not be the best solution.  Full and frank conversations with both the current and the future employer can’t be a bad thing, surely?