# Job offer question **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 9, 2016, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-question/765423 "2016-09-09T12:17:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-question/765423/21 "2016-09-09T20:58:08Z")
> [@NeonMadman](#): > > The concern I always have, which others have expressed, is that a company will sometimes pay whatever they have to in order to keep an employee, just for as long as they need to find a replacement. Do you think your company is sincerely willing to up your pay by 25% on a permanent basis for you to continue doing your job? Or is it more likely that they are biting the bullet for now in order to avoid the inconvenience of not having your job covered, but will be on the lookout for a replacement closer to your old rate? You know your company; I don’t, so you have to answer the question, but that seems like a pretty big hike to me just to keep what they have. If it was a matter of 5% or even 10%, I might not be so suspicious, but 25% really does raise questions in my mind, including the question - also one that others have expressed - as to why your services have not been so well valued up till now. If they are willing to pay that much more, then you would seem to have clearly been underpaid in the past. Except she’s getting a promotion - so her old job isn’t worth 25% more to them, but her new job is. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-question/765423/22 "2016-09-09T21:08:51Z")
If you like your current company, and you’re happy with what they are offering in terms of overall compensation and job duties, then stay where you are. Travelling more with the new job is not an insignificant consideration. FWIW, I have been in this position and stayed where I was when they countered. A fact of today’s business is that many companies will play hardball with wages and internal promotions. Clearly they value you. If you’re happy where you are, my vote is stay. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-question/765423/23 "2016-09-10T00:47:17Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > Travelling more with the new job is not an insignificant consideration. It’s especially hard with a new baby. I’m the father of an almost-two year old and I probably average 4-5 nights a month away from home. It’s annoying to me, but it’s much harder on the child and his mother. Also… damn, are babies expensive! :eek: A 12% raise on top of the +10% offer sounds pretty good to me right now! ---
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-question/765423/24 "2016-09-10T19:45:33Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > In my experience, staying at a job after having given notice has never worked out. They know you’re prepared to leave, you know you’re prepared to leave, and neither of you will be able to stop wondering when it will happen. > > That said, I think you should go ahead and stay. It sounds like the current job is a better fit for you. Just be prepared. I would tend to agree with this, though I can think of two examples off hand where it has worked out well, but it seems Frank may be on to something. ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-question/765423/25 "2016-09-10T19:58:36Z")
If you ignore the money, which job would you prefer? 12% more isn’t worth having a job you don’t like, especially as you have a 10% increase in the bank either way. ---
**Author:** ![sugar\_and\_spice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@sugar\_and\_spice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugar_and_spice)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-question/765423/26 "2016-09-10T20:54:42Z")
Thank you all for the comments, this is helpful. > [@Voyager](#): > > I’d tend to go. > Why did you look for a new job? Was it just money, or was it being bored with the job, or slow promotions, or something else? What does the new company say about raises and promotions? How do they do raises? It might be worth asking what the average raise was last year. > If you stay you won’t be getting a raise for a very long time, since your new salary might be high relative to others. Is that okay with you? > Finally, there will be at least some nervousness in old company about whether you’ll leave anyhow with your new salary as a base to help you get still another job. It was mostly a combination of money and I felt that it was not advancing my career. I felt like I need to try something else out, find a new group of people to learn from, etc. The thing is that the new job is a little outside my area, it’s not what I would have written as my _dream_ job but it sounded really interesting, and was a chance to learn a new industry (banking, which is why I say longer hours). My husband happened to know someone who does similar work, his impression was if I can do new job for a few years then a lot of doors will open up. I like doors. New job will have better raises. At my current company this would probably be a terminal position. Let’s say even if I stay for the promotion, I would not expect to retire where I am now. That said, as I said in the OP I don’t think I can leave my current company and go into what is now effectively a lower paying position – by a fairly wide margin. It’s not like I’m leaving to go work at a start-up, or a non-profit, or any number situations where a salary cut would be expected. I’m going from one Fortune 500 company to another, and not getting more relaxed lifestyle of out it. I wish I could be zen about it, but I don’t think I can. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-question/765423/27 "2016-09-11T00:57:52Z")
I think some people are missing that it’s 12% over what the 10% bump was, not just 12% vs. 10%. I’m someone who accepted a counter offer in January, after having a start date and everything at the new company. My counter offer was extremely generous in terms of pay and title, and even though the job has its stress, I’m glad I stayed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-question/765423.md?page=1)