What is a counter offer?

For those who don’t know, a counter offer is an offer a company makes to try and “counter” an offer you already have e.g. You received an offer for R20k from another employer, so your company says they will give you R25k if you stay.

Before even starting your interview process/applying for a new position you must be absolutely sure that you are really looking for a new job. If you are just hoping to get an offer to try and get a counter offer from your employer, see our “How to ask for more money” tips here.

Ok, so you’ve made up your mind and you want to find a new job. Whether it’s because of your working environment, travel distance, outdated technology, you are sure that your company no longer is the place for you and you want to move. You’ve asked for more money, you’ve asked for flexi-time, you’ve asked to work from home etc., all have been turned down, so you know there is now nothing that your company can do to keep you.

You go through the whole interview process and finally find a company that tick all of your boxes and you accept their offer. You send in your resignation letter and the manager wants to see you…

Why is it that most companies only start listening when someone resigns? Some companies don’t realize how valuable someone is until they’re about to leave – the old saying “Don’t know what you had until it’s gone” rings true. Some companies say they want their employees to see what’s out there first, see everyone, go everywhere and then counter with an irresistible offer knowing that should you accept, you’ve already “burned bridges” everywhere else so you should now be around for another few years. Others say they don’t always take someone seriously when they ask for different conditions/higher salary and until the employee has an actual offer, there is no need to up their salary (in case they don’t get a new job anyways). All seem “sneaky” and so unnecessary. If you appreciate your employee, show them! Why put them through the ringer first? And an employee not seeing this is quite surprising. Now they want to woo you and do whatever it takes. Where was this when you went to speak to them?

So, should you take a counter offer?

Studies show that the majority of people who accept counter offers, are back on the market in six months anyways. Why is this? It could be because their initial reason for leaving wasn’t resolved (yes, they maybe got more money, but the environment is still the same) or because the trust is now broken, managers are a bit more suspicious of everything, denying half day leave, not giving you the best part of the project etc. or the counter offer conditions are not being adhered to (e.g. they agreed that you can work from home 3 days a week and after a month it went to 2 days a week and now it’s back to normal). Most employers will say whatever it takes in the moment to keep someone, especially once they realize employing someone new could be a lot costlier – not only in terms of salary, but also training the new person etc.

Another disadvantage of accepting a counter offer is that you will most probably now be “branded” by it. And the industry isn’t that big. When you do decide to look for something again (and really this time) companies are going to remember what happened last time. You need to remember that companies also usually interview more than one person for a job and also set up their own shortlist. Once the person on top of their list accepts an offer, they decline everyone else. So you then reneging a day or week or two later, puts them in a very difficult position. They will need to start interviewing again from scratch and then wait another month or two for the replacement to start. Some companies have even gone as far as to seek legal assistance in instances like this. We don’t always see they severity in this, but it’s the exact same scenario as you accepting a job, resigning from your company and a few days later the company retracts the offer because they found someone else. You will definitely be within your rights to take them to the CCMA, so the opposite is also possible and something to be mindful of before reneging on an accepted offer.

Apart from the legal ramifications and emotional mumbo jumbo, the best thing to do in this situation is think back to why you wanted a new job in the first place. What made it so bad at your company for you to put your CV out there to begin with. Forget about all the smooth talking your manager is doing and think back to why you felt it necessary to leave. Take a step back, evaluate everything logically and trust your instincts. We’ll always feel a bit more loyal to our current employer, we’ve known them for long, we have certain liberties there that we won’t necessarily have at a new company and once the manager starts wooing we feel so guilty as if we’re letting them down. But this is your career, your future and there is a reason you wanted to leave. We often describe it as moving from primary school to high school, it’s new, it’s scary, almost as if you’re starting all over again. But you can’t stay in primary school forever, you have to move forward to grow and learn and expand your skills.

Stay strong and remember why you put your CV out there.

Good luck with your new job!

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This is always such a difficult subject to broach. You know you deserve a higher salary, you work hard and from doing some research you have seen that you are definitely underpaid. You love your company and don’t necessarily want to leave, but you know you are being underpaid. What now?

It is very important that you are sure of your facts. We often see people thinking they deserve more money, because their friend does the same job and has the same years’ experience and gets x amount more salary than them. Do you have the exact same qualifications? The exact same marks?
The same type of experience (i.e. same technologies etc.). Even so, some companies just do pay better than others. One company would value x and y higher than another company. Or they know their employees work more overtime, or get increases less frequently etc. and they make up for this
with higher basic salaries.

You could look at salary survey results online or contact a recruiter to gauge where your salary should be given your experience and qualifications.

So, you’ve done your research, you are sure you are being underpaid and you’re ready for a conversation with your manager. It is never a good idea to threaten anyone (i.e. give me more money or I’ll quit). It’s best to be sensitive about the topic and have an open discussion with your manager. Start by saying that you love your job and you really enjoy being part of the team /company, but you think that you are being underpaid. Ask him if there are certain kpa’s you should adhere to in order to get an increase or what you should do for them to considering giving you a raise. Unfortunately for us, it doesn’t help to simply say “my expenses are high, I need more money”, all of us could do with more money. It is important to back your request with facts without being aggressive.

Chances are if handled correctly your employer will see your point and give you an increase. He might have to get it signed off etc. which will be another hurdle to cross. Or he might say that they don’t have the budget right now. Depending on the response you can decide how you want to
handle it – if you have a good relationship you can remind him that it’ll probably cost more to find a replacement since there aren’t a lot of developers on such a low salary, and you already know all the systems etc. A new person would have to be trained etc. Ultimately, giving you a reasonable increase will be most cost effective.

If all else fails and you don’t get the increase, it’s up to you to decide whether you want to look for a new job. It’s also important to note that the grass isn’t necessarily greener on the other side. Yes, your salary might be more, but it might not have the favourable working conditions you have now. So weigh everything up and decide what you want to do. If you decide to look for a new job and resigning only gets you the increase you requested in the first please, see our article on “Counter offers” here.

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Preparing for an interview

Great news!  You’ve been invited for an interview.  What now?

Research:

It’s important that you research the company and know exactly what they do.  You don’t want to be asked “What do you know about us” and not know anything.  Even the “didn’t have time to look you up” doesn’t look too great.  Even if you do a quick google search or read through their website it’s already better than nothing.  Being prepared gives a great first impression and shows your interest.

What to expect in an interview:

You can definitely expect technical questions about your skills, technologies, experience etc.  It’s a good idea to study up a bit if you’re rusty in certain areas.  They could also ask about your previous reasons for leaving to gauge “what went wrong” and if there are any red flags to be concerned about.  You can prepare yourself by going through your own CV and thinking about possible questions and what you will say.  Always answer questions truthfully and give enough relevant details.  Stay away from yes and no answers, explaining your answer keeps the conversation flowing and shows that you are a good communicator.

Getting ready:

We’re really going to get into this topic, because personal hygiene is very important.  It seems obvious, but unfortunately, it sounds as if people often show up to interviews in a less than desired hygienic state #showermuch?

We’ve had complaints ranging from people dripping with sweat, dirty nails, unwashed hair, bad body odour etc.  You might want to take a shower before your interview and don’t forget the deodorant.  It’s also important to dress in clean, ironed clothes.  If you’re not sure about the dress code, wear your neatest clothes i.e. chinos and a button shirt, pencil skirt etc.  Suit and tie isn’t always necessary, depending on which industry you’re interviewing for.  Being clean and neat is more important than wearing the fanciest suit.

It’s not always possible to shower right before an interview (when you have to go over lunch time/after work etc.).  In this case it might be a good idea to carry some deodorant in your car or a clean shirt – depending on your personal situation.

If you have to travel far, especially using public transport or far walking distances, it’s also advisable to carry some products with you.  Then right before you go in you can freshen up a bit. 

Summary:

It’s ok to be nervous, take a deep breath and if you’re feeling extra jittery, address it. Tell them “I haven’t done this in a while, feeling a bit nervous”.  That will break the ice and most probably set you at ease.

If you’re running late, always let them know that you’re going to be late and apologize.  When you get there apologize, but move on, don’t let that damper the rest of your interview.  It’s also important for you to make sure this is the job for you, so ask the questions you need to ask (growth, expectations etc.).  It’s a good idea to not focus on things like salary, leave days and perks.  You don’t want to create the impression that those are the only things you care about.

Good luck with your interview!

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For most people, a CV is the first point of contact between themselves and a company.  It is therefore very important that your CV gives the best possible first impression.  Basics like spelling and grammar need to be perfect.  You also need to make sure that you have enough relevant, detailed information on your CV. 

What information is required?

You’ll need to add info like your name, date of birth, geographical area, education and work experience.  As an IT Developer it’s also important to add a detailed skills matrix or at least add the “technologies used” under each job description. 
It’s not necessary to have pages and pages full of information.  Hardly any info with only headings won’t do either.  It’s important to give enough relevant info so the person reading your CV can create a clear picture of what you do everyday, how you do it and what technologies you use to do it. 

Education

Here you need to put all the details of your education.  Certificate/Diploma/Degree name, institution and year completed i.e. Matric, X High School, 2002. You can also add your subjects as well as your marks, especially if you had good marks/distinctions. 
Here you can also add your University projects, if applicable.  I.e. Final year project: X, what your role was, what you had to do, what technologies you used and what the final mark was.
Extra info like leadership roles during high school, awards/achievements in school etc. can also be added here. 

Employment details

This also needs to be as detailed as possible.  Company name, your title, the duration and your job description. You can have a few lines of job description (your overall responsibilities) and then you can perhaps list a few projects with descriptions (project detail and your role in each project).  Remember to add all the technologies you use. 

Adding reasons for leaving each job is also important.  It shows what you like and not like i.e. “Left this company in Jhb to work in Pretoria” and it helps to show the reader your preferences i.e. “Wasn’t doing any Web development”.  Just in case they too don’t do web development, nobody’s time gets wasted. 

Back to basics

As mentioned above, correct spelling on your CV is very important.  When dealing with recruitment agencies, they will most likely fix the errors and do final touch-ups on your CV before sending it to employers.  If your CV ends up at an employer however and it’s full of spelling mistakes, it doesn’t give a good impression, especially since “Word” underlines all the mistakes.  Not everyone is great at spelling and in this industry it isn’t necessarily the most important thing, but, attention to detail usually is, so it might be a good idea to have a friend give you CV a once over to make sure everything makes sense and there aren’t any silly mistakes.  

Additional information

It’s great to add extra info, especially if it’s relevant or a good “selling point” i.e. special achievements, awards received etc. If you don’t want a subsection for this, you can make a note of each achievement underneath each job under employment details. 

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