Fighting the Counter-offer

Some candidates invite a counter-offer by thinking that loyalty compels them to listen to what their employer has to say. Some genuinely underestimate the response their resignation generates. Some even think, “Why shouldn’t I see how much they’ll offer me to stay?” Your best tactic is to put the issue on the table early and often.

Near the close of your first face-to-face interview, after you have developed some rapport with your candidate, raise these questions:

1. Have you ever received a counter-offer when you submitted your resignation? Did you accept it? Why or why not?
2. What is the problem that if your employer fixed it, you would stay? What discussions have you had about that?

Listen carefully to what you hear and consider it alongside what you learned in the interview about the candidate’s motivation to change jobs. Maybe you’ll conclude that a counter-offer is low-risk. Depending on what you hear about the “fix,” you can offer to suspend the interview process until your candidate resolves the issue. Your offer to delay should bring the problem—and the level of risk—into better focus.

Use the following as a preface in your second face-to-face interview:

You know we wouldn’t have you back if we weren’t serious about your potential. If we were to extend an offer, how concerned should we be about losing you to a counter-offer?

Listen to the candidate’s evaluation of the risk. If you hear an answer implying no problem, return to it when you make the offer:

When I asked about losing you to a counter-offer, you told me [answer implying no problem]. Has your thinking changed?

Consistent and candid responses to your questions are a clue that a counter-offer is low-risk. Responses that change over time can be red flags. Nothing can fully immunize you against losing a candidate to a counter-offer. But, asking the right questions can help.