# What to expect when a candidate gets a counter offer ![image of an envelope containing a counter offer]() It’s a scenario every recruiter and hiring manager knows well… I had spent a few months completing a difficult [search]() for a Creative Director. Although we had a strong shortlist, there was one candidate who was clearly preferred by me and the client. For weeks he had been measured and deliberate throughout the process. He had met the team, asked good questions, thought carefully about the move, discussed it at length with me and his family, and finally accepted the offer on Thursday with real enthusiasm. By Monday morning, the picture had changed. He had handed in his notice, but suddenly there was more money on the table, a revised job title and a promise that the issues which had led him to look elsewhere would finally be addressed. The candidate called me to say that a situation he felt clear about only a few days earlier had suddenly become emotionally complicated. And he was inclined to stay with his current employer That is the reality of the counter-offer. It is rarely just a financial negotiation. It can bring loyalty, guilt, recognition, uncertainty and fear of the unknown into a decision that appeared to be settled. It is probably one of the most predictable moments in recruitment, yet it still catches candidates and hiring managers out. ## Expect it, don’t be surprised by it Whether it is genuine, overdue recognition of someone’s value or a last-minute scramble to avoid the cost and disruption of losing them, most employers will try to hold on to good people once they know they are leaving. A resignation puts an organisation under pressure. There is a vacancy to fill, a workload to redistribute, knowledge to retain and often a manager having to explain why someone was prepared to walk away. When I once resigned from a position early in my career my boss begged me to stay as my leaving would make him look bad in the firm. I didn’t stay! For a business, losing a good person is rarely just about replacing a salary. It can affect clients, projects, team morale and the time of people who are already stretched. So, if you are a candidate, assume a conversation is coming. Your manager may ask what it would take for you to stay. They may offer more money, a promotion, a change in remit, more flexibility, or assurances that the things which frustrated you will be addressed. It can be flattering, particularly if you have felt overlooked. It can also make you question a move that you had previously thought through carefully. If you are a hiring manager, assume that your strongest candidate will be tested. An accepted offer is a positive step, but it is not the end of the process. The candidate still has to resign, face the reaction of people they may have worked with for years and make a final decision between a familiar employer and an unfamiliar opportunity. Sometimes the bird in the hand feels like the best option. The best time to discuss a counter-offer is before it arrives. With candidates, that means asking what made them start looking in the first place, what they would find difficult to leave behind, and what might make them pause. With hiring managers, it means being realistic about the fact that a good candidate will often be valuable enough for their current employer to try to retain. Rehearsing the scenario in advance tells you far more about the likely outcome than waiting to find out at resignation time. I always ask my candidates in the latter stages of a project what is likely to happen if/when they resign. It starts the thinking process for them. ## A new job is not just for Christmas People do not want to make poor career choices. When we make someone an offer, we are asking them to trust it enough to leave a secure role, walk away from familiar colleagues and routines, and take on the uncertainty that comes with a new organisation. That is a serious decision, even when the new role is clearly a step forward. A candidate may be excited by the opportunity, but excitement doesn’t remove the practical questions. What if the new manager is not what they expected? What if the culture does not suit them? What if the role is less secure than the one they are leaving? What if the counter-offer lets them fix the problem without taking on the risk of moving? Those questions are entirely reasonable. A good candidate should ask them, and a good hiring process should create space for them to do so. This is why recruitment cannot be treated as a quick transaction. The offer itself matters, but so does everything around it: the quality of the conversations, the clarity around expectations, the relationship with the prospective manager and the confidence the candidate has in the organisation. It is also worth remembering that candidates are not only deciding whether to join a company. They are deciding whether to leave one. That may involve loyalty to colleagues, a sense of responsibility to clients or a personal connection to a team they have been part of for a long time. A counter-offer brings all of that to the surface. The aim should not be to rush someone past those feelings. It should be to make sure they have enough information and confidence to decide properly. ## Be open and honest about the opportunity I have seen roles, and companies, oversold at interview stage more times than I can count. Just as some candidates are prone to embellishing their history and presenting the “best” version of themselves, some employers can be less than honest about the challenges or problems in a business. It’s quite easy to make a job sound much better in the interview room than it actually is six weeks after someone starts. That approach may help secure an acceptance, but it is a weak foundation. Joining somewhere new is always a bit of a gamble. If a candidate senses that they have not been given the full picture, a counter-offer from a familiar employer can suddenly feel like the safer option. The best hiring managers are honest about both the appeal and the reality of the role. If the team is under pressure, say so. If the person will need to build structure rather than inherit it, explain that. If the business is growing and there are some rough edges, candidates will usually understand — provided they can see that those challenges are acknowledged and that there is a credible plan around them. Honesty does not make an opportunity less attractive. In many cases, it makes it more attractive. The right people are often drawn to a role because it needs their experience, judgement or ability to make things better. What they do not want is to discover that the story they were sold was incomplete. Candidates should also be clear about what they need to know. If support, progression, flexibility, team structure or decision-making authority are important, ask direct questions before accepting. Do not rely on assumptions or promises that have not been properly defined. The more grounded the decision is, the less likely it is to unravel when the current employer comes back with an improved offer. ## Appeal to the mind as well as the heart A candidate’s heart might want the new challenge. There is a real pull in being wanted somewhere new, especially if the role offers a fresh start, greater responsibility or the chance to work with people they respect. But their mind starts working through the what-ifs almost immediately. Once a counter-offer is on the table, those doubts have somewhere to go. The emotional case for a move is important. It may be the chance to do more meaningful work, develop new skills, have a stronger voice in the business or simply feel more energised by the role. Those things matter, and they are often what caused someone to start looking in the first place. The practical case matters just as much. Candidates will compare salary, benefits, flexibility, travel, job security, reporting lines, workload, development opportunities and the reality of the role. A counter-offer can be particularly powerful when the new employer has not made that practical case clearly enough. Hiring managers should be able to explain why the opportunity makes sense beyond the first few months. What will the candidate own? What will success look like? What support will be available? How might the role develop? Why is this the right move for someone with their experience? Showing that you will support your new hire through the first few months, perhaps using our [first 100 days coaching](), can help reduce the risks in the candidate’s mind. A strong process gives candidates evidence, not just enthusiasm. It helps them understand the reason for the move in a way that will still stand up when a familiar employer offers more money or makes a promise to change things. For candidates, the key question is often simple: does the counter-offer genuinely resolve the reasons I wanted to leave? If the answer is yes, staying may be the right decision. If the answer is no, more money or a new title may only delay the same conversation. ## People are people, not spreadsheets However strong you think your offer is, you will not convince everyone, and you should not expect to. Recruitment is often measured in outcomes: offers made, offers accepted and candidates started. Those measures matter, but they can create the impression that people should behave predictably once the numbers line up. In reality, career decisions are personal. They involve security, ambition, status, family circumstances, confidence, relationships, and sometimes a simple reluctance to leave what is familiar. A candidate may genuinely believe that a new role is right for them and still decide to stay. They may be influenced by a counter-offer, a conversation with a manager, a change in personal circumstances or the realisation that this is not the right moment to move. That can be frustrating for the hiring manager and recruiter, particularly after a long process, but it does not necessarily mean the candidate has acted in bad faith. Give people room to make their own decision, in their own time, even when you are confident they may be making the wrong one. Pushing too hard rarely helps, and it often backfires. It can make a candidate feel like they are being managed through a process rather than supported through an important decision. The better approach is to stay close, be available for an honest conversation and make sure the candidate has the facts they need. If they decide to stay, leave the relationship intact. If they decide to join, they will do so with more certainty because they have made the choice for themselves. A counter-offer is not always a failure of recruitment. Sometimes it simply reveals that a person’s current employer still has a potential place in their career. The goal is not to force an outcome. It is to make sure that, whichever decision is made, it is informed, realistic and right for the individual. If you are currently facing a counter-offer, or hiring someone who may be, [get in touch](). I have had these conversations from both sides many, many times, and proper preparation genuinely changes how they play out. ![John Hamilton headshot image]() Written by **John Hamilton** John is Managing Director of bfpeople. He is an experienced recruiter, qualified to use a wide range of occupational psychometrics, and a trained executive coach and mentor. Connect with John on LinkedIn []()