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Would You Leave Your Job For a 10% Raise?
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Gen@Work | DivineCaroline.com
May 15, 2008
Have you ever been courted for a similar job you already do? What kind of incentives would it take for you to leave your job for the same position at a competitor’s company? What would you consider the mitigating factors? Salary? Your integrity? The Gen@Work panel received this letter recently:
Dear Gen@Work,
I started a new job three months ago. A competitor offered me 10 percent more money to do the same kind of job. Should I take it?
—Newbie in Seattle
And then sought advice for the writer from three career women: One a Gen-X’er, the other a Boomer, and finally, a Millennial.
Generation X Perspective: Magan Crane
Dear Newbie,
Um, yes.
Of course, it isn’t really that simple or you wouldn’t have asked the question, right? So let’s ponder why you would hesitate. You said the work would be the same now, but are your future prospects as good at the competitor? Do you like the company culture? Are the benefits as good? You have to weigh all of the pros and cons—not just salary—and decide which job you want, just like you would if you hadn’t started the new job. You only have a problem if you’ve been jumping from job to job for a while. It could start to mar your resume if you seem unable to commit to a job for more than a few months, repeatedly. If that’s the case, you might want to stick it out a few years, even for less money.
But, if you are hesitating out of a sense of loyalty to your new job, then I think you are making a mistake. Do you think they would have the same loyalty to you? You need to look out for number one because you can be sure you are the only who is. I was taught that everyone in every industry should keep an updated resume on hand. You never know when a good opportunity is going to come along. Grab the brass ring when you get the chance.
Boomer Perspective: Marilynn Mobley
Dear Newbie,
Leaving so quickly for a few more bucks could hurt you in the long run. Unless you feel you’ve made a bad decision and your current job is not a good fit, stay put.
Leaving just for a raise in pay sends a message to both your current and new employers that you value money above all else and can be easily bought off. Frankly, I wouldn’t trust an employee who could be swayed that easily to leave a current job for essentially the same job. I would wonder if you have any appreciation for the investment that has been made in you by your current employer. Moreover, I may consider you impulsive. Ironically, the very employer who snagged you away may suddenly wonder if it was a good move.
Each time you change from one company to another, it should be clear why. Will you get more responsibility? Be able to learn something new? Work with different kinds of clients? Use your experience in a new way? Achieve a dream to travel or move to a new city?
