Should You Use Another Job Offer As Leverage For a Raise? (LinkedIn Post Reaction)

I was on LinkedIn and saw an interesting article posted by The Sydney Morning Herald and the title of the article peaked my interest. (Go read it if you haven’t checked it out). Then I thought, “Hey maybe not everyone reads the morning news outlets in Australian so why not talk about it here.

The first thing that jumped out at me from the story was that after all these years I realized I am actually bilingual since I can understand Australian. For those of you that don’t, pay rise is Australian for pay raise. Okay, okay, all kidding aside, the article brings up a couple good points.

• Leveraging another job offer to get yourself a raise is a bad idea.

At first it sounds like a good move right? It’s maybe even something you’d see in a movie. In reality though, it’s a bad idea. If you were denied a pay raise for whatever reason, 99 out of 100 times the company is going to stick to its guns. Maybe it’s a cash problem, or if they pay you more, then they’ll have to pay other staff members more. If that’s the case, the company isn’t going to magically find money to pay you if they find out you are taking your talents to a different place. Unless you are a once in a once in a lifetime talent, in which case, maybe…maybe, they’ll try and come close to be semi competitive, but don’t hold your breath.

• Only tell your boss you got offered another job once you made the decision on what you’re going to do.

A manager and employee relationship has a very fine line. Yes they can be someone who acts as a mentor for you, who goes to your son’s baseball games, or even comes over for dinner. Keep in mind that no matter what the circumstances are, they are still your boss. Don’t treat your relationship with your boss like Michael Scott in The Office, who when you think about it should never be boss of anything but that’s besides the point.  The point being, you applied to a different job for a reason, so if you actually get hired by a different company, don’t go to them and ask for advice on what to do; go to them with your decision in mind. The only real thing you should be telling them is “I got an offer for another job that I’m going to take.” Plain and simple. If they want you to stay, they’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse. If not, don’t burn down bridges, leave with your head held high.

Remember, you applied to a different job for a reason. Once you start the process, don’t be a flip flopper, keep your eye on the target and don’t second guess yourself or else you could wind up in the worst case scenario with no jobs.

Thanks, Sydney for bringing up an interesting topic and whether you are all the way across the world or right here in the good ol USA, keep in mind that when it comes to pay rises, be very careful in how you make your decisions. So throw a shrimp on the Barbie and make the best decision you can.