How much $$ would it take to get you to change jobs?

[Reggie]

I went on an interview not really even wanting a new job and walked out with a decent offer. I turned it down and now they are coming back and basically asking me what it would take to get me. It's the same work I've been doing, it's on the first floor instead of the basement,....really minor changes in that regard. The biggest difference is that this is a small company.

[bjl584]

Anything over a $20,000 a year raise would make me stop and seriously consider the offer.

[ua_guy]

Right now? About $1.00. Actually, I'd pay for the opportunity to do something different but at the same pay grade, but that's because I'm really not feeling I'm in a career groove in my current position.

Under normal circumstances, I think it's important to look beyond just the money, although that is important. Take into account future opportunity, fit for your personality, benefits and non-cash comp, and also following your gut feeling should be seriously taken into consideration.

In my last jump, the base pay increase was about 8% but money wans't the determining factor. That was just to sweeten the deal and I needed to change companies because my previous place of employment was undergoing a merger and I didn't want to be part of it.

[snafu]

Since it's a small company there are risks so I'd ask for a signing bonus and even a golden handshake should this not work out. It's not just the taxable dollars, it's also benefits/perks that are applicable to your profession... like work at home [no commute saving operational & maintenance on the car, parking, business apparel, lunch with the team, staff politics, collections for gifts, buying school fund raising products, wear & tear on me], mileage rate for meetings, access to support staff, free int'l travel perks & upgrades, weeks of vacation, medical/dental, gym, life insurance, entertainment budget etc.

[Eagle]

I went on an interview not really even wanting a new job and walked out with a decent offer. I turned it down and now they are coming back and basically asking me what it would take to get me. It's the same work I've been doing, it's on the first floor instead of the basement,....really minor changes in that regard. The biggest difference is that this is a small company.

What % increase did they offer you originally?

How long has the small company been around?

Small companies can have advantages and disadvantages... What have you read online about them from either current or former employees?

I like Snafu's idea of a signing bonus and even a golden handshake.

What kind of benefits are they offering? How does it compare to your current job?

Personally, I'd not look at another company. I've always dreamed of doing what I do now. And there's real potential for growth in my company. The benefits are great too.

[Reggie]

I have until tomorrow to let them know. I enjoy my work and there is no change with the actual work. I'm a software engineer. It would just be a change in company. I work for a large company now and the only difference I can really see is that I have to wait three months to be vested in the 401K. I will ask them if I can get vested immediately. They are offering me an additional week of vacation, a guaranteed annual bonus and they do profit sharing.

They called me and offered me 8% increase in salary and that's just over $10K.

I don't need medical or dental.

The biggest difference is that currently I manage 65 people. When I took over as lead, I was managing around 30 and that number keeps climbing higher and higher. It's as if all I do is manage people and barely have time to do actual work. The new job requires that I manage a team of only five engineers. That is very appealing to me. No more hiring, no more HR tasks. This company has a local HR dept that handles all of that.

[TBH]

It sounds to me like you want the job!

What's your concern, just that it's a smaller company? That is risky, but it might be worth it.

I am just on the brink of accepting a job. I like what I'm doing but I'm getting a little bored. This new employer approached me, and they're offering me a significant raise over what I make now. (About $10K a year.) The benefits are not as good as what I have now, but my income will be more stable because I'll be going in house instead of consulting/freelancing. And the work will be fun and interesting and I can do it from home. The scary thing--not as much flexibility as I have now, and I am worried about the change in benefits.

Good luck with your decision.

[dawnwes]

What are you worried about by taking this job? There must be some reason you are hesitating.

Dawn

I have until tomorrow to let them know. I enjoy my work and there is no change with the actual work. I'm a software engineer. It would just be a change in company. I work for a large company now and the only difference I can really see is that I have to wait three months to be vested in the 401K. I will ask them if I can get vested immediately. They are offering me an additional week of vacation, a guaranteed annual bonus and they do profit sharing.

They called me and offered me 8% increase in salary and that's just over $10K.

I don't need medical or dental.

The biggest difference is that currently I manage 65 people. When I took over as lead, I was managing around 30 and that number keeps climbing higher and higher. It's as if all I do is manage people and barely have time to do actual work. The new job requires that I manage a team of only five engineers. That is very appealing to me. No more hiring, no more HR tasks. This company has a local HR dept that handles all of that.

[borgihalim]

What i do?

Three years in the same startup, it's my only experience. And given the country's instability, it isn't growing like we projected and still not sufficiently projects. I touched many technologies (Servers, ERP, CRM, Developpment.etc.), and i worked very hard. This experience that i had isn't very deep to say that i am an expert because it was very overall. the question now is i'll still there until this company grow up or i strat to search a new job?

[Reggie]

My hesitation is in leaving the familiarity and comfort of this job AND upsetting my boss. My boss works in Alabama and he's going to be pissed if I leave!

I've worked really hard for him though, and hopefully he can see through the anger.

I also don't have a plan to spend or invest the extra money so it doesn't seem like much. If I had something to do with the extra cash it would probably seem like a bigger deal. Just throwing it into my investments...blah.

[Eagle]

My hesitation is in leaving the familiarity and comfort of this job AND upsetting my boss. My boss works in Alabama and he's going to be pissed if I leave!

I've worked really hard for him though, and hopefully he can see through the anger.

I also don't have a plan to spend or invest the extra money so it doesn't seem like much. If I had something to do with the extra cash it would probably seem like a bigger deal. Just throwing it into my investments...blah.

Have you considered asking your current employer to match what the new company is offering you? At least that way they have a chance to make a decision. Not sure if you already made your decision yet.

So they're offering an additional week of vacation, a guaranteed bonus (what is this projected to be?), an additional 8% or 10k increase in salary, and profit sharing... Sounds good to me. I still would want to know the companies financial situation if it were me going to a small business.

[ua_guy]

My hesitation is in leaving the familiarity and comfort of this job AND upsetting my boss. My boss works in Alabama and he's going to be pissed if I leave!

I've worked really hard for him though, and hopefully he can see through the anger.

I also don't have a plan to spend or invest the extra money so it doesn't seem like much. If I had something to do with the extra cash it would probably seem like a bigger deal. Just throwing it into my investments...blah.

Old adages about exiting your comfort zone apply here. It sounds like a change is in order- you don't seem to enjoy managing 60+ people and having to do other work, too. Seems like familiarity should take lower rank to the importance of the actual changes you are looking for.

Your current boss will get over it. Your boss' anger should never be a reason that keeps you in or out of a job. Of course he/she will be upset over losing a good employee, but, this is business, and competition is real.

There's also nothing that says you shouldn't temporarily enjoy your successes and this change with some of the extra money. Yeah, investing the additional income is definitely "blah", but you've got some extra cash and some extra vacation...maybe set a goal and do something with those two things to make the change feel tangible and worthwhile. And then get back to saving/investing/ whatever your other financial goals are.

[autoxer]

My hesitation is in leaving the familiarity and comfort of this job AND upsetting my boss. My boss works in Alabama and he's going to be pissed if I leave!

I've worked really hard for him though, and hopefully he can see through the anger.

I also don't have a plan to spend or invest the extra money so it doesn't seem like much. If I had something to do with the extra cash it would probably seem like a bigger deal. Just throwing it into my investments...blah.

You may want to tell your current boss that you are considering another job. If they want to keep you, they might be willing to offer you more money.

Instead of thinking about just throwing it into your investments, consider how much freedom it buys you. How many years earlier could you retire if you increased your savings rate by 8%?

[jIM_Ohio]

I went on an interview not really even wanting a new job and walked out with a decent offer. I turned it down and now they are coming back and basically asking me what it would take to get me. It's the same work I've been doing, it's on the first floor instead of the basement,....really minor changes in that regard. The biggest difference is that this is a small company.

I like the idea of building a resume as I change jobs. There are multiple facets to this.

First, all jobs are temporary. Always accept this job knowing you need to find another one in 3 years or less. If you had to find another job in 3 years or less, would this job help you or hurt you in that regard?

"The contacts I make at this job will determine where I work next" I have used that line in an interview when I received the job I have now.

Second, raises are proportional to the last job you held. My current job doubled my last salary, that is very rare. Showing a history of raises and results on a resume and job application helps get job offers.

Third, see small companies and large companies for what they are, and realize not everyone fits into a small company culture or large company culture.

My experience-
At a large company, they have one person for project management, one person for business development, one person to do the work, and a 4th person to train new hires. At my small company, I do all 4 of those roles. My company likes hiring "jacks of many trades" because we need various skill sets on certain types of projects. Business needs change fast at small companies, and having flexible skill sets is an easy sell if I needed to interview and leave this employer.

Fourth, examine cost of benefits at large vs small employers.

Fifth don't burn bridges

[bigdaddybus]

I reitterate what others have said, I would definately sit down with my boss and say "I have been offered XYZ" Can you match that to keep me here?

When thinking about his in my shoes it would be tough as I work for a large employer with alot of opportunities for growth within the company, good work life balance, excellent benifits, and a track record of very nice salary increases each year. It would be tough to leave my current job for less than a 25% increase.