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A counteroffer is a ruthless and potentially hazardous renegotiation of your salary with your current employer, which occurs when you threaten to leave for employment with a competitor. Although the counteroffer is almost always a lose- lose proposition for the job seeking candidate and the employer, we see candidates entertain the notion all the time.

When you accept a counteroffer from your present employer think about the impact on your current situation and the long-term future with that employer.
Also consider whether you are truly the winner in this employment strategy. Many employees who give their 2-week or 30 day notice are receiving counteroffers from their current employer as an incentive to stay. Before going any farther, think about the horse that pulls the cart struggling to reach the tasty carrot day in and day out. Trust me the horse has it better than you in this situation. Don’t be a fool and don’t be the horse!

These counteroffers and proposals can include an increase in salary, a direct promotion or added responsibility to your job functions, or an often-empty promise of a future raise, promotion or other incentive within the organization.

Honestly, if you are good at what you do, your employer will try to convince you to stay because it is in their best interest. Their reasons are financially obvious because finding and training your replacement will be expensive and time consuming. Operationally there may be profit lost as a result of the work you performed in the past not getting completed and other peer employees may also be influenced by your success to look for another position.

If you entertain the counteroffer for even a second, you will be thrust into the temptation to discard a careful decision you have made for your best interest and using objective reasoning.

An attractive counteroffer has three primary reasons existing to lead you down the wrong career path. First there are your emotions, which are already shot to hell and stressed out. You will be leaving peers, friends and co-workers, which might be weighing on you. Second, there is the fear of change, which all humans are programmed to hate since birth. Lastly there is the fact that your current employer seemingly wants you to stay and this fuels your ego. As a result they feed you all the crap you can eat and try to tighten the noose for good this time.

If you listen to, entertain for an instant, look at, hear of or really consider the counteroffer you will likely succumb to it, but know this…it’s not your fault. You are a programmed human, who will always go back to something you have already experienced, rather than branching out and evolving into your true self.

The decision is yours and yours alone! Take a step back and trust your instincts that led you into your new career search in the first place.

So you are thinking about accepting the counteroffer even though I said it was bad? You ask what could be so bad about getting an increase in salary or a big new promotion with your present employer versus making a change to leave them and go with a competitor? It does sound tempting, but life is perfect only in hindsight and on The Girls Next Door if you happen to be Hugh Hefner.

First off, no matter what is said over the bargaining table, if you accept a counteroffer that is the end of your career with that company. You will never be seen again in the same light and likely will always be considered a risk to company assets. When it comes to a very crucial assignment in the future, you will be labeled as that person who isn’t a 100% onboard. Senior management may be uncomfortable coming to you because they don’t know or understand your true motives and aren’t going to take a risk exposing their plans to you. What effects do you think that will have on your career?

Second, is the fact that the real reasons you wanted to leave in the first place have not changed and they rarely ever do. These conditions have been made more pleasing to you in the short term because of the current promotion, your new raise, or the false promises made to keep you in your place. If you agree to the counteroffer like a deer in headlights and it convinces you to stay on board, the very same factors that caused you to want to leave will have the same effect again in the near future. Understand this, nothing changes in the workplace. Poor upper management will always be poor and your career is going to be incarcerated until you break free from their shackles.

Lastly, once your upper management has solved the concerning and immediate problem of your resignation, trust me they will begin arming themselves with a contingency plan for your replacement on their own timeframe this time. Yes, you did get what you wanted in the near term short picture (a nice raise or promotion) and you did seemingly prevailed, but you will find yourself someday soon suddenly removed or terminated from this position for causes resulting from your actions. Now you’ve got no job and you’re unemployed with no opportunities in sight, because you played their gamble like a fool. You were no longer looking and now being unemployed many potential companies wont consider you for employment. You are now in a very different situation and you begin to doubt yourself. Earlier you were praising yourself on how you got your money or promotion and outsmarted everyone, but now you are left wondering where your next paycheck will come from and most importantly when?

So do yourself a favor and steer clear of these career cancers like counteroffers.

Believe me and understand this: the job will always suck, but you will be making more money, the majority of people who accept counteroffers are fired within a few months for countless and unsubstantiated reasons, you will be tarnishing your record in your employers eyes with your strategy, your loyalty and security will be thrown out the window, you will be passed over for any future opportunities, you saved the company money in the short term and they will jettison you the first chance they get and you have told your employer that it is all about you getting yours and nothing else.

Do yourself a favor and follow your instincts. You thought the job was bad enough that you went looking and you are probably making the correct decision for your future. Don’t sacrifice your happiness and career growth by letting your current employer toy with your mind and emotions. Ignore the counteroffer and get yourself to where you need to be and where you belong.

The only regret you will have is if you accept the counteroffer, lie to yourself and swallow their poison, which is exactly what they want you to do in the first place.

The short answer is yes and no. Many people take personality tests such as the Myers-Briggs® to help them in their career searches. Here are some arguments for and against relying on such tests:

On the "yes" side, it’s a well-known phenomenon in the world of work that birds of a feather flock together. That means certain personality types congregate in higher percentages in some careers more than in others. For example, there is a personality type that is quite common among accountants. This is one reason we have jokes based on professional stereotypes. There are often many similar people in each profession, so jokes tend to reflect that majority.

The reason personality types are attracted to differing occupations is because of the nature of the work. In our example, people who are accurate, logical, detail-oriented, prefer working with numbers rather than people, and who follow rules are more likely to enjoy accounting than people who are not any of the above. Conversely, people who break rules, are emotional, focus on people and grand ideas are more likely be artists. If a personality test helps you understand what kind of person you are, it can help you pick a career that fits your style. That’s much better than trying to change yourself.

On the "no" side, it’s also true if you survey enough people in any profession, you’ll find all personality types. Sure, there’s a typical kind of accountant, but there are many others who do not fit the profile. Even if your personality type is uncommon for accountants, you still might be a happy, successful accountant. There are surely rule-breaking, emotional, and irrational accountants in the world. Not as many as other types, but there are surely some. Who can tell if you’d like the work or not? It’s hard to say without trying it.

A second problem is no test can tell you specifically which career to pick. You might have a list of 100 careers that people of your type enjoy. At that point, knowing your personality type might not provide you with much guidance. For example, accountant types would likely enjoy banking, financial analysis, editing, and auditing as well. How do you pick from among many options?

In my experience, the greatest use of these tests comes from knowing yourself better. While it might not tell you which career to pick, such tests can often point you in the right direction, which can be a great help for those who are struggling. Personality tests are often great at explaining why you don’t like your job. You might be like the Ugly Duckling: a swan trying to act like a duck. Far better to be a swan, but to do so, you have to look in the mirror and recognize who you are. A personality test can help do that.

Any business that fails to take a regular inventory of its assets and deficiencies is doomed to failure. The same can be said for individuals who are committed to using their innate strengths in choosing a career path and improving their lives. Americans are often stuck in the pursuit of “finding themselves”. As a result, they’re suffering from a paralysis of analysis. Fortunately, there are personal assessment tools developed by psychologists to place you in wide categories of human traits, strengths, and weaknesses. Some of the best of these cost-free assessments are available online.

Before taking any of these online assessments, it’s prudent to consider the results you’ll receive as a best-case snapshot of how you fit pre-established categories. Plus, results are based on your intellectual and emotional reactions to the questions and how honest you are in your responses. You’ll profit most by heeding any results with a grain of salt and using your assessment as broad guidelines in career and skill planning.

Clickable Tests that Measure How You Tick

Online tests fall into several broad categories. There are skills assessments that evaluate your capabilities in the workplace, asking such questions as, “are you a finisher or do you procrastinate?”. Some tests measure your tendencies and preferences, with such questions as, “Would you rather work a drill press or be a financial planner?”. Still other tests measure your personality tics asking things like, “Do slow drivers bother you?”.

Here are the top-ten tests you’ll find online and their features:

• Big Five Personality Test
• Career Focus 2000 Interest Inventory
• OneNet school-to-work transition assessment instruments
• The 3 Sides of You Self Perception Profiler
• Career Interest Inventory
• Keirsey Temperament Sorter
• Career Zone Assessment Test
• AdvisorTeam Temperament Sorter
• Monster.com Assessment
• Career Link Inventory

Big Five Personality Test

The Big Five Personality Test is based on a 1970 measurement test created by researchers from The National Institutes of Health, the University of Oregon, and the University of Michigan. The test asks you to evaluate your own preferences in categories called Extraversion, Emotional Stability, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience. There is no cost for taking the test.

Career Focus 2000 Interest Inventory

In this cost-free test you’ll take stock of your interests in 18 career fields by responding to 180 questions. This is a measurement of interest, rather than aptitude. Would you like to test blood in a laboratory or create a musical score for an orchestra? The test is well-suited for high school and college students, and for adults looking at new career options.

OneNet school-to-work

Easily the most comprehensive assessment tool online, OneNet is free to the user. A bank of tests will measure your skill sets, occupational likes and dislikes, and potential career fields that suit your type. The site is sponsored by The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA).

The 3 Sides of You Self Perception Profiler

This cost-free test delivers a three-part profile of how you rank in thinking, working, and emoting. Each of the three category tests contain 56 statements that users rank in order of importance or self-identification. For example: "You often feel when something’s wrong, yet seldom speak up about it." Or, "For you, there’s one best way of doing everything." At the end, you’ll receive an overview of your personality style.

Career Interest Inventory

This free online inventory reveals to the user the career fields that best match their personal interests. The 45 questions ask, "Would you rather be an undercover agent for the Drug Enforcement Agency or a plastic surgeon?" Or, "Would you rather be an eye doctor, a poet, or a firefighter?"

Keirsey Temperament Sorter

This free, online assessment tool is popular among counseling professionals, Fortune 500 companies, and major universities for measuring career and personality development. The test follows the standardized 16 Myers-Briggs personality assessment categories in accordance with psychological types first described by C. G. Jung. A more-detailed assessment is available for a fee.

Career Zone Assessment Test

This free, online measurement tool evaluates your career by work environments and personal preferences. It uses a model based on life themes in six categories: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. By combining your positive choices, the test delivers a range of professions.

AdvisorTeam Temperament Sorter

AdvisorTeam’s free test also uses the Keirsey model, helping you to understand your "strengths, motivations, and temperaments." You’ll answer questions about your behavior, attitudes, and preferences. Do you chat with strangers while waiting on line at the supermarket or do you pace anxiously? What’s more important, your thoughts or your feelings?

Monster.com Assessments

One of the Web’s largest job sites offers a free career test based on your personality type. Four questions detail two sets of personality characteristics. You’re asked to honestly describe which set best fits you. You decide if you’re an extrovert or introvert; a thinker or a feeler; judger or perceiver. Questions: Where is your energy naturally directed? What kind of information do you naturally notice and remember? How do you decide or come to conclusions? What kind of environment makes you the most comfortable?

Career Link Inventory

This free, online assessment tool helps you take your own inventory in aptitudes, interests, temperaments, physical capacities, working conditions, and career preparation. Do you prefer to work inside or outdoors? Are you stronger in spatial or verbal skills? Would you rather have on-the-job prestige or prefer producing a visible, tangible product?

I See Myself Better, Now What?

It’s easy to fall into a pit of extreme emotional reactions or set your goals in stone as a result of your test results. Remember that any results are just guidelines and another tool to give you an additional glimpse of yourself. The tests can be useful if, based on your findings, you establish some career options and objectives with flexibility.

As you move through life, your needs, goals, and interests can change. If you’ve lost your spark for your current career, you may decide that it’s time for a major change in occupation. While this can be a scary process, following these tips and guidelines can help you make a career change successfully and more easily.

Review Your Current Career

First off, you may want to decide if it’s your career or your job that needs changing. If you find that your company or industry holds promise, you may want to consider if there is another position within the company that would be more compatible with your job skills and interests. Don’t be afraid to talk to your boss and to ask around in your company about other available positions. Employers have an investment in their employees, and an employee that expresses the need for growth and more responsibility can be considered an asset.

List Your Skills and Aptitudes

Take inventory of your strengths and weaknesses before making a change. Your list of attributes should consider not only what you think you do well, but also where you have received your accolades in and outside of work. Also, be honest with your list of "needs to improve."

Assess Your Interests

You should also write down what you enjoy doing in your spare time. Is there any way you can take a hobby and make a career out of it? If you find this process difficult, you can use career assessment tests online or at a college or university. These tests analyze your personality traits, skills, and interests. Some excellent assessment tests include the Meyers-Briggs (personality assessment), the Jackson Vocational Interest Survey (interests), and the Strength Finders Profile (skills and aptitude).

Finding Inspiration

Many successful career changers will tell you they took their passion and turned it into a career. A great book for putting your interests and dreams to work for you is Wishcraft: How to Get What You Really Want by Barbara Sher. This book will show you strategies for determining your interests and discovering your skills and strengths. It can also help you develop a game plan to achieve concrete results.

Analyze Your Income and Savings

Making a career change can mean a change in income, especially if you’ve decided that you need more education or training. Before moving forward, sit down and analyze the time and money needed to get a degree or certificate in your new career. You need to decide if you’ll be able to continue your current job while attending school to fully determine your monetary situation.

Do Your Homework!

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics is an excellent way to learn about different careers and the income potential, expected growth, and training and educational requirements. Research your chosen field by going online, reading trade magazines and testimonials, and talking to those in and around the profession. Volunteer or take a temporary job in your new field of interest. Doing so will allow you the opportunity to decide whether or not your new career is a viable one for you.

Take Your Time

Remember, be honest in your assessments and take time to research carefully. Career changes are a big deal, and we want yours to be successful. Time spent now in preparing for your new career will lend to your success and enjoyment of it later.