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  • When to Accept a Counteroffer (or Leave it on the Table)


    A candidate once asked us, "I found my dream role at a new company and went to put in my notice – but my boss insisted that I stay, countering with a generous raise and bigger office. Which offer, the counteroffer or outside offer, would be better for my career?"

    Managing counteroffers is a delicate art- which is why most choose to forego them. Counteroffers arise when you’ve received an outside offer, submit your resignation, and your manager sweetens the pot to entice you to stay.

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    But before you even begin looking for a new job, it’s imperative to set time with your current boss to candidly discuss why you’re thinking about exploring for new opportunities. While it may be strictly salary-related, often dissatisfaction with management, company culture, lack of room for growth or work-life balance are influential factors.

    Counteroffer Etiquette 101

    If the main reason you’re considering leaving your company is strictly financial, try to negotiate a higher level of compensation before applying to outside jobs. The best negotiation tactics are rooted in facts, not emotion. Feeling you "deserve more" is less persuasive than pinpointing exactly how many key metrics you exceeded or how much money you have earned the company.


    It's imperative to articulate not only what you want – but why it will improve the quality of your life and work. Rather than asking for a salary bump, show why you are worth more. Resources like an industry salary guide, great recruiters and mentors can help you.

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    When hearing your concerns, your boss will likely be aware of these problems and will be sympathetic to your position. If they’re not willing to work with you to solve them, that’s your green light to update your resume and start interviewing.

    When You’ve Received an Outside Offer

    If you've met with your manager and heard paying you 10% more isn't in the current budget, what they didn’t relay is that the costs that go into searching, interviewing and training your replacement will probably exceed what you are asking for. They’d likely rather put those resources toward a competitive counteroffer than a new employee. With an outside offer to fall back on, your freedom to easily walk away puts you in a more valuable position.

    So what might you expect to hear from your current company before they counter back? When you submit a resignation letter, your hiring manager's concerns could include:

    • Losing you during a pivotal project in which you're essential
    • You're a respected leader, whose departure might damage morale
    • They're already short staffed and can't afford to lose another person
    • They'll personally look bad for not retaining their talent

     Find Out the Top Six Qualities IT Hiring Managers Will Always Want

    Your hiring manager will fight for you if they like and value you – but anything you do to negate this view will hurt you. When having this conversation, treat it as a peaceful negotiation; don't be afraid to ask for what you deserve but avoid sounding greedy or petty.


    Get Everything You Want (and More) in Both Offers

    If your current company is trying to keep you, they will likely try to match your outside offer. While a huge boost to your paycheck is tempting, it is important to identify what gaps you are missing in your professional life beyond salary. If you have multiple reservations about staying with your company, accepting a counteroffer usually only solves one of your concerns. If you have reservations about leaving, you should address them in the offer negotiation stage.

    Decide what you need before walking into the conversation. If your initial concerns were multi-fold, address them collectively in either an offer or counteroffer negotiation, rather than getting one approved at a time. If you ask for only one thing at a time, the expectation is that you will accept if they agree. If you repeatedly ask for more, the only thing you'll be offered is the door.

    Beyond the paycheck, focus on how you can increase your quality of life. Exciting opportunities like travel, remote flexibility, or an expense account are tangible items, but you might require something more idealistic like better management, a clearer company mission or a culture change. When you were interviewing for your outside offer, what attracted you to apply? 

    The Risk of Taking the Counter Deal

    No matter what the company says when making a counteroffer, the fact is that you are becoming a fidelity risk. By being willing to walk away, it may seem like a lack of loyalty, which can compromise your status as a team player or member of the inner circle if you don't make your reasons for leaving - and any work life gaps - clear.

    Additionally, there is a strong possibility that band-aid fixes to accommodate your requests will be short term. You could be in a similar scenario searching for another role in a few short months, if a simple pay raise doesn't address all of your considerations for staying.

    Employers know that statistically, counteroffers are frequently the step before someone quits -- they may even start looking for your replacement after giving you the offer. Plus, if they need to lay someone off, you've positioned yourself nearest to the exit. 


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  • 3 Reasons Tech Contractors Get Paid More

    In the job search, you'll come across positions that are salaried, contract, or contract-to-hire. Many job seekers tend to overlook the contract or contract-to-hire roles, but there is more opportunity in those roles than people realize. According to Career Builder, the career opportunities for contractors are continuing to grow. Since 2016, that number has increased by 46% with 51% of employers planning to hire temporary or contract workers.The biggest benefit, and often largest decision maker, for many contract job seekers is compensation, and more permanent candidates are turning to contract work as they find they don’t have to sacrifice benefits or work-life balance while making more take-home pay. Why is this?

    Contractors get paid more per hour

    According to Dice’s 2016 Tech Salary Survey, the hourly base rate for tech contractors rings in at $70.26 per hour. In comparison, the same report also shows the average technology salary is at $96,370, which breaks down to $46.33 per hour for a 40-hour work week, not counting all the overtime you might be working. Published in a recent Recode article, in 2017 US freelance tech workers get paid $24,918 more a year compared to the average full-time worker (based on a 40-hour work week).

    Keep in mind, this does not apply across all levels of experience or industries, but in general contract employees have a higher dollar-per-hour range compared to a salary employee. In theory, this is to cover the benefits that a company does not offer to the contractor, but if and when you work with an agency like Workbridge Associates, many of the benefits are included, such as health insurance, paid time off, and a 401(k).

    Looking to jump start your career in tech? Check out all of our job postings in a city near you!

    You receive compensation for the hours you work: All of them

    A full-time job means you are a salaried employee and you are just that: on salary. You get paid a certain amount each year no matter how many hours you work as part of the salary agreement. Compared to a contractor, being employed for a 40-hour work week means working those exact hours because you get paid by the hour. Oftentimes, salary employees get called into work weekends, late nights, and early mornings. The biggest difference for a contractor is that you will get paid for the extra miles you put into the job.

    Extra hours = Overtime pay 

    Due to a compliance law changed in 2016, not only do you get paid for every hour, you can get overtime pay (1.5 times your normal rate) for anything past your set work week maximum. What it comes down to is the more hours you work, the more money you can earn.

    If you have any questions about contract work, contact a Workbridge Associates near you.

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  • 7 Things Tech Candidates Want to Know During Interviews

    In the current job market, candidates are interviewing the company just as the company is interviewing them. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that by 2024, there will be an increase of over 480,000 jobs in the technology sector. In a market where your tech talent has a variety of roles and companies to choose between, differentiating your workplace culture from the crowd is of utmost importance.

    With selling points such as office video games, ice cream bars, and other frivolous perks, it can seem daunting to compete for candidate’s attention. However, we’ve found that what excites candidates about prospective roles has a lot more to do with the overall culture than the fun office perks and activities. Here are the most important things candidates on the market are seeking today:

    1. Challenging Tasks: Engineers and developers want to develop new skills and handle projects they know will be making an impact. If you can exhibit the type of problems they’ll be solving, they’ll have the foundation to get excited about the role.

    2. Opportunity to Learn: Candidates want to approach each new role knowing what they can expect to get out of it. Throughout the interview process, managers should be sure to emphasize how they have grown within the company and how the candidate will be able to strengthen their skill set in the same way

    3. Company Management: Employees are eager to work for passionate managers and quick to quit on those who aren’t. Share your history within the company, talk about what drives you to innovate and how the company has given you a platform to develop. Offering inspiring insight and talking about your style as a manager can tip the scales tremendously for candidates as they interview. Here are a few tips from Timmy Award winning managers if you’re trying to build a successful tech team.

    4. Team Engagement: Be sure to prepare your existing team for the upcoming interview so they can make a good impression on potential new hires. Ensure everyone connects with the candidate and talks openly about what they enjoy in their roles. Showcasing a real-life example of the company culture in the interview process is a fantastic way to garner a candidate’s buy in.

    5. Future Plans: To prevent burn out and workplace boredom, engineers seek out a role they can grow with. Whether a startup or an established organization, be sure to convey the future plans of the department and how that will impact the company as a whole.

    6. Current Tech Stacks: There’s always new developments to stay current with in the tech world. Engineers want a role where they will be exposed to the hottest tech so they can stay up to date in their knowledge. Continual training in new products is a fantastic way to showcase a company’s investment to its employees and should certainly be a highlight of the interview process.

    7. Impactful Input: Candidates want to know that as they come on board to an organization, they will have a chance to impact the company with their input and feedback. Be sure to convey the importance of employee ideas during the interview process so they know their voice will be heard as decisions are being made.

    Keeping this list handy will make your workload lighter as you move through the interview process. Understanding what candidates are looking for will allow you to highlight the most impactful things about your company, instead of overselling the snacks and catered lunches. Showcase what is most important to your tech talent to seal the deal and make hires that will impact the company.

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  • 5 Salary Growth Factors for Engineers and Developers

    Using data from working to find hundreds of tech professionals their next role in 2016, Workbridge recruiting experts identified some trends in salaries, experience and skill sets for tech professionals. You can read the full report here. One of the notable findings was that salary growth stagnates for tech professionals after 15+ years of experience. Keeping these factors in mind can help you continue to increase your salary year after year if you position yourself correctly.

    1) Your Tech Stack

    Your skill set is obviously one of the most essential parts of continuous salary growth. For example, based on data from past placements, the highest salary increases seen in 2016 were received by Java Developers. With the introduction of Java 8, Java now has a functional programming side compared to the past object oriented type development, which gives it functionality for both large institutions and the start-up space. One of the biggest factors is also the need for Core Java in the financial space – certain industries such as financial will frequently be able to up your salary more than others; if you have a technology skill set that is in high demand in these industries, you’ll be better set up to increase your compensation. Mobile, Network Security, Front End, Ruby on Rails, Product Management, and UI/UX were also listed among the highest paid technologies coming into 2017.

    2) New Trends & Technology in Your Industry

    It can be hard to keep up with new trends in technology, especially for those tech professionals who have been in the workforce working with specific tools for years. When new tools or languages (or even methodologies, like Agile) are developed, they can have a very large impact on work flow, processes, and structure of the organization of projects and therefore on your value as an employee. For instance, Cloud Computing technology experience, such as Azure and Amazon Web Services, can increase salaries by as much as 26% according to this research we’ve collected. Another skill set in demand is mobile development experience, with iOS and Android lifting salaries by 14% and 13% respectively.

    What are the highest paid tech skills? Find out how to make $200K as an engineer.

    3) Mobility & Willingness to Change Jobs

    According to a study done by ADP following the close of the first quarter of 2017, moving jobs has an average salary increase of 5.2%. Other reports estimate that the average is 8-10% in the more fast-paced industries. Experienced technologists who move into higher level roles on the corporate ladder, transitioning into management or lead roles through a promotion or job change, will of course see more growth in their compensation. A lot of employers feel comfortable hiring experienced engineers working for other companies and don’t see the need to promote within the company, so there is a reason why most employees would leave their current job for 13%.

    4) Career Growth into Management

    Outside of the most expensive tech hubs, many people placed with a $200K+ salary are generally at a Senior Management, C-Level or Lead position working for a startup or Fortune 500 company. As an engineer, being an effective manager who can lead others, take ownership, and make critical decisions will logically lead to salary growth. An MBA (full-time, executive, online, or part-time), a Master’s Degree in Engineering and a focus on management opportunities, as well as courses and a certificate on Leadership, are all important areas that can help qualify a candidate for a higher compensation.

    Are you looking for a title change? Check out our job board for opportunities in management and beyond. 

    5) Positioning Yourself Competitively to the Incoming Workforce

    There will always be an influx of new entries to the workforce. With every graduating class, a new set of young minds with the latest knowledge will start competing with those who have been in the business for 15+ years. When preparing for an interview, think about what sets you apart from the rest of the applicants besides your tech stack. Ask yourself this question: what is the difference between someone with a degree from 1990 and 27 years of experience compared to a person who graduated in 1996? 

    For the complete list of guidelines to keep your salary growing strong and steadily throughout your career, read the entire article here


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  • 4 Things You Didn’t Know About Contracting



    Misconception: Contract work is unstable and always short-term.








    Misconception: Most companies don’t hire contractors.



    Misconception: Contract work is all grunt work.




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