Last Updated on July 31, 2022 by
It feels exciting when you finally bag a new position at a new company. But you cannot just leave your job and sit in the new company.
You have to be able to tell your boss you got another job offer.
Discussing another job offer with your boss can be tricky. If you share a good relationship, your boss may deviate you from accepting a new job, luring you into better things at your current job.
However, the discussion can go differently if your boss does not have a friendly bond with you.
In any case, conversations about a new job can be awkward. This article will help you tell your boss about a new job position that aligns with your career.
Should I Tell My Boss I Got a Job Offer?
The decision of whether or not to tell your boss about a job offer is a personal one. If you feel like you can trust your boss and have a good working relationship, then it may be worth sharing the news.
However, if you’re concerned about how your boss will react, then it may be best to keep the information to yourself.
Having a face-to-face meeting with your manager is crucial before you move on to the next step of resigning from your current job.
You could either block your supervisor’s calendar, ask them to spare some time for you or just walk up to them to see if they are available for a short face-to-face discussion.
How to Tell Your Boss You Got Another Job Offer?
It can be tough to tell your boss you got another job offer, especially if you like your current job. You don’t want to seem ungrateful or like you’re trying to blackmail your employer into giving you a raise. However, you also don’t want to leave money on the table or pass up a good opportunity.
If you have a bad rapport, you might want to ensure sharing information carefully. You should not give away all information, but only what is required.
Many employees use an outside job offer to get more money or a new position in their current company. If that is possible, get ready to discuss internal job opportunities with the current employer.
Keep the below pointers in mind before talking about a new opportunity with your current employer:
Think About Your Goals and Devise a strategy
Keep your future career goals in mind when talking about any new opportunity. Your goals will help you stay firm in deciding if you plan to join the new company.
However, if this opportunity works as leverage to get a hike or promotion, that might work too. But again, that depends on how much value you hold.
If your previous employer made you an offer against a higher pay offer, you probably would have stayed back. However, if you do not like your current boss or co-workers and wish to move out, this should not affect what you decide.
Ask for Time from your Supervisor
After you have spoken, or more like listening, to your boss, it would be best to ask for some time to consider this job offer before you make the final call.
Taking on-the-spot decisions is not an excellent way to respond to negotiations. It would be best if you thought over any significant decisions, especially one that can change the course of your professional career.
Keep Your Tone Positive, Don’t talk trash.
Make sure you keep a positive tone throughout the discussion. It is a vital conversation that will help you move out of your current job.
If you wish to ensure that happens with grace and without any delays, you must avoid making any negative comments or suggestions that offend your boss.
You don’t want to make your exit difficult with a potential risk to the final documentation.
Be honest, respectful, but tactful.
Ensure that you are respectful and honest in your conversation about taking a new job offer. Your boss should feel it necessary to help you with this decision.
It is also an excellent technique to respond to a potential negotiation in such cases with an offer that matches your requirement, even if it means staying back in the same workplace.
But if the working conditions are what you wish to change by going to another company, make it clear and ask your current employer to help you with the exit formalities.
Ask for their advice.
You could also act naïve and ask for their advice on the job offer. But be careful as it may backfire, and your current employer may advise you to stay back for his motives.
Employers tend to stop hard-working professionals from accepting other offers and stay with the current company. In such cases, your career goals are at stake if the offers don’t prove helpful in the long run.
So, whatever you do, think twice before taking their advice.
Prepare an Email before Tell Your Boss You Got Another Job Offer
It would be best if you did not make any decisions before the formal discussion with your current employer. And if you do, keep it to yourself.
You do not want to lose any information or suggestions your manager might have for you.
Make sure to have an email ready with your resignation letter or negotiation requirements before the meeting. It will help you document your request after the meeting is done.
Also, written communication can suggest you are ready to negotiate or leave the job. So, do not disclose or send it before you speak to your boss.
Sample Email Example
Here is a sample email example to help you write an email:
Dear John,
Per our discussion today, I would like to formally notify you that I have been offered a position at a renowned firm. The offer includes several additional benefits. However, I am still thinking it over as I have admired the support I received under your supervision here and the positive experience I had with your company.
Hence, if there is a possibility to redraft my existing employment agreement as per the other offer, I’d be glad to decline the other position. If it is not possible, please inform me so I can decide and start my two weeks notice.
Thank you so much for your attention and participation.
Regards,
Jane
Give notice in person and hand-deliver your letter of resignation [Best Thing to do]
If your boss’s offer does not match the job offer, you should know it is best to send in your resignation. Do not forget to add a two week notice clause along with the last day in your resignation letter.
Make sure to submit your resignation in person, even if you do not wish to. It is a professional courtesy to end business this way. It also keeps the company’s door open for you for future projects.
Also, mentioning the two weeks notice helps the company determine whether they are okay to let you go at the current position or can offer a better opportunity.
Prepare for a Counteroffer
Suppose your boss suggests negotiation and makes a counter offer, set up a meeting to discuss it. You would want to have equivalent benefits from the offer.
A counter offer would mean having a competing offer in your current position which is better than the new job.
Prepare a list of things you would want to add to the counter offer from your side. If the boss’s suggestion does not seem too good, you could ask them to add it.
Negotiate the Job Offer Into a Raise
Make sure you have a negotiation ready for a new salary. Most jobs in the job market seem lucrative due to the hike they offer.
So, ask your boss to match an offer from the new job with more money, i.e. a pay increase on your current salary.
But if you are not okay with the money hike but okay with other conditions, you could consider staying back by declining the new job offer.
In the end, thank your manager for the support
Even if it does not work out, you should always express gratitude to your manager for their support. Discussing a new job is enormous if your boss gives you genuine advice and wishes you good luck, irrespective of your decision.
Always leave on a good note and let your boss know what you have decided. Never matter what, do not keep hard feelings about the conversation and leave on a high note with your team.
Again, express gratitude to your company on the last day.