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I am working with organisation A. I got a job offer from organisation B of $X. I accepted it.

I gave notice of resignation at A. A gave me counter offer of $X + 10%.

How can I use this offer from A to renegotiate my salary with B to say something like $X+20%?

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  • You can try, just be prepared to stay at A. – Ron Beyer Mar 18 '16 at 2:27
  • Don't damage your reputation by asking B again to revise the offer as you have already accepted their last offer. – samarasa Mar 18 '16 at 3:12
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    Consider this carefully. If Company B told you to pound sand, would you be happy staying at Company A with the new salary? Are you confident that having done this wouldn't poison the well with Company A? If not, this might not be a good idea. You should at least have a look at articles written about counteroffers by workplace columnists, who are almost universally negative about them. – Casey Mar 18 '16 at 3:32
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    running an auction is one way to become unemployed, the mistake you made was giving company A the value of $X, so they countered with $X +10%. It would have been smarter to either inflate $X or give them a clear amount which would make you stay. Company B at this point is unknown, you may well get the offer withdrawn if you play games. – Kilisi Mar 18 '16 at 7:12
  • Simply inform them of the counteroffer, but be prepared that they might withdraw their own. – AndreiROM Mar 18 '16 at 14:59
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You can try. Though they really don't care what anyone else thinks you're worth; what matters to them is what they think you're worth, and whether they can hire you for that or less.

Unless you are willing to walk away if they say no, you have very little leverage.

And you do risk their giving the job to someone else who isn't asking for more.

But asking "could you increase that a bit, so I'm more certain I'm making the right choice" will usually not cause them to write you off; they're more likely to just say no.

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    "Unless you are willing to walk away if they say no, you have very little leverage" is the key point, although it's also worth considering the possibility that trying to renegotiate at this point could lead them to decide to pull the offer. – Casey Mar 18 '16 at 3:47
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Don't damage your reputation by asking B again to revise the last offer that you have already accepted. How can they (B) believe you that you won't ask more than $X+20% when you get a second counter offer from A (or C). At the end you will definitely get bad reputation at both places. My suggestion is to leave A with good terms and join B. See whether you like the new place (B) or not. If not, you can easily come back to A for a decent salary ($X + 10%).

Please note that Salary is just one of the factors that make you happy. The other important factors are: 1) people you work with; 2) culture; and 3) projects.

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You're playing poker. There is no "right" answer to which will work. There is, however, a right answer to preserving your professional reputation.

You accepted an offer from B. You now wish to renegotiate. You'll need to be very forthright. Simply admit that you were unaware of your market value, and that it would be irresponsible of you to not accept A's counter offer for you and your family. You would be willing to move forward with B, but they would have to offer $x. Don't give specifics about A's offer. Just state what you need.

Be aware that A will likely pass you by for any raises or extra remuneration for the next raise cycle or 3. So if these are long-term plays, look past 10% to your bigger opportunities. If you plan on shifting jobs, take what you can get where you find it.

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