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edited for brevity
Dan
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Salary Bidding War Between Companies: What is Professional Etiquette?

I am blessed to be gainfully employed by a large fortune 500 company and have been approached by a small company in the private sector with a compelling offer that I would like to accept.

I notified my employer of my intent to leave, who asked me to pause while they assemble a counter-offer.

The Problem

The small company package is 20% more valuable than my current wage. The large company plans to counter with a package 30% greater than my current wage.

My Questions

  1. After I receive the counter offer, is it courteous/acceptable to approach the smaller company and ask them to match the larger offer? If so, is it unprofessional to ask both parties for a best-and-final offer?

  2. In the event I accept the smaller company's offer, the large company asked that I consider contracting my services for 6-12 months after my departure, nights and weekends. Is this common? The companies are in different industries and are not competitors.

Dan
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